Anchorage Daily News -- Iditarod Sled Dog Race

Iditarod musher counters PETA claims she and race officials let dog die

casey.grove@adn.com (CASEY GROVE) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 18:48:48 AKDT

Fairbanks musher Paige Drobny, whose sled dog suffocated in snow while awaiting transport from a checkpoint, is pushing back against the animal rights group, which said she and race volunteers…

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Iditarod musher's lawyer mulls lawsuit vs. PETA

The Associated Press () — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 17:44:05 AKDT

A lawyer for a musher whose dog died after being removed from Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race plans to sue People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals unless the…

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PETA urges Iditarod sponsors to end support

The Associated Press (RACHEL D'ORO) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 17:48:17 AKDT

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is urging sponsors of Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race to end their support after a dog was buried in snow by severe…

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Berkowitz wins Iditarod dog care award

sports@adn.com (Anchorage Daily News) — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 17:26:07 AKDT

Jake Berkowitz, the Big Lake musher who made it to Nome with 15 dogs in harness, won the award for dog care Sunday at the Iditarod finishers' banquet in Nome.

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Iditarod officially ends with Roalofs taking Red Lantern

The Associated Press () — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 17:56:10 AKDT

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is officially over with the last team to finish in Nome.

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Dropped Iditarod dog suffocated under snow

casey.grove@adn.com (CASEY GROVE) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 22:56:30 AKDT

Iditarod officials say a dropped sled dog suffocated early Friday in a snowdrift piled up by strong wind in Unalakleet, a village on the western Alaska coast and a checkpoint…

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Iditarod officials: Sled dog suffocated "as the result of being buried by snow"

casey.grove@adn.com (CASEY GROVE) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:52:12 AKDT

An examination of the dropped Iditarod sled dog that died in Unalakleet has determined that cause of death to be "asphyxiation as the result of being buried by snow in…

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The long journey home for May, the missing Iditarod sled dog

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:53:57 AKDT

An Iditarod sled dog missing for days traveled hundreds of miles back down the trail, through the Alaska Range toward home -- and was found by snowmachiners on Wednesday night.

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Missing Iditarod dog backtracked hundreds of miles

bbragg@adn.com (Beth Bragg) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:33:04 AKDT

Newton Marshall's sled dog May was found Wednesday in Big Lake after a trek of more than 300 to 400 miles along the Iditarod Trail.

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Iditarod champ Seavey delivers a win for the aged

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 18:46:29 AKDT

Led by 53-year-old winner Mitch Seavey, this year's Iditarod was teeming with mushers of a certain age who still have what it takes to compete.

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An old Iditarod dog's big moment in close race for 15th

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 16:34:04 AKDT

An old, slow dog named Squirt furnished some Front Street drama Wednesday, guiding Cim Smyth past Paul Gebhardt in the race for 15th place in the 41st Iditarod Trail Sled…

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King third, Jonrowe 10th as Iditarod's top 10 reach Nome

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 11:20:43 AKDT

Nome's Front Street was a busy place early Wednesday morning -- third-place Jeff King led a parade of finishers who completed the 41st Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race overnight.

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Seavey outpaces Zirkle in one of closest Iditarod finishes ever

khopkins@adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS and BETH BRAGG) — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 22:43:42 AKDT

Mitch Seavey scored one for the AARP-eligible crowd Tuesday night by becoming the oldest champion in Iditarod history. Seavey, 53, outdueled Aliy Zirkle on the final stretch of the 1,000-mile…

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Mackey down to two ... teeth

khopkins@adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:58:15 AKDT

Cancer survivor Lance Mackey started the 2013 Iditarod with three of his original teeth. Now he's down to two.

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Leader Seavey blasts through Safety

Anchorage Daily News / adn.com () — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 23:32:40 AKDT

Mitch Seavey mushed through Safety and appears to be on his way to Nome and his second victory Tuesday night in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

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Meet the sled dogs: Barnum

Anchorage () — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:52:51 AKDT

As soon as Barnum arrived for a snack in Unalakleet, he snarled at the husky next to him. "When he barks, people listen," King told the crowd.

