Another Look Back- Nenana Checkpoint

On the trail from Nenana

On the trail from Nenana

Having been part of Team Kaiser for going on 6 years now, I’ve never had the opportunity to see Pete and the Team go through a checkpoint. One of the advantages to a Fairbanks restart is that Nenana, on the road system, and the first checkpoint in the race, was readily available.

After the restart in Fairbanks, with Pete and the Team safely on the trail, the pit crew of Ron, Bethany, Ari, Tillie and myself, rushed down to Nenana to await Team Kaiser’s arrival.

As luck would have it, after a quick lunch we almost missed him! I was leisurely walking down the trail looking at bib numbers in the 30’s thinking I had plenty of time when I spied Pete Kaiser already out of the checkpoint! I shot a few photos and literally ran up the trail to just see him load up with a bale of hay and head out on the trail!

Nenana was packed with Teams! There were Teams in the trees, on the road– Everywhere. Pete would have nothing to do with this and was off on down the trail headed for a sheltered location near where he has been training all winter. His home away from home and the loads of tourists in Nenana had to be a welcome break.

Here are the photos:

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What does this Mean? Mixing up Strategies!

Tanana in the Morning - 3-10-2015

Tanana in the Morning – 3-10-2015

What does a lead this early mean to a Team this early in the Race?

A win in the Iditarod is a mixture of many things– Luck, Strategy, Training, Trail Conditions, and Weather. A win by any Team is just the right mixture in a recipe that mushers think about 90% of their waking hours.

At this point in the race, those recipes are still in the mixing stage. Each musher is trying to stick to a strategy of run/rest periods that match the trail condition and the willingness of their Team to press on. As the trail conditions change, so too will the strategy. After thousands and thousands of miles together, the Team and the Musher have a system that works for them. A rhythm that only they know is established by all of that training that sometimes doesn’t match the checkpoint mileage rhythm and a musher will press on, where the layman will ask, why did they keep going?

If a musher is on a 6 hour run/4 hour rest cycle and the checkpoint happens before the run cycle is complete, often the musher will continue to maintain that cycle. It is very early in the race and I am thinking that Pete is sticking to his run/rest strategy so early in the race. He will forgo the amenities of a warm checkpoint to take a trail break and continue as his training has allowed.

I would imagine he is pretty excited, but also looking back over his shoulder wondering who else is on his same cycle.

There are several Teams that pushed longer to take a warm break in Manley, and Mitch Seavey is hot on Pete’s heals.

I would think we will see a break on the trail and see Mitch Seavey, 40 minutes behind, take a similar break.

Trail Description from Tom Huntington:

Manley Hot Springs to Tanana; distance of 66 miles. Manley is home to Joee and Pam Redington. Joee is champion, and well respected by all. The trail leaving Manley follows the road to the landing on the Tanana river. It’s back to river running. The 1st 44 miles is good trail. You’ll probably start coming to section of “sand in snow”, hard drifts, glare ice, good going, more glare ice, and then even rocks on the bar before the Yukon River crossing at the old”mission”. On the road the last 2 miles into town.

Tanana, home of musher name like Erhart, Moore, Roberts, and home of the TV show Yukon Men.

 

 

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Leader of the Pack!

leader

For the first time in his young history, Pete Kaiser and his Team are leading the Iditarod Trail Race! This has to be exciting for our favorite musher, but if we were talking to him, I can almost hear him saying, “Well, it’s early and there’s many more miles to Nome.”

Either way, Kaiser Fans near and far are on the edge of their seats wondering how this will play out. Pete left Manley 40 minutes in front of Mitch Seavey, who is on the same rest schedule as Pete, having rested on the trail between Nenana and Manley.

Mushing Weather for today:

CENTRAL INTERIOR-
INCLUDING...NENANA...ANDERSON...TANANA...MINTO...MANLEY HOT
SPRINGS...RAMPART...LAKE MINCHUMINA...LIVENGOOD
906 AM AKDT TUE MAR 10 2015

.TODAY...PARTLY SUNNY WITH INTERMITTENT FLURRIES. HIGHS ZERO TO
10 BELOW. LIGHT WINDS. 
.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 15 TO 30 BELOW. LIGHT WINDS.
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