Iditarod 2024 – Out of Ruby

Good Afternoon Race Fans!

Pete and the Team are out of Ruby headed downriver as of 2:40pm. Pete dropped a dog leaving 11 in the Team as they head for most likely Kaltag and a rest before the portage to Unalakleet.

The trail ahead to Galena is an even 50 miles with another 37 miles to Nulato and 47 miles to Kaltag. Generally this section of the trail is a hard fast trail. With expected very cold temperatures tonight and 10 degree temps right now, Pete may have decided to take advantage of the heat of the day while running which is opposite of how mushers generally strategize. Today, though, the “heat” of the day is really not that warm and possibly that is what he is thinking this afternoon. With increasing winds and dropping temps, maybe it’s best to get back to it!

This puts Pete out of Ruby in 4th position, but Teams in Ruby that came in ahead of him may be taking their 8 hours, so the true leader won’t be revealed until Teams leave Kaltag.

It will be interesting to hear Richie’s take on it the activity of the day.

Go Team Kaiser!!

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Iditarod 2024 – Ruby – Decisions, Decisions…

Howdy Race Fans!

Pete and the Team arrived this morning at 10:06 with temperatures on the brain. Expected cold tempertures in the forecast may mean that Pete will rest the Team in Ruby and take his mandatory 8 hour layover before the chilly weather arrives.

The excitement is building as all kinds of action is happening at the front of the Pack. Travis Beals seems to be the jack rabbit to follow as he was out of Ruby even before Team Kaiser arrived.

Pete arrived into Ruby in 6 position but Nic Petit is in the midst of a 24 hour layover, so effectively he was in 5th until Matt Hall’s Team arrived and checked in and out of the Yukon river checkpoint.

Very chilly weather is still on everyone’s minds. Should they rest the Teams in relative warmer weather and take the 8 hours, or go on and take it in one of the other checkpoints. The 8 hours must be taken in Ruby, Galena, Nulato, or Kaltag. The wind has been increasing the entire time Pete has been in Ruby, so we will see what he does.

It’s getting exciting!! Go Team Kaiser!!

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Iditarod 2024 – Team Kaiser Out of Cripple

Good Evening Race Fans!

When you hear barking in the middle of the night at a checkpoint, it’s bound to be a Team getting ready to leave. Team Kaiser was ready to go after a 4 hour break at the halfway point of this year’s Iditarod Trail. Pete and the Team are currently running in 7th position just in front of fellow musher Matt Hall and about 6 miles behind 2023 Iditarod Champion Ryan Redington. The race is still really close and we will start to see how things are shaking out as Teams head down the Yukon towards Kaltag.

Temperatures are 14 above in Ruby with clear skies for the 70-75 mile run into the first Yukon river checkpoint of the race. Richie related in tonight’s Kaiser Racing Radio that it is about a 9 hour run that culminates with some tougher trail before reaching the old mining village.

Teams will run through the old mining ghost towns that brought thousands of hopefuls in search of gold and prosperity.

Mushers have dreams of prosperity as well as they wonder if their strategies will pay out at the finish line in Nome. Richie told of many different options for Teams as they attempt to break hundreds of miles into smaller sections interspersed with breaks.

Nic Petit will undoubtably win the race to the river and a gourmet meal, but know one knows if the strategy of the 24 hour layover so late in the race will pay off.

At this point in the race with river village checkpoints fairly close together, breaks along this next section to allow a leapfrog into Galena are on many minds.

Cold weather with minus 20’s and wind will make for cold nights until the finish for Teams. Luckily Teams won’t be facing the wind until they reach the coast, but the possibility of drifting trail may be an issue.. Take a look at the forecast:

Tonight
Mostly cloudy, with a low around -6. North wind around 5 mph.
Friday
Partly sunny, with a high near 7. North wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy, with a low around -24. Northwest wind 5 to 10 mph.
Saturday
Sunny, with a high near -2. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear, with a low around -28. North wind 10 to 15 mph.

 

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Iditarod 2024 Halfway! Pete and the Team into Cripple Creek

Good Afternoon Race Fans!

Pete and the Team reached the halfway checkpoint in the 2024 Iditarod at 17:00 on the dot. The Team looked good and Pete will give them a break here before heading North towards Ruby.

