Iditarod - Half Way

Things are changing on the Iditarod Trail. 

Martin Buser, a four time winner, has turned the traditional thinking of race strategy on its ear.

On day one of the race Martin defied the usual race wisdom and ran his dogs for 160 miles without a major rest.  He then took his required 24 with a comfortable 7 hour lead.  Most analysts and mushers felt this would ensure his downfall with a tired team that couldn't keep the lead.  Much like a race horse that charges to the front only to run out of steam and end up last across the finish line.  The conventional wisdom is to ease your team into the race building their confidence and conditioning as you go along.  After all it is nearly two weeks of hard running.  Most plan on making their move sometime after the half-way point, which was reached by the leaders today and yesterday.

Martin Buser has trashed this thinking.

Contrary to expectations his team is healthy, eager and running well.  He has finished his required 24 hour and 8 hour layover (I was wrong in the earlier post.  There is only one required 8 hour layover.), while many of the field still have an 8 hour to complete.  This is 8 hours that Martin will be running ahead of the pack keeping his lead well in place.  According to most analysts, if nothing catastrophic happens, it is his race to lose.  Remember this is Alaskan wilderness--anything can and has happened.

At this point, Ally Zirkle, last years second place finisher is in second place but about 3 hours behind Buser.  A surprise is the fourth place with Joar Ulsom a rookie from Norway.  Joar is a rookie (first Iditarod) but hardly a novice having won several top races in Russia and Scandinavia.  While the race may sound close remember that most of those following are from 3 to 9 hours behind Buser with almost half of the distance left.  The race will now be figured in the speed of the dogs and the amount of rest breaks.  Each will attempt to get the most distance with the least rest, keeping in mind that the optimum health and ability of the dogs is the most important thing.

The weather is not cooperating.  It is unseasonably warm at 45 degrees and raining.  The trail which had been frozen to a skating rink is now becoming slushy.  Not fun for mushers or dogs.  They are inland right now following the Yukon River but will soon turn for the coast and begin the arduous trek around the coast of the Bering Sea which is notorious for ferocious winds and cold temperatures.  Some think the rain will turn to snow at that point.

Will Buser rewrite race strategy?  We'll know in about five more days.