Iditarod Update #4 - Tuesday Morning To The Burn

Out of the mountains, and into the interior.

Leaving Rohn, teams always face some of the worse trail conditions – gravel, bare ground, open water, glacier, buffalo…after 15 miles or so, they’ll come to Farewell Lake, where some will choose to rest. Beyond that, they’ll enter the Farewell Burn, a desolate site of Alaska’s largest forest fire, in 1974. With high winds a snow, the trail could be drifted in areas. There are a few hunting and fishing camps to stop at, as teams near the next checkpoint of Nikolai.

Aliy Zirkle led the teams out of Rohn, then stopped for a break along the trail. Lance Mackey is now leading into the Burn, followed by John Baker, Zirkle and Hugh Neff.

Several teams are stopped along Tin Creek, prior to Farewell Lake. The times into Nikolai will set the standings.

The rest of the teams are spread out back to Rohn, a few are along the trail from Rainy Pass, with the back of the pack of Silvia Furtwängler, Jan Steves, Bob Chlupach and Matt Failor on the trail to Rainy, with Dan Seavey still in Finger Lake.

In the Rookie race, Brent Sass is first, 14th overall, in the 2nd pack out of Rohn. Braxton Peterson is next out of Rohn, followed by Anjenette Steer with Josh Cadzow still in Rohn.

UNOFFICIAL CURRENT STANDINGS as of 4:00am AKST/8:00am ET
(based on tracker data and Official Standings):

On the Trail to Nikolai
1. Lance Mackey (18)
2. John Baker (11)
3. Aliy Zirkle (14)
4. Hugh Neff (27)
5. Paul Gebhardt (25)
6. Ray Redington Jr (2)
7. Aaron Burmeister (44)
8. Kelley Griffin (20)

Stopped at Tin Creek (order dependent on leave times)
9. Jodi Bailey (6)
10. Cim Smyth (8)
11. Jeff King (10)
12. Mitch Seavey (35)
13. Michelle Phillips (26)
14. Brent Sass (50) {R}

Out of Rohn
15. Ramey Smyth (21)
16. Dallas Seavey (34)
17. Rick Swenson (60)
18. Gerry Willomitzer (23)
19. Sonny Lindner (59)
20. Nicolas Petit (9)
21. Michael Williams, Jr (51)
22. Jim Lanier (3)
23. Jake Berkowitz (29)
24. Peter Kaiser (28)
25. Braxton Peterson (63) {R}
26. DeeDee Jonrowe (17)
27. Sigrid Ekran (24)
28. Anjanette Steer (32) {R}
29. Ken Anderson (39)
30. Bruce Linton (36)

In Rohn
31. Kelly Maixner (12)
32. Josh Cadzow (55) {R}
33. Tom Thurston (5)
34. Colleen Robertia (42)
35. Wade Marrs (7)
36. Ryan Redington (67)
37. Martin Buser (41)
38. Justin Savidis (38)
39. Scott Janssen (37)
40. Karin Hendrickson (43)
41. William Pinkham (4)
42. Rohn Buser (62)
43. Gerald Sousa (58)
44. Curt Perano (61) {R}
45. Trent Herbst (16)
46. Zoya DeNure (53)
47. Lachlan Clarke (66)
48. Mike Santos (22) {R}
49. Ed Stielstra (45)

On the Trail to Rohn
50. Ryne Olson (46) {R}
51. Anna Berington, (33) {R}
52. Kristy Berington (31)
53. Pat Moon (15) {R}
54. Travis Cooper (19) {R}
55. Matt Giblin (52)
56. Karen Ramstead (56)

In Rainy Pass
57. Michael Suprenant (13)
58. Hank Debruin (48) {R}
59. Jaimee Kinzer (30) {R}
60. Art Church, Jr (64)
61. Kirk Barnum (47)

On the way to Rainy Pass.
62. Silvia Furtwängler (54) {R}
63. Jan Steves (40) {R}
64. Bob Chlupach (49)
65. Matt Failor (57) {R}

In Finger Lake
66. Dan Seavey (65)

Bib Numbers (X)
Rookie {R}