Iditarod Leaders Depart Nikolai

Sebastian Schnuelle, Hugh Neff, and Aaron Burmeister were the first Iditarod mushers to arrive at the Nikolai checkpoint, and now they are the first to depart with Neff and Burmeister departing at the same time, and Schnuelle departing 6 minutes later. Schnuelle and Neff are familiar with each other having finished first and second in the 1000 mile Yukon Quest a few weeks ago, and Neff and Burmeister seem to be getting acquainted having started this Iditarod two minutes apart from each other and passing each other back and forth several time over the 240 miles completed so far on the trail. All of the first 20 teams to arrive in Nikolai elected to spend some rest time at the checkpoint, and included in that group are strong contenders like Paul Gebhardt, Lance Mackey, Jeff King, Martin Buser, and Mitch Seavey. Chances are good that there are a few more teams resting at a favorite fish camp 15 mile prior to Nikolai often used to avoid the crowded conditions at Nikolai.

Further back, it is likely some teams have chosen to take their one mandatory 24 layover, and this tends to cause us some confusion regarding where they really stand in this race. Matt Hayashida in particular after running surprisingly well with the leaders early on has been resting at Rohn for 14 hours, and could leapfrog back to the front of the pack if he completes his 24 there. Teams will typically take their 24 any where between Rohn and Iditarod and perhaps even further down the trail and this feature of the race creates quite the guessing game for the fans. Additionally, trail conditions can change considerably within a 24 hour period making the time required to traverse the same distance markedly slower or faster then those who traveled that same section earlier. Needless to say, picking the correct spot to take the layover can be a significant deciding factor in the outcome of the race.


One team to watch is that of Melissa Owens who is currently taking a break in Nikolai parked not far from some of the legends listed above. This is the second Iditarod for the 19 year old calls Nome her home and reached the finish line in her home town last year in 30th place. Her father raced in the '87 and '90 Iditarods finishing as high as 23rd, and she might just beat that mark if she continues on her current pace.