The Finish is a WILD PLACE at this time! What a year for Rural Alaska!
They are dancing at the finish line!

The last checkpoint slides by- Nome is next for Team Baker!

Expect a finish between 9 and 10 am!

In 2002 Martin Buser finished with a time of 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, and 2 seconds to set the fastest winning time.

John Baker is going to beat this record by 3-4 hours!

Official posting shows that John Baker and Ramey Smyth had identical times from Elim to White Mountain. Smyth arrived 50 minutes after Baker so that may be enough of a lead to hold. 50 minutes is about the 6-7 mile lead that Baker held the entire way. John can leave at 6 after midnite on his way to Nome. Would this be the first Inupiaq to win??

John Baker is 54 miles from White Mountain. That’s 7 hours if he goes direct which puts him into White Mountain about 2pm. Then the 8 hour layover which means 10pm. A 9 hour run at the best to Nome might put him into the Burled Arches by 6 or 7 tomorrow morning. But I really think I am being optimistic.

Ramey Smyth is shorting rest, so we’ll see how long he can do that.

No one better blink…

John Baker got a chance to rest, but Ramey Smith and Hans Gatt aren’t giving up without a fight. John got a 3 hour rest, and they took none. His 20 mile lead has now dwindled to 6 miles. This is going to be interesting and VERY exciting. GPS shows Baker with a speed advantage, but not by too much. Baker is just now heading out onto the ice on the way to Koyuk. This part of the trail is like the moon. No land marks to speak of and time just slowly churns by. You don’t have much to gauge how you are doing until you get much closer to Koyuk. Go John Baker!

Trail times for the three are within 4 minutes– It’s not over yet! At this point a small mistake becomes a huge ordeal and can really cause trouble for the leader. It’s a shootout and someone has to blink. John has a bigger gun, but the boys are ready for anything!