Racing and a Raspberry

Most of the time what I talk about here is positive and supportive of the amazing folks and their fantastic dogs who are running the races. Just this once I will make an exception to blow off a little steam.

I noted some things yesterday that tended to leave a sour taste behind. At this point, getting down to the last section of the race along the Bering Sea coast with its unpredictable weather and everyone getting tired, sleep-deprived and such, things can get dicey. Between the checkpoints of Shaktoolik and Koyuk, the trail crosses about forty miles of a sea inlet, frozen at this time of year. Normally that stretch is very windy with a lot of slick, raw bare ice. Yesterday it snowed and the temps were mild so the snow did not "set" to get hard and crusted. Several racers likened it to wading through beach sand. Yes, hard going for those dogs. It took nearly twice as long to cross that stretch as many times.

At that point, Burmeister was in the lead so that meant his team was breaking the first trail here. Visibility was not good and there was just enough wind to drift the snow some. Most of it was belly deep to the dogs with occasional two to three foot high drifts to cut through. Behind him was Dallas Seavey. Now their two styles are quite different. Burmeister does long runs and long rests; he went from Unalakleet to Koyuk with only a couple of very short stops, some 120 miles give or take and a fifteen hour run. Seavey pretty much runs four and rests four and his team goes fast when it goes. He began to catch up with Burmeister on this crossing and then --at least it appeared so to me--held back and let the other racer break the trail. It might not have been a huge help but it had to be some.

I've read in many past Iditarods where two or more mushers traveled close together in conditions like this, they took turns breaking trail. I call that sportsmanship. Seavey did not pass until they were nearly across and then drove into Koyuk two minutes ahead of his competitor! That did not sit well with me, especially when he had all but told the Iditarod Insider reporters that he had this race in the bag and Burmeister should be watching his back trail and hope to keep a good second or third place!!

The thing is, Seavey had to know Burmeister had run straight through and would have to take at least six hours rest at Koyuk. Seavey would stay at least two hours less and thus have a head start. To break trail for maybe fifteen miles would not have cost him much, maybe a little more wear and tear on his dogs is all. So why not do it? I guess you'd have to ask him.

Anyway, I wish him and his team no serious harm but should a minor mishap occur to slow him down or make him take an unplanned break so that the rest of the front runners all got by and beat him to Nome, I would not feel bad at all! I expect he will win but that crown will be a bit tarnished for me if he does. Yes, it is a competition but arrogance and attitude do not win a lot of points. Most of the mushers are probably not aware of this situation but word will slowly spread and eventually karma does its thing. Maybe its just youth and cockiness but I was turned off big-time here.

Meanwhile the five I have watched all along, with the one swap of Jessie Royer for Jeff King, are forging on to Nome. They'll get to White Mountain probably late this afternoon and take their mandatory eight hours and then the last seventy plus miles will wrap up the race. As last year proved, many things can happen in that final stretch. It may snow, it may blow, or it may be clear and still... We'll see. This time tomorrow I expect the first five or ten racers will be in.