Iditarod live blog for Monday, March 13: Mitch Seavey looks to claim victory Tuesday in record finish

Mitch Seavey reached White Mountain before midnight Monday, putting himself in position to reach Nome by dinnertime Tuesday as the oldest, fastest winner in history.

Seavey, a 57-year-old from Sterling, reached the checkpoint at 11:36 p.m. with a team of 12 dogs. He'll stay for a mandatory eight-hour layover.

Then at 7:36 a.m. Tuesday, Seavey will be able to return to the trail for the final run in what is shaping up to be a historic performance.

[Front-of-the-pack mushers concede that Mitch Seavey looks unbeatable]

The 77-mile stretch from White Mountain to Nome should take roughly eight to 10 hours, which could put Seavey under the burled arch in time for dinner — a nine-hour run would get him there at 4:36 p.m.

Seavey is on pace to shatter the race record of 8 days, 11 hours, 20 minutes, 16 seconds, set last year by his son, Dallas Seavey.

A victory would allow him to add four years to the record he set in 2013, when he became the Iditarod's oldest champion at age 53.

Two hours behind Seavey are four-time winner Dallas Seavey and Nick Petit. Dallas reached White Mountain at 1:35 a.m. Tuesday, followed by Petit at 1:45 a.m.

— Beth Bragg

Petit dogs ‘doing it in style’

Nicolas Petit's dogs might be traveling down the trail with spunk, but it probably won't be enough to catch race leader Mitch Seavey.

Petit was third out of Koyuk Monday in pursuit of both the two-time champion and his son, defending champion Dallas Seavey.

Petit left soon after Joar Leifseth Ulsom pulled in and about 50 minutes after Dallas. Petit has a propensity to change up strategy on the trail, mixing up his run and rest times based on how his dogs look, not on what he planned. That's meant speedy run times from Girdwood musher.

"They're doing it in style my dogs. They're flying everywhere," he said.

But as he put booties back on his dog team in 14-degree temperatures and under sunny skies, he conceded that catching Mitch was unlikely and that even getting between the leader and Dallas would be a challenge.

"I didn't think it was impossible to win … but you've got to be realistic. These guys have a race plan that's more appropriate for what this race calls for right now — hauling a bunch of dogs the whole time," Petit said of the Seaveys, who have spent much of the race resting dogs in their sleds while the rest of the team runs.

Dallas Seavey moved quickly in Koyuk Monday morning, stopping to drop a dog and stuff his sled bag with straw, dog booties and food. He walked down the line of dogs, trying to give them a frozen snack.

He ran with a single dog in lead, Hero. Seavey said Hero was giving other leaders a break, "so they're ready when we need them." He left at just after 11 a.m. Monday after just eight minutes at the checkpoint.

— Tegan Hanlon in Koyuk

Mitch Seavey into Koyuk first

Mitch Seavey was the first musher into Koyuk, arriving at 7:24 a.m. Monday. Only one other musher, Girdwood's Nicolas Petit, was running in pursuit of Seavey as of 7:30 a.m. Petit and his team of 13 dogs were about 14 miles behind the two-time champion.

Four-time champion Dallas Seavey, Mitch's son, and Joar Leifseth Ulsom followed Petit down the trail, but trackers showed both stopped to rest their dogs before continuing across the ice of Norton Sound.

[Sunday: Mitch Seavey 'is beating the crap out of us,' says his son]

Iditarod Insider video footage shows top contenders reacting to the elder Seavey's moves in Shaktoolik early Monday. Mitch Seavey elected to rest for five hours in the coastal checkpoint after making the 40-mile run from Unalakleet.

[Iditarod map, standings and more coverage]

Some, like Wade Marrs and Jessie Royer, stopped in Shaktoolik for a rest. Others grabbed straw and supplies before taking off down the trail.

Front-runners mostly conceded Sunday night that it was Mitch Seavey's race to lose. Even defending champ Dallas Seavey told Alaska Dispatch News his father had a lead and speed comparable to what the younger Seavey had when he won in 2015.

But with 171 miles of trail left after mushers reach Koyuk, the race isn't over until mushers cross the burled arch.

"Oh yeah, you never know what could happen," Marrs told the Iditarod Insider Monday morning. "We're keeping the dog team happy and strong so if we do get a chance to give a little push, we can, and we will if we can."

— Suzanna Caldwell