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Lost dog found, but musher withdrawn from race

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 09:18:42 AKDT

Iditarod officials withdrew Whitehorse musher Gerry Willomitzer from the race after he fell too far behind while searching for a lost dog and getting it reunited with his team.

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Iditarod leader Mitch Seavey leads way into Shaktoolik

khopkins@adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:21:37 AKDT

UNALAKLEET -- Aliy Zirkle displayed her hands.

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Mitch Seavey returns to Iditarod lead; Zirkle 2nd, King 3rd

Anchorage Daily News / adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS, BETH BRAGG and KEVIN KLOTT) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:27:52 AKDT

Mitch Seavey regained the Iditarod lead Monday evening, passing Jeff King on the trail Elim to arrive at that checkpoint with a fairly comfortable lead.

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Willomitzer back in race after his dog is found

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 08:21:37 AKDT

His lost dog found, Whitehorse musher Gerry Willomitzer was back on the Iditarod Trail on Sunday. Meanwhile, Jamaica musher Newton Marshall's lost dog has been spotted multiple times near Rohn.

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Iditarod Trail takes its toll on leaders

Anchorage Daily News / adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS) — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 07:00:23 AKDT

With a chase pack of evenly matched racers battling for position behind Mitch Seavey in these final hours of the race, anything short of perfection might not be good enough.

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2 dogs run loose; ailing Mackey dog improves

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 20:26:12 AKST

Two loose dogs are roaming the Iditarod Trail, while a Lance Mackey dog was upgraded from critical condition to stable after being flown to Unalakleet.

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Chase pack catches Buser, who's nursing sick dogs

Anchorage Daily News (KYLE HOPKINS, KEVIN KLOTT and BETH BRAGG) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 01:25:00 AKST

The chase pack became the lead pack Saturday in the 41st Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and now it's anyone's race.

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Ailing Iditarod dog improving in Unalakleet

Anchorage Daily News / adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 13:31:03 AKST

A Lance Mackey dog that was in critical condition early Saturday has been taken to Unalakleet and is improving, race officials said.

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Zirkle bolts out of Kaltag in Iditarod lead

Anchorage Daily News (KEVIN KLOTT, KYLE HOPKINS and BETH BRAGG) — Sat, 09 Mar 2013 06:34:30 AKST

Aliy Zirkle was the seventh musher to reach Kaltag but the first to leave, making her the Iditarod leader as she heads to the Norton Sound coast.

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Buser's drive for five Iditarod titles still on track

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:38:00 AKST

A platoon of pursuers chased Buser down the Yukon River on Friday, hoping to catch the four-time champion before it's too late in the 1,000-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

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Buser's starting dash worked, he says, but challenges remain

khopkins@adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 22:39:42 AKST

His eye-popping 20-hour run to start the race has rivals hoping Martin Buser's team will emerge from the Yukon River out of gas for the final days of the race.

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Missing Iditarod dog spotted, not caught

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:48:26 AKST

The search for Mae, the missing sled dog, got a boost Friday when the white dog from Newton Marshall's team was spotted -- but not caught. Mae got loose somewhere…

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Zirkle leads chase pack out of Grayling, 5 hours behind Buser

Anchorage Daily News (KEVIN KLOTT and BETH BRAGG) — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 20:23:50 AKST

With Martin Buser more than five hours ahead, Aliy Zirkle led a group of eight mushers who left Grayling in a two-hour window Friday night in pursuit of the race…

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Graphic: Iditarod on record pace

Anchorage () — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 18:03:38 AKST

If this year's race appears fast, that's because it has been. It's on track to be faster than John Baker's 2011 race record on the same southern route. Here is…

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Iditarod notebook: Buser in lead as pack heads to Yukon

Anchorage Daily News (KYLE HOPKINS, BETH BRAGG and KEVIN KLOTT) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:43:15 AKST

Anvik was ready for a musher Thursday night as the Iditarod leaders, a pack led by Martin Buser, headed to the Yukon River.

