The Bering Sea! Final Phase of the Race

Pete and the Team arrived into Unalakleet at 4:40pm in 12th position. I kind of expected him to continue, but I am now thinking that Pete has another strategy in mind. The win is not the issue, but a good happy Team is really the end game. Which honestly is the prime goal for every race 🙂

It doesn’t appear that weather will be the factor in the race, though at this point the wind from the North is a bit brutal for Teams as they head North towards Shaktoolik and then over the ice to Koyuk.

We have so many memories of this phase of the race that were weather related. A storm in Shaktoolik. A terrible wind storm in Golovin. It’s been the plethora of stories as Teams made their way up towards Nome.

Tonight, as Pete and the Team return to the trail, I’m sure Pete is making sure that the Team is healthy and ready to advance in case another Team may falter. A conservative approach as they head towards the last phase of this race.

Weather tonight will be windy and chilly, but not as crazy bad as we have seen. Visibility will be a factor and the leaders will definitely need to work to stay on the trail, but overall it should be a night of stars and moon as Pete and the Team head towards Koyuk. Out over the ice is a brutal mental experience. Miles of miles of the same trail.  Your mind gets the best of you as you don’t know if you are actually moving forward. One night in a past race, Pete was fully asleep as his Team passed Mitch Seavey in the night. It is a mental challenge to Pete and the Team have seen before, but still will be a challenging run.

Tonight’s weather:
Tonight– Clear, with a low around -11. Northeast wind 5 to 15 mph.
Monday– Sunny, with a high near 4. Northwest wind 10 to 15 mph.

 

 

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