With mushers facing sub-zero temperatures on the Yukon River, it's very important right now that the dogs wear jackets. Winds don't appear to be a factor at this point.
Bruce Lee reports from the Iditarod Web site that the best eaters are the dogs of Lance Mackey and Hugh Neff. That's huge. Dogs need to eat well in order to run well.
With mushers facing sub-zero temperatures on the Yukon River, it's very important right now that the dogs wear jackets. Winds don't appear to be a factor at this point.
Bruce Lee reports from the Iditarod Web site that the best eaters are the dogs of Lance Mackey and Hugh Neff. That's huge. Dogs need to eat well in order to run well.
The top five teams all are about the same size at this point, with King and Neff running 13 dogs, and Mackey, Seavey and Gatt running 12. (Mushers start the race with 16 dogs, and can leave dogs behind at checkpoints but can't add any dogs to the team. They must finish with six dogs in harness.)
It may be an optical illusion, but Sebastian Schnuelle appears to be running faster and faster. I think his team is moving at just about the same speed it has from the start, and everyone else's dogs are slowing down at this point.
Run times down the Yukon River seem a little on the slow side. It would be good to learn why it took close to seven hours for most teams to get from Galena to Nulato. Is that just the pace at this point given the way the front of the pack is racing.
Jon Little, a journalist for 20 years and a veteran of five Iditarods, is providing Iditarod commentary on the Check Point blog, hosted by Dr. Tim's Pet Food Co. at drtims.com/blog
By Jon Little