NIKOLAI - Urge your dogs swiftly through the frigid air of night, bask them gently during afternoon's sloppy sun. Then, as the sun slides toward the horizon, snow again freezing pavement hard, launch down the trail at the head of the pack. Following what has become a classic run-rest strategy for the thaw-freeze spring days of Alaska's Interior, Kasilof musher Paul Gebhardt led the 28th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for the second straight day on Tuesday. After resting his 14 dogs about five and a half hours through a warm, gorgeous afternoon, Gebhardt left the Athabascan village of Nikolai just before 5 p.m., beginning the 48-mile leg to McGrath as temperatures began to dive below freezing in the forested valley of the Kuskokwim River. If Gebhardt kept his pace, he would reach McGrath - 400 miles from the start line in Anchorage - sometime late Tuesday night. Six other mushers had joined Gebhardt in Nikolai before the Kasilof musher pulled out. Jeff King arrived about 1:20 p.m., with defending champ Doug Swingley eight minutes back. Within a few hours,Seward musher Mitch Seavey, veteran John Barron, Ramy Brooks of Healy and 1976 champ Jerry Riley had joined them. By 7:30 p.m., three-time champs King and Buser had launched after Gebhardt on the trail to McGrath. Both men spent about 14 hours between their departures from Rohn and Nikolai. Trying to figure out relative positions of racers early in the race can be difficult. A dozen of the top mushers apparently stopped before reaching Nikolai for their midday rest. They included three-time champ Martin Buser, five-time champ Rick Swenson, as well as top mushers DeeDee Jonrowe and Charlie Boulding. After taking into account rest, fitness of the dogs, trail conditions and strategy, any one of them could be capable of taking the lead as the race moves on. In any case, it appeared that nearly 20 mushers were all traveling within six to eight hours of each other. In recent years, top mushers have reached Nikolai on Tuesday morning or early afternoon, many settling in for their mandatory 24-hour layovers by today at locations stretching from McGrath to Takotna to Ophir and beyond. This year's race seems similar to last year, when champ Swingley pulled into Nikolai at 1:38 p.m. after spending seven hours and 48 minutes on the crossing. But even if Gebhardt's hold on the lead was only the result of his particular schedule, the 43- year-old carpenter and family man on his fifth Iditarod was clearly guiding his dogs at the same competitive pace as the race's perennial top teams. This year's Copper Basin 300 champ, Gebhardt has steadily improved his Iditarod finish during each of his four previous races. But he's never before served as its lead dog. "I like it," he said as he chopped and fed chunks of frozen salmon to his dogs. But, "I wish (the lead) was about 20 hours." Gebhardt has been setting the pace of the annual 1,100-mile marathon since early Monday. He passed through the Rohn checkpoint Monday night after staying only 10 minutes, time enough to load up food and begin the drive out of the Alaska Range and across the shimmering white expanse of the Farewell Burn. The 80-mile crossing to the Kuskokwim River - running mile after mile through a white expanse dotted by eerie blackened stumps - has often presented mushers with a gauntlet of problems like wild buffalo, broken sleds, lost trails and time. But Gebhardt crossed it in 14 hours and 17 minutes - enough time to include a five- or six-hour rest - without any reports of problems. In Nikolai, schoolchildren drew up a welcome banner for mushers that they hung on the side of their school. Inside the school, students helped serve chili, cornbread and tea to mushers and others. Traditionally, the Nikolai students ask mushers and other visitors for their autographs, and the picturesque village of log buildings has long been relished for its hospitality to the Iditarod. "You can see them and talk to them," said Jeremiah Tichnor, 10, of rubbing elbows with the mushers, many of whom are Alaska celebrities. Iditarod headquarters reported that few top mushers had dropped more than one or two dogs. With the clear, cold nights followed by warm sunny days, the canine athletes appeared to be enjoying the trip to Nome, too. "Look at them - no one is shivering," said former champ King, as his dogs snoozed on straw in the sun. "They're stretched out, they're good." * Associated Press reporter Mary Pemberton contributed to this account
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