Barring disaster, Doug Swingley of Montana is headed for his fourth Iditarod championship. But the nine-day Iditarod barrier Swingley nearly toppled last year should remain in place

Expect Swingley to show up on Front Street in Nome before dawn Wednesday. How do we figure? Last year, when Swingley set the race record of 9 days, 58 minutes, he left Kaltag at 6:07 p.m. Saturday. This year, he was nearly 12 hours behind that pace, leaving at 5:52 a.m. Sunday.

Swingley's record-setting run last year put him on Front Street just before 11 a.m. Tuesday. If he stays 12 hours behind his pace of last year, he'd arrive about 11 p.m. Tuesday. But without a close competitor giving chase, expect him to cruise into Nome -- probably at a slower pace than last year -- and arrive during the wee hours.

-- Anchorage Daily News