Race Season

Bethel musher Pete Kaiser is 77 miles from his first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race victory. But first he must hold off the race’s defending champion, Joar Leifseth Ulsom, hungry for a repeat win.

Usually, in March, the Bering Sea ice is reaching its thickest extent. But from the beach in Unalakleet, the full horizon is blue ocean water, punctuated infrequently by lone icebergs. Typically, in winter, the shore is silent, save the slight tinkling of ice shifting. This year, you can hear waves.

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has a new leader — Bethel musher Pete Kaiser — after Nic Petit’s team stalled on the sea ice Sunday night.

As of Sunday night, Nic Petit is in the driver’s seat of the 2019 Iditarod. The Girdwood musher leads the race by a few hours, but a hungry pack of mushers are looking for an opening.

Iditarod’s lead mushers pushed to the Yukon River checkpoints as Thursday night turned into Friday morning. Nicolas Petit was first to Anvik, but other mushers remain competitive as the sun heads toward the horizon Friday night. Here’s a recap of KNOM’s coverage of Iditarod on Friday, March 8.

While Iditarod musher Nic Petit races at the front of the pack, a potentially dangerous group of mushers are preparing to make their move and capitalize on any opportunities.

Nic Petit was the first musher to reach the Yukon River, arriving in Anvik at 4:23 a.m. Friday morning. It earned him $3,000 and a meal prepared by chefs flown in from an Anchorage hotel.

One of the Iditarod’s pioneers is taking one last run. Joar Leifseth Ulsom is carrying the ashes of longtime musher Rudy Demoski to leave along the trail. As he prepared to pass through Demoski’s hometown of Anvik, Leifseth Ulsom says he’s humbled.