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Chase pack pursues Buser as race heads toward Yukon River

Anchorage Daily News (KEVIN KLOTT and BETH BRAGG) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:44:33 AKST

Martin Buser leads the Iditarod, but four to five hours behind him is a growing chase pack led by Aliy Zirkle and Aaron Burmeister, the second and third mushers to…

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Iditarod notebook: How Kid Rock saved a rookie's race

khopkins@adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 01:49:21 AKST

After falling asleep in the notorious Dalzell Gorge, Iditarod rookie Travis Beals got a rude awakening.

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Four-time champion Mackey is first to reach race's halfway mark

sports@adn.com (BETH BRAGG and KEVIN KLOTT) — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 02:47:53 AKST

Lance Mackey was awarded $3,000 in gold upon his 8:36 p.m. Wednesday arrival in Iditarod, the ghost town that marks the halfway point on the southern route of the race.

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Iditarod plane crashes with no injuries, troopers say

casey.grove@adn.com (CASEY GROVE) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:21:55 AKST

A plane flying in support of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race flipped while taking off from a checkpoint, but the pilot and passenger were able to walk away from…

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Mackey strikes gold in Iditarod as first musher to reach halfway point

Anchorage Daily News (KEVIN KLOTT, BETH BRAGG and KYLE HOPKINS) — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:57:15 AKST

Lance Mackey is $3,000 richer. The four-time Iditarod champion pulled into the ghost town called Iditarod at 8:48 p.m. Wednesday, the first musher to reach the halfway point of the…

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Love of sport, not money, draws Iditarod mushers

Daily News staff and wire reports () — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 19:23:38 AKST

Even for those at the top of the sport, the rewards of being an Iditarod musher are rarely reflected in a racer's bank account.

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Buser unleashes Iditarod strategy that was 8 months in the making

khopkins@adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:20:07 AKST

Recharged by a full day's rest in the woodsy cabin checkpoint of Rohn, Martin Buser's 16 dogs screamed to leave.

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Berkowitz steals lead from Burmeister in Takotna

and BETH BRAGG (KEVIN KLOTT) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 22:01:47 AKST

With Martin Buser resting for the half of the day, Aaron Burmeister surged into the lead of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday -- until Berkowitz stole it…

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Berkowitz passes Burmeister in Takotna

Anchorage Daily News (KEVIN KLOTT and BETH BRAGG) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 23:48:11 AKST

Aaron Burmeister surged to the front of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, but just when it looked like he might retire for the night as the race…

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Mushers welcome rest at Iditarod checkpoints

Associated Press (MARK THIESSEN and RACHEL D'ORO) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:40:34 AKST

Checkpoints along the Iditarod Trail offer a place for mushers and dogs to rest and recharge as they make their 1,000-mile journey to Nome.

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Fantasy Iditarod brings fans closer to race

Daily News correspondent (KEVIN KLOTT) — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:01:20 AKST

While spending time at home following his dad and brother in the Iditarod, Danny Seavey is running the inaugural Fantasy Iditarod league, which has attracted nearly 500 players.

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Video: Iditarod veteran Angie Taggart's dogs tangle

Anchorage () — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 10:16:58 AKST

Iditarod veteran Angie Taggart leaves the FInger Lake checkpoint on Monday, Feb. 4, 2013.

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After speedy run to Rohn, Buser takes layover early

Anchorage Daily News (KEVIN KLOTT and BETH BRAGG) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:11:47 AKST

Defying conventional wisdom, Martin Buser shook up the Iditarod on its first full day by making a nearly nonstop, 169-mile run from the start line in Willow to the first…

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Meet the sled dogs: Dozer

() — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:03:03 AKST

Josh Cadzow's wheel dog is a descendent of George Attla's old breeds. "They got heart, his dogs," said Cadzow.

