Race Season

Mushing’s connection to Western Alaska is both historic and iconic, but interest in it has varied over the years. Has mushing seen its heyday here in Nome?

Three mushers are now back into Skwentna, the last checkpoint of the 2021 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and what is being called this year’s “White Mountain”. Dallas Seavey has a lead of one hour and one minute and that could be all he needs to seal a winning finish. That finish will likely happen in the early morning hours of Monday.

Dallas Seavey has started his final 8hr rest period at the Skwentna-South checkpoint.

Seavey and Burmeister neck and neck into the Skwentna-South checkpoint.

Aaron Burmeister was the first musher into Rohn southbound this afternoon. He pulled into Rohn southbound at 4:26 this afternoon and he has all 14 dogs on the line. His team has less than 200 miles to go.

Man in black baseball hat and black puffy jacket standing on a busy Anchorage street.

Peter Kaiser and Riley Dyche scratched from this year’s race last evening.

Silhouette of musher wearing headlamp at night, looking down

Aaron Burmeister was the first out of Nikolai South. All Top 5 teams have taken their mandatory floating 8-hour rest. Now it is a mad dash to Skwentna, where all mushing teams take another mandatory 8 hour break.

Seavey keeps steady lead, but Sass, Marrs, Redington, and Nome’s Burmeister are hot on his heels.

Seavey maintains his lead by a few hours. He still does have to take an eight hour break, as per races rules. He can take that here in McGrath, or in Nikolai or Takotna. Sass must also take that eight-hour layover. Meanwhile, Ryan Redington and Aaron Burmeister, in fourth and fifth positions, have taken that required layover. That could give them a strategic advantage as the race continues.

After being canceled last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Nome-Golovin 200 is back on this year. The annual snowmachine race is scheduled to depart from Nome’s East Beach tomorrow and have racers do the 190-mile loop out to Golovin and back.