Iditarod 2019 - The Last Great Race

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

Back by popular demand (ok, only Aloha and Natty) I will be your eyes and ears up here in the GREAT LAND keeping everyone posted on the "last great race". Of course, i will be biased towards my friend Ally Zirkle and give you as much inside knowledge on her as I get it. Hopefully, we have another arm wrestling event in Nome and Ally breaks someones arm. She is amazing!

Anyhow, here is the official website: https://iditarod.com/

1. Yesterday and today,  i believe was bag drop where stage drop bags at the various checkpoints along the route.

2. The weather has been decent. Up here in Fairbanks, i got about 6 more inches of snow to add to my collection at the house. So, if we are getting dumped on, so is the trail to the south and west. Should make everyone but the lead team happy.

3. I'm tracking around 50ish competitors this year and really don't know who else is running besides AZ. I guess if i'm going to be commentator on this, i really should look into it.

-Alaska Hoosier.

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

Ally Zirkle on the YUKON QUEST

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

Just in: A weather update for this weekend out west which could very well mess up some mushing

AFG issues STRONG STORMS TO IMPACT THE WEST COAST OF ALASKA OVER THE WEEKEND till 7:00 AM AKST https://nwschat.weather.gov/p.php?pid=201902142321-PAFG-WWAK82-SPSWCZ …

[Naturalhoosier 15,407]

I've been dying of anticipation waiting for this thread.  In the words of the great Rik Flair, "Woooooooooooo"!!!!!

[Geometry Hoosier 1,151]

Life Below Zero a show on Nat. Geo. follows several people around on their daily lives in Alaska. One of the guys did the Iditarod last year and they followed his progress. It was pretty neat.


Sent from my iPhone using BtownBanners

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

Only 14 days left before the start of the "Last Great Race"!

2019 Iditarod Mushers

Entrant #	Musher Name	Sex	City	State	Country	Status
1	Matthew Failor	M	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
2	Peter Kaiser	M	Bethel	AK	USA	Veteran
3	Jessie Holmes	M	Nenana	AK	USA	Veteran
4	Jessie Royer	F	Fairbanks	AK	USA	Veteran
5	Jason Campeau	M	Rocky Mountain House	AB	CANADA	Veteran
6	Joar Leifseth Ulsom	M	Mo i Rana		NORWAY	Veteran
7	Kristy Berington	F	Knik	AK	USA	Veteran
8	Richie Diehl	M	Aniak	AK	USA	Veteran
9	Ryan Redington	M	Skagway	AK	USA	Veteran
10	Mats Pettersson	M	Kiruna		SWEDEN	Veteran
11	Jessica Klejka	F	Wasilla	AK	USA	Rookie
12	Ramey Smyth	M	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
13	Jeff King	M	Denali	AK	USA	Veteran
14	Aliy Zirkle	F	Two Rivers	AK	USA	Veteran
15	Anja Radano	F	Talkeetna	AK	USA	Veteran
16	Blair Braverman	F	Mountain	WI	USA	Rookie
17	Nicolas Petit	M	Girdwood	AK	USA	Veteran
18	Martin Buser	M	Big Lake	AK	USA	Veteran
19	Emily Maxwell	F	Iowa City	IA	USA	Veteran
20	Matt Hall	M	Two Rivers	AK	USA	Veteran
21	Lev Shvarts	M	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
22	Jeff Deeter	M	Fairbanks	AK	USA	Veteran
23	Linwood Fiedler	M	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
24	Marcelle Fressineau	F	Whitehorse	YT	CANADA	Veteran
25	Shaynee Traska	F	Gladwin	MI	USA	Veteran
26	Cindy Abbott	F	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
27	Anna Berington	F	Knik	AK	USA	Veteran
28	Kristin Bacon	F	Big Lake	AK	USA	Veteran
29	Michael Baker	M	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
30	Aaron Peck	M	Grande Prairie	AB	CANADA	Veteran
31	Ed Hopkins	M	Carcross	YT	CANADA	Rookie
32	Sebastien Dos Santos Borges	M	Chazey-Bons		France	Rookie
33	Mitch Seavey	M	Seward	AK	USA	Veteran
34	Victoria Hardwick	F	Bethel	AK	USA	Rookie
35	Robert Redington	M	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
36	Alison Lifka	F	Willow	AK	USA	Rookie
37	Brett Bruggeman	M	Great Falls	MT	USA	Veteran
38	Charley Bejna	M	Addison	IL	USA	Veteran
39	Jeremy Keller	M	Knik	AK	USA	Veteran
40	Niklas Wikstrand	M	Nes i Akershus		NORWAY	Rookie
41	Richie Beattie	M	Two Rivers	AK	USA	Rookie
42	Martin Apayauq Reitan	M	Kaktovik	AK	USA	Rookie
43	Paige Drobny	F	Fairbanks	AK	USA	Veteran
44	Michi Konno	M	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
45	Seth Barnes	M	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
46	Wade Marrs	M	Willow	AK	USA	Veteran
47	Aaron Burmeister	M	Nome/Nenana	AK	USA	Veteran
48	Cindy Gallea	F	Wykoff	MN	USA	Veteran
49	Lance Mackey	M	Fairbanks	AK	USA	Veteran
50	Sarah Stokey	F	Seward	AK	USA	Veteran
51	Travis Beals	M	Seward	AK	USA	Veteran
52	Ryan Santiago	M	Sterling	AK	USA	Rookie

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,747]

I read on the internet this race is just a hoax like the lunar landing and it's all filmed on a studio lot in southern California.  

