100 Years of History at Mile 550

Author: Faye Norby

There is now a lead pack of 7 bikers who left Koyuk this morning and are on their way to Elim. On this section, they travel on and along the sea ice for around 10 miles, then they have one medium-size overland climb before they drop back down to the Kwik River inlet. From there, they go across the inlet and by the old radar station before having one last climb before Elim. Then it is a fun downhill into town, where they will be welcomed at the school. It is spring break for most Alaska school districts this week, meaning the schools are empty during the day, with plenty of room for our racers. Some schools will have open gym in the evening, where the kids come in to run around. In these village schools, racers often stay in the gym, a home-ec room, or a combination library/storage space type of room. 

The rest of the bikers have eaten their fill of Peace on Earth pizza and are on the move. A group of 4 are traveling across Norton Sound and appear to be moving ok at times and slow at other times. Janice Tower and Matt Tanaka left Shaktoolik this afternoon and will likely stop at Little Mountain Cabin tonight. Julie Perilla Garcia, Karl Booth and Ryan Wanless are currently in Shaktoolik. Roberto Gazzoli reported that, as of last night, the trail is marked across Norton Bay with tree branches and sticks stuck in the ice. The Iditarod Trail Crew trailbreakers will officially mark it with reflective stakes when they go through. We are unsure where the Iditarod trailbreaking crews are currently. They were holding in Unalakleet and typically will stay at least a day ahead of the first dog team. It is rumored they are now in Shaktoolik, so if they didn’t mark the bay crossing today, it is likely they will mark it tomorrow. The dog race has slowed considerably in the last few days as the dog teams are all south of Kaltag on the Yukon River right now in soft, new snow and windy conditions. Estimates are the first dog teams will arrive in Nome either Thursday or maybe even Friday depending on conditions. This means the race is ON between the bikers and the dog teams to be first to Nome! Our money is on our first pack of bikers to be the first to finish under the brand new Iditarod Arch currently being assembled on Front Street. 

Winds continue from the Northeast, but do not appear more than 20mph throughout the sections our racers are in. Temps are mild with a few light snow showers here or there. Many of these sections are prone to drifted trails, so trail condition depends on how much snow has fallen and what the wind speeds are. 

At one point this morning, the foot racers were all within 50 miles of one another, and now are all on the Yukon River. Unfortunately, Gavan Hennigan posted tonight that he has made the difficult decision to drop due cellulitis. This is a non-contagious bacterial infection and not something to take lightly, so we wish Gavan all the best. In the meantime, Jon Richner has taken the lead and left Galena around 8am. Kari Gibbons and Petr Ineman left Ruby during the night/early morning, and Magdalena Paschke left before noon. It appears that Daniel Heon scratched today in Ruby. Skier Erick Bassett arrived in Galena this afternoon. 

When our athletes arrive in Galena, they cut across the Yukon from where the trail is to the opposite bank where the town is. The Yukon is very wide here, it can take our foot athletes an hour or more to cross. They climb the river bank and head north on one of the main streets (Antoski Road) in this village. Along the way, they get a good tour of the town, going past a well-stocked store, the Edgar Nollner Health Center, the Galena pool (fun fact: this is the only pool on the entire Yukon River), the school, and eventually they arrive at Alexander’s Lake B&B, hosted by owner Larry Haussmann. Many a midwestern athlete has remarked on how much this house feels like “home” and indeed, Larry was born and raised in North Dakota, and has likely brought his midwest culture and style, even though he has lived in Alaska for over 50 years. Larry is a former kindergarten teacher, so is well-equipped to handle our athlete’s every need at mile 550 of the race. He makes sure to feed them big balanced meals, complete with fruits and vegetables, but he also gives them fun surprises like juice boxes and sodas. Larry is a natural story-teller and it can be quite difficult to leave his table, his comfy recliners, and his fascinating stories to head back out on the trail. There’s something else you should know about what’s in Larry’s house. Near his stairs is a picture of a spry, fit-looking elderly man next to a woodpile, clearly still capable of chopping wood at his age. This man is Edgar Nollner Sr., Larry’s father-in-law. 

As you may know, 2025 marks the 100-year Anniversary of the historical Serum Run, where 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs carried the diphtheria antitoxin from Nenana to Nome in five and a half days to stop the spread of the deadly disease, saving the Village of Nome. Edgar Nollner Sr. was one of the mushers to carry the serum, delivering it from Whisky Creek to Galena. Not only did Edgar participate in this life-saving act (on both serum runs; another happened a few weeks later), he also saved the lives of two Air Force pilots who crashed near Galena. Additionally, Larry tells of several winters in which Edgar used his moose hunting skills to help feed the village during tough times. Edgar never smoked or drank in his life and the Galena Health Center is named in his honor. Edgar outlived all the other serum run mushers, dying in 1998 at the age of 94, still chopping wood into his 90’s. 

In a fun cross-over, the Robinson family, consisting of Wally, Emily (4-time Junior Iditarod champion), and Stanley are currently running a team of their dogs along the Serum route. They started from their home near Fairbanks and are heading to Nome. The ITI trail roughly follows the old serum route from Ruby to Nome. The Robinsons are currently in Kaltag and are taking their time, using this as a training run for their younger pups. When they were in Galena, they stopped in at Larry’s house and did an interview (link below), from that comfy living room our athletes have to leave. 

Although much has changed in the last 100 years (comfy chairs, juice boxes, etc.) for the most part, the trail remains much the same, connecting village-to-village and person-to-person. 

If you are interested in learning more, here are some links:

The Iditarod Dog Sled race is publishing a series on the Serum Run: https://iditarod.com/category/alaskan-history/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0xw2rvX0XdI5L0hCLP3a1a5OJQz6VkS8dWp1v61poanwx1DqA059YJUmU_aem_DCluz25qt3gVEPb3LBy30A

More about Edgar Nollnar Sr.  https://jukebox.uaf.edu/sites/default/files/Edgar%20Nollner%27s%20Biography.pdf

Robinson family updates: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063681832738

Emily’s interview with Larry in Galena: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15wYtchZqA/