2001 Iditarod
Current Stories
Pre-Race Stories
Mushers
Standings
Discussions
Photos
Iditarod 28
Hall of Fame
Iditarod 25
1999 Race
1998 Race
Race History
Winning Times
Archives
| 28th
year of Alaska's great race
|
| 02/10/00 BARRON DEFENDS TITLE WILLOW MUSHER WINS BEARGREASE; GATT WINS STAGE STOP Daily News Staff And Wire Reports A pair of Iditarod veterans mushed to victories Wednesday in the Lower 48. John Barron of Willow claimed his second straight John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon in Minnesota on Wednesday, while Hans Gatt of Atlin, British Columbia, won the International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop Sled Dog Race in Wyoming for the third time in four years. After winning the 400-mile Beargrease along the North Shore of Lake Superior, Barron said his strategy of giving his team lots of rest early worked. ''I had been taking more accumulated time and breaks than the other guys ... so it just worked out really good for me this way,'' said Barron, who earned $5,500 for the win. Barron, who stayed among the top four or five mushers until taking the lead Tuesday, finished at 6:57 a.m. AST. He beat fellow Willow musher Doug Grilliot to the finish line by 28 minutes. The race began Sunday in Duluth and ended at Devil's Track Landing instead of the usual finish site in Grand Marais. Race officials shortened the course by 13 miles because of warm weather and deteriorating conditions. In Wyoming, Gatt beat Jacques Philip of Nenana by 14 minutes to pocket $25,000 in prize money. Philip earned $19,600 for second place, while Melanie Shirilla of Lincoln, Mont., took home $15,300 for third place. Gatt's overall time in the 12-day, 452-mile race was 34 hours, 2 minutes, 15 seconds. Philip's was 34:16:37, 16 minutes faster than Shirilla. Gatt, a top finisher in the recent Copper Basin 300, has clearly established himself as the king of the Stage Stop. He finished second to Rick Swenson in 1996, won consecutive titles in 1997-98 and was second last year to Jeff King. Beargrease finishers 1) John Barron, Willow, 6:57 a.m. AST; 2) Doug Grilliot, Willow, 7:25 a.m.; 3) Mark Stamm, Riverside, Wash., 9:14 a.m.; 4) Steve Rasmussen, Melrose, Minn., 9:46 a.m.; 5) Mark Black, Duluth, Minn., 12:58 p.m.; 6) Nick Turman, Two Harbors, Minn., 4:25 p.m.; 7) Brad Pozarnsky, Bottineau, N.D., 4:58 p.m.; 8) Rita Lensing, Schroeder, Minn., 5:15 p.m.; 9) Richard Loucks, Wrenshall, Minn., 5:17 p.m. Stage Stop Race Overall finish (cumulative time) 1) Hans Gatt, 34:02:15; 2) Jacques Philip, 34:16:37; 3) Melanie Shirilla, 34:52:48; 4) Keizo Funatsu, 34:52:48; 5) Dan MacEachen, 35:05:55; 6) Ken Anderson, 35:26:59; 7) Sam Perrino, 36:42:53; 8) Dan Carter, 37:43:48; 9) Sarka Meyer, 37:43:48; 10) David Torgerson, 38:52:27; 11) Matt Hayashida, 39:35:39; 12) Jacki Snodgrass, 39:58:58; 13) Clint Hallam, 40:19:24; 14) June Davies, 40:42:08; 15) Debbie Moderow, 41:22:57; 16) Terry Adkins, 41:27:39; 17) Rose Sanders, 42:28:23; 18) Ed Clifford, 43:12:49; 19) Amanda Yust, 43:42:35; 20) Zack Steer, 44:01:09; 21) Buck Church, 45:30:25; 22) Bill Pinkham, 51:08:10. |
©2000
Anchorage Daily News