Iditarod

Photos: 2012 Iditarod -- The race through Galena

With a full moon rising and vibrant northern lights shimmering again, Mitch Seavey of Sterling leapfrogged into first place in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Friday night – only to watch as Aliy Zirkle of Two Rivers jumped back in front.

As the first slants of daylight hit the long ribbon of ice atop Alaska's mighty Yukon River Saturday morning, Zirkle was already out a Nulato, a checkpoint ahead of Seavey. She left Nulato at 6:20 a.m., bound for Kaltag, the final checkpoint on the Yukon. Seavey left Galena at 9:20 p.m. Friday but had yet to reach Nulato. Most likely, he chose to stop and rest on the river. Zirkle made the Galena-to-Kaltag run in 6 hours, 20 minutes, and if Seavey duplicated that effort he would have arrived hours ago.

Earlier Friday, the champion of the 2004 race had just pushed his team 50 miles from Ruby to Galena. At that point, he'd earned about a two-and-a-half-hour lead over Zirkle, whose long runs and race-hardened Quest team has impressed onlookers checkpoint after checkpoint.

Upon hitting the Yukon, many mushers expected most their dogs to perk up. Harder trails and cooler weather are more advantageous than the daytime sun and deep snow of the days leading up to Yukon River running.

Midnight in the mid-race checkpoints is a far lonelier experience than the fanfare of more notable spots and the comfort of daytime temperatures. Gone are all but the most dedicated groupies. And although race staff and volunteers are on hand, they seem fewer in number when working beneath a blanket of stars and in subzero weather.

As Zirkle put stockings and booties on her dogs here, she realized she doesn't just have just one Seavey zeroed in on her. Mitch's son Dallas, last year's Quest champion, also loomed.

"He's chasing with a faster team," said Jon Korta, a former Iditarod musher and race checker, clipboard in hand as he kept watch for incoming mushers. "He gained almost one hour" on the run from Ruby to Galena. "He's reeling in his dad and he's got speed so he doesn't feel the need to press it."

Contact Jill Burke at jill(at)alaskadispatch.com

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