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Iditarod notebook: Mushers test-drive 'pee pants'

khopkins@adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:51:06 AKST

Two female mushers are test-driving an invention meant to keep dogsled drivers on the runners and out of outhouses across 1,000 miles.

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Demoski back in Iditarod for first time since 1985

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:07:08 AKST

One of the Iditarod's pioneer mushers, 67-year-old Rudy Demoski, is back in the race for the first time since 1985.

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Meet the sled dogs: Elway

Anchorage Daily News / adn.com () — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 07:40:09 AKST

Musher Karin Hendrickson talks about 14-month-old Elway, "a big, giant baby"

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Gebhardt, Zirkle lead race out of Rohn; Janssen scratches

Anchorage Daily News (KEVIN KLOTT and BETH BRAGG) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 06:18:41 AKST

Paul Gebhardt and Aliy Zirkle roared past Rohn around 7:30 p.m., grabbing the Iditarod lead from fast-charging Martin Buser, who is taking his mandatory 24-hour layover in Rohn.

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Mackey will be chased on the trail by a film crew

Daily News correspondent (KEVIN KLOTT) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 17:27:26 AKST

Four-time Iditarod winner Lance Mackey will have more on his mind than winning prize money in this year's race. He'll have a movie crew to think about.

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Iditarod mushers blast out of Willow

jpeters@adn.com (JEREMY PETERS) — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 19:14:22 AKST

Four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser and his team of dogs shot between a swarm of onlookers Sunday afternoon at Willow Lake, officially beginning the 41st edition of the 1,000-mile trek…

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Meet the sled dogs: Stump

Anchorage Daily News / adn.com () — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 21:31:29 AKST

Two Rivers musher and Iditarod rookie Mike Ellis talks about his longtime Yukon Quest lead dog, Stump.

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Trailgate party helps usher in Iditarod

casey.grove@adn.com (CASEY GROVE) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 20:06:57 AKST

Spectators partied and posed for pictures with their heroes while Iditarod sled dog teams worked their way through Anchorage during Saturday's ceremonial start.

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The married mushers: Zirkle and Moore share dogs, and this year, the trail

khopkins@adn.com (KYLE HOPKINS) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 21:27:41 AKST

Aliy is the alpha, they agree.

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And they're off: 66 mushers begin trip to Nome

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 18:19:00 AKST

A roundup of Saturday's ceremonial start of the 41st annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

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Iditarod all about fun Saturday, gets serious Sunday

bbragg@adn.com (BETH BRAGG) — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 00:05:36 AKST

Saturday's 10 a.m. ceremonial start in downtown Anchorage is all hype and glory. Mushers get a thunderous send-off as they begin the 1,000-mile journey to Nome. Dogs get love, sponsors…

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Map, info, shuttle bus schedules for Sunday's Iditarod restart in Willow

Anchorage Daily News () — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 16:29:52 AKST

The race begins at 2 p.m. Sunday in Willow. Look here to find out how to get there and the shuttle schedule.

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Iditarod start order

Anchorage Daily News () — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 13:08:45 AKST

Here's the start order for the 41st annual Iditarod. The ceremonial start begins at 10 a.m. Saturday in Anchorage; the race begins at 2 p.m. Sunday in Willow.

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Buser to lead Iditarod pack out of Anchorage

sports@adn.com (JOHN M. SWEENEY) — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 23:09:42 AKST

Four-time champion Martin Buser of Big Lake will be the first musher to hit the trail for Nome after drawing the No. 2 bib for this year's Iditarod Trail Sled…

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Six of our favorite places to watch the ceremonial start

Anchorage () — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 13:48:47 AKST

The Iditarod ceremonial start will begin at 10 a.m. downtown. Here is an overview of the best places to watch the mushers and dog teams they wind through Anchorage.

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