Redington rallies for Junior Iditarod crown

By DANNY MARTIN
Daily News reporter

Ryan Redington became Ryan the Rallier to win the Junior Iditarod sled dog race for the second straight year.

Redington triumphed Sunday in the 150-mile round-trip race from Settler's Bay Golf Course in Wasilla to Yentna Station after trailing eventual runner-up Tyler Seavey and third-place musher Jennifer Hendricks.

"They're both real good with their dogs, and I worried about them at the starting line," Redington said from his home in Knik.

Hendricks concerned the 17-year-old Redington because two weeks ago, the musher from Two Rivers won the Junior Yukon Quest, a 100-mile race from Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs.

"She had a remarkable time in that," said Redington, "so I figured she would be going a little fast out of the start, and she would be fast on the way to Yentna. So, I thought I would have a chance."

The intuition proved correct for his final Junior Iditarod. Redington won in an elapsed time of 13 hours, 10 minutes and 4 seconds after overtaking Hendricks and Seavey between the Trail Lake and Flathorn Lake checkpoints on the way to the finish line.

"It was hard, but it was good," Redington said. "We worked hard on the way back, and it paid off."

Seavey, of Seward, finished in 13:20:11, and Hendricks ended the race at 13:47:58. Eleven of 12 mushers finished the race, which started Saturday from Settler's Bay.

This was Redington's final year of eligibility for the Junior Iditarod. He plans to compete next year in the Iditarod. His late grandfather, Joe Redington Sr., founded the race, and his father, Raymie, is a veteran competitor.

Before the younger Redington moves along the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail from Anchorage to Nome, he had to move past Hendricks and Seavey over the weekend.

Hendricks arrived first at Yentna on Saturday while Seavey, the son of Iditarod musher Mitch Seavey, and Redington followed seconds later. All three mushers were officially clocked in at 4:44 p.m. and took required 10-hour mandatory layovers there.

On the way to Yentna, Redington dropped one of his 10 dogs and switched a leader.

Between Trail Lake and Yentna, he put a wheel dog, Tyson, into his sled basket after the 5-year-old Alaskan husky suffered a sore wrist after stepping into a moose's hoofprint.

At the Trail Lake checkpoint, he replacedone of his leaders, 5-year-old Doc, for 3-year-old Terror. Doc was a leader in last year's race.

"I think Doc got bored in the lead," Redington said.

Hendricks and Seavey were each first out of Yentna at 2:52 a.m. Sunday while Redington followed six minutes later.

Hendricks kept the lead to the Trail Lake checkpoint. She left there at 4:31 a.m., followed two minutes later by Seavey and six minutes later by Redington.

Because Redington trained his dogs on the trail, the familiarity helped him pass Hendricks and Seavey between the Trail Lake and Flathorn Lake checkpoints, where he left in first place at 6:26 a.m.

"We trained fast, and my dogs knew this was their home trail," Redington said. "I knew how to pace them to get back home. I knew when to lay off, and I knew when to drive on."

Seavey and Hendricks left Flathorn Lake just a minute and two minutes behind, respectively. But over the next two checkpoints - Burma Crossing and Knik Crossing - before the finish line, Redington increased his lead over Seavey by as much as 11 minutes and over Hendricks by as much as 35 minutes.

"Tyrell and Jessica weren't giving up," Redington said. "They pushed me all the way back."

* Reporter Danny Martin can be reached at dmartin@adn.com

Junior Iditarod

Final results (elapsed times)

1) Ryan Redington, 13 hours, 10 minutes and 4 seconds; 2) Tyrell Seavey, 13:20:11; 3) Jessica Hendricks, 13:47:58; 4) Tran Smyth, 14:51:12; 5) Max Warren, 14:58:01; 6) Ester Keim, 14:58:05; 7) Andy Moderow, 15:34:58; 8) Ellie Claus, 16;16:04; 9) Hannah Moderow, 16:56:00; 10) Lindsey Hansen, 17:30:44; 11) Kyla Boivin, 18:44:00; Niki Greer, scratch.