Neither barren trail nor flooded forest nor lack of sea ice could much slow the leaders in the 2,000-mile Iron Dog snowmachine race who stormed into Nome on Tuesday evening less than two and a half days after leaving Big Lake north of Anchorage.
Behind them they left some of the strangest conditions for cross-wilderness travel since the race begin 31 years ago. Almost no snow covered the historic Iditarod Trail, the route for the race, north of the Alaska Range this year. Snowmachines speeding across that landscape kicked up rooster tails of dust.
Lack of snow caused problems for a few. More than a half-dozen teams have dropped out of the race so far, primarily due to broken sleds or over-heated motors in the 30- to 40-degree temperatures under which competitors have raced across a landscape more accustomed to 30- or 40-below zero.
Still, a half-dozen teams reached Nome within three minutes of each other led by 31-year-old Scott Faeo from Wasilla and 44-year-old Eric Quam from Palmer. Faeo is the son of the legendary John Faeo, one of the most successful competitors in Iron Dog history. Quam was the 2008 champ when teamed with Mark McKenna of Anchorage.
His former trail mate wasn't far behind this year. McKenna, a four-time champ and runner-up last year, arrived a little more than a minute back with new teammate Allen Hill in tow. Hill is a 30-year-old rookie from Big Lake who works for McKenna Brothers Paving, the company run by his 40-year-old partner.
Racers are required to compete as teams for safety. There are few communities along the 1,000 miles of trail from Big Lake through the Alaska Range, along the Yukon River, and then north along the Bering Sea coast. In the event of a crash or a breakdown, a partner is often the only one there to help.
Squeezed into the minutes gap between the teams of Faeo/Quam and McKenna/Hill was the almost ancient Scott Davis with another younger racer in tow. Once retired but now back on the sled, the 55-year-old Davis is the winningest rider in Iron Dog history. With the fast man from Soldotna is 24-year-old Aaron Bartel from Anchorage, who despite his young age has run five Iron Dogs.
Only minutes behind that pair, and sitting within a minute of the leaders, were the Georges -- Andy and Brad, a family team from Wasilla. Andy is a 52-year-old former champ; Brad a 21-year-old veteran of two races.
Rounding out the cluster of contenders in Nome were another Davis, Cory, and partner Ryan Simons from Camrose, Alberta, Canada. Both Davis, 26, and Simons, 32, are top competitors on the North American snocross circuit, but they were hanging on to keep up with some of the old guys in the Iron Dog where experience in when to go fast and when to back off can play a significant role.
A lot of the trail is sled-smashing tough.