One second separates top Rondy mushers after first day of racing

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Bill Kornmuller drives his dog team down the Chester Creek Trail during the first day of the 2018 Fur Rendezvous Open World Championship Sled Dog Race in Anchorage, AK on Friday, Feb. 23, 2018. (Bob Hallinen / ADN)

Chugiak musher Kourosh Partow grabbed a one-second lead over five-time champion Buddy Streeper on the first day of racing in the Fur Rendezvous Open World Championships.

Partow made the 25-mile roundtrip from downtown Anchorage to Far North Bicentennial Park in 1 hour, 24 minutes, 29 seconds.

Streeper, a musher from Fort Nelson, British Columbia, was one second back in 1:24:30. John Erhart is one minute back in third place.
Racing continues Saturday and Sunday, with teams leaving 4th Avenue and D Street beginning at noon. Mushers will start Saturday in the order they finished Friday, which will put Partow on the trail first.

Streeper is the only former champ in the field of 21. He finished second in last year's race.

A purse of $80,000 is up for grabs.

Heat one:

1) Kourosh Partow 1:24:29, 2) Buddy Streeper 1:24:30, 3) John Erhard 1:25:29, 4) Gary Markley 1:25:39, 5) Mark Hartum 1:26:24, 6) James Wheeler 1:26:31, 7) Greg Taylor 1:26:44, 8) Jason Dunlap 1:26:53, 9) Marvin Kokrine 1:27:32, 10) Michael Tetzner 1:27:41, 11) Emilie Entrikin 1:28:24, 12) Jeff Conn 1:28:55, 13) Lina Streeper 1:30:50, 14) Bill Kornmuller 1:31:47, 15) Dave Turner 1:32:31, 16) Nathan Sterling 1:32:34, 17) Don Cousins 1:34:50, 18) Danny Beck 1:36:23, 19) Evan Hahn 1:39:19, 20) Nikki Seo 1:40:41, 21) Dennis Kananowicz 1:41:40.