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

you shut your pie hole old fart!

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,747]

Told ya so you silly Eskimo.

[Naturalhoosier 15,407]

15 hours ago, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Told ya so you silly Eskimo.

I found a picture of Mr Toots.

 

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,747]

Damn stalker!

[Naturalhoosier 15,407]

Just now, Class of '66 Old Fart said:

Damn stalker!

hahaha  The internet provideth.  I just shareth!

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

We have another bad storm coming in from the west.

❄️ Alaska Weather Alerts‏ @SimpleWeatherAK 45m45 minutes ago

 

 

NWS Alert> Blizzard Warning: Blizzard Conditions Expected. Visibility will Be Near Zero At Times. Travel will Be Very Difficult to Impossible. Damage to Power Lines is Possible. Total Snow Accumulations of Up... #akwx http://www.simpleweatheralert.com/cgi-bin/weatherdetail.py?l=AK125CE6D754B0.BlizzardWarning.125CE6E664F0AK.AFGWSWNSB.fd0973395c73f40aebd59f21ec476138&a=002&t=0 …

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,747]

On 2/16/2019 at 10:01 AM, Naturalhoosier said:

I found a picture of Mr Toots.

 

Bite Me!

[Class of '66 Old Fart 83,747]

10 minutes ago, ALASKA HOOSIER said:

We have another bad storm coming in from the west.

❄️ Alaska Weather Alerts‏ @SimpleWeatherAK 45m45 minutes ago

 

 

NWS Alert> Blizzard Warning: Blizzard Conditions Expected. Visibility will Be Near Zero At Times. Travel will Be Very Difficult to Impossible. Damage to Power Lines is Possible. Total Snow Accumulations of Up... #akwx http://www.simpleweatheralert.com/cgi-bin/weatherdetail.py?l=AK125CE6D754B0.BlizzardWarning.125CE6E664F0AK.AFGWSWNSB.fd0973395c73f40aebd59f21ec476138&a=002&t=0 …

Bunch of pansies.  I don't think a little wind and snow would stop our very own USPS from delivering your mail.  

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

Aliy Zirkle

Bib Number: 19
Hometown: Two Rivers, Alaska
Website: http://www.SPKDogLog.com

View full career in the archives

 

Biography

Aliy Zirkle, 49, was born in New Hampshire and was raised in New Hampshire, Puerto Rico, St. Louis and Pennsylvania. She graduated with a degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania. When she was in her early 20’s, she moved to a small Alaskan town north of the Arctic Circle. During her first winter, she adopted six huskies, built a dog sled and explored the surrounding wilderness with her dog team. The challenges of this first winter taught her many of the skills that she uses today.
This solitary, independent, wilderness lifestyle that Aliy fell in love 25 years ago has now ironically, thrown her into the media spotlight. While she has had many successes in her dog mushing career, she has also had notable disappointments. Aliy finished 2nd place in the Iditarod three times in a row. She is the first, and only, woman to win the Yukon Quest (a 1,000 mile remote mushing adventure race.)
Aliy and her husband, Allen Moore, an Iditarod veteran and Yukon Quest winner, own and operate SP Kennel – a premier sled dog kennel in Two Rivers, Alaska. They strive to be the best they can through complete dedication to their canine teammates and to the sport. They are also committed to the Alaskan community that has given them unwavering support and incredible encouragement through the years. Aliy’s life has revolved around dogs for many years. She says they are the center focus of pretty much all that she and Allen do. She also loves coffee and says grinding and brewing the perfect cup every morning makes her happy!

Sponsors

Matson Jeanine/Bob Huston Pleasant Valley Store North Pole Vet Hospital

Howling dog Alaska Kenai Sat Phone Rentals Head-Lites.com, CANADA SPK Dog Sponsors and Team Members

[ccgeneral 38,084]

Bump.

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

It's raceday *******! Yes, i know the "ceremonial" race began yesterday CCG, but no one likes that crap. It's all a bunch of showboatin' and politics. So, here we go. The race starts today at 2pm AK time and everyone is pretty pumped.

If anyone wants to follow the race via twitter, there is a rookie that is blowing up the interwebs. her name is Blaire Braverman. I just found out about her today and she has been posting some pretty funny stuff on twitter. I guess she is a writer for "outside" mag and decided to become a musher so she came up here for a bit and learned and now is racing the iditarod. i don't think anyone from her camp is posting throughout the race but i think you can follow her with #uglydogs or on twitter: @blairebraverman her bib number is #11.

 

 

[ALASKA HOOSIER 11,254]

Here is a clip from yesterdays, "ceremonial" start from Anchortrash, AK. Notice the imported snow? friggin' city folk! We need to build a wall around Anchorage and Make Alaska Great...er.