Strategies are in full swing as we have seen Nic Petit head north without a break and not having had his 24 hour layover completed yet. Travis Beals and Jesse Holmes both took on supplies and headed North as well. Beals is presently resting on the trail and it is expected that Holmes will do the same. Petit looks to be pushing all the way to Ruby and the Gourmet meal on the Yukon as well as the 24 hour break in the old gold town.

The Team is now 13 strong as they reached Cripple. Pete had one in the basket, but we will see if that team member gets dropped or improves for the run up North. Expect a 4 hour break and a possible run direct to Ruby later this evening.

Weather is beautiful still, but cold temps are bearing down from the North and it won’t be long before too long the forecast for Friday on the race trail is expected temperatures -20F and strong winds. It’s going to be brutal if it plays out as forecast.

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Iditarod 2024 – Back on the Trail after a Good Rest!

Good evening Race Fans!!

We had the whole day off today as Pete and the Team took their 24 hour mandatory layover. Takotna was again the site for this year’s break. It’s always tough to leave the hospitality of the community, but there is a race to run and it’s time to head off for Nome!!

The trail ahead will take them through a one lane hard packed trail, as Richie describes it, to the checkpoint of Ophir, 23 miles down the trail. After Ophir it’s a long 73 miles to the Cripple Creek checkpoint and then another 70 mile run into the Yukon village of Ruby.

As Richie described it in tonight’s Kaiser Racing Radio, there’s a nice cabin along the way that, if it works out, may be a place for Pete and the Team to take a break tomorrow morning. It’s a long 166 mile run up to the Yukon so that will be much of tomorrow’s news. Weather is still good, but it looks like we are in for a cooling trend as weather reports show below.

See Ya in the morning! Go Team Kaiser!!

Weather tonight in Takotna:
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 7. East wind around 5 mph.

Tomorrow’s weather for Ruby:
Thursday: Isolated snow showers before 9am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 17. Northeast wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around -3. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.

The weather challenge looming is the following weather statement calling for really cold temperatures coming to Teams by Friday:

…Cold Temperatures And Wind Chills Beginning Friday Night…
A deep arctic trough will move south over the Western Interior and West Coast and bring well below normal temperatures beginning Friday night. High pressure over the Chukchi Sea will bring strong north winds starting Friday night as well. Low temperatures by Saturday morning will be in the teens and 20s below zero and remain that way through Wednesday morning. Highs will range from near zero to 10 below. North winds of 10 to 30 mph with higher gusts will bring wind chills as low as the 40s to near 50 below zero.

West Coast and Western Interior…
Light snow continues south of the Seward Peninsula this afternoon, with heavy snow falling near Galena. This is associated with an upper level low over the YK Delta and will diminish overnight as that feature weakens. Skies begin to clear from north to south tonight as high pressure drifts south over the Chukchi Sea, with mostly clear skies expected over the area by Friday afternoon. Above normal temperatures today will plummet to much below normal by Friday. NE winds 10 to 30 mph and wind chills approaching -50 F are possible Saturday-Wednesday along the coast from the Seward Peninsula north.

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Kaiser Racing Radio – Takotna Edition with Richie Diehl

Listen in to the Takotna edition where Richie talks about the 24 hour layover and also about the PIES!! Haha!

Make sure to read about the Queen of the Iditarod, Jan Newton. She was legendary!

Pete and the Team have another 4 hours before they return to the trail and the race begins!!

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Iditarod 2024 – Holy Moly! Team Kaiser into Takotna

Pete and the Team into Takotna!

The words from the cameraman tell it all– “Holy Moly!”

Pete and the Team arrived into Takotna all full of energy and raring to go further! Those of you watching the Insider video know what I mean! Unfortunately the recorder failed and I didn’t get it, so we’ll have to go “old school” and just trust me!!

The Team looked amazing as they barked and lunged ready to go for more. Pete declared his 24 and they headed into the parking area for their new home for the next day. We are right on schedule, if not a little early as this is right around where Pete gets to Takotna and tomorrow evening will return to the trail.

The snow is really coming down in the area which will make for a soft trail for any Teams attempting to go further into Ophir or even Cripple.

Tomorrow morning we’ll find out more about strategies taking place for the 24 hour layover.

See ya Tomorrow! Go Team Kaiser!!

 

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