Arch unveiled as more racers make their way to Nome

Yesterday a new burled arch was unveiled at the finish line of the Iditarod Trail Invitational (ITI) and Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Nome, Alaska. The old burled arch crumbled last spring after the sled dog race and ITI had ended. As per the Iditarod Trail Committee, “The City of Nome and Iditarod invited Iditarod veteran Ramey Smyth, who constructs log homes, to create a new burled arch. 

“Ramey and his family were a perfect fit for the project, since his mother, Lolly Medley, finished the race as the second woman ever to cross the finish line in 1974, before the first burled arch was erected. Since that time the Smyth’s including, mother Lolly, father Bud Smyth, brother Cim, Ramey, and his wife Becca Moore have been a part of 51 Iditarod runs.” 

Wild Winter Woman Becca Moore has raced the ITI twice on bike, as well as twice in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The work of Ramey, Becca, and the rest of the team is a tremendous contribution to the events and the City of Nome. It is be an honor to stand under the new arch after a 1,000-mile journey by bike, foot, ski, or dog team.

Due to trail conditions, the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race was moved to Fairbanks only 10 days before the start of the race. Despite the route change, the sled dog race still shared the trail with the second half of the ITI route. Many of 1,000 mile ITI racers had the opportunity to interact with Iditarod mushers, volunteers, and fans. Typically those interactions are a highlight - to share stories about the trail, see the beautiful dogs running or resting, and bring energy to the otherwise lonely trail.

This morning around 3 AM, Jessie Holmes, the winner of 53rd annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, reached the finish line in Nome. He and his loyal and hard-working team of dogs were on the trail for over 10 days, traveling 1,128 miles from Fairbanks to Nome. Since then a number of other mushers have finished the race, including fan favorites Paige Drobny (third place overall and first woman) and Michelle Phillips (fourth place overall and second woman).

Only nine racers remain in the ITI race: five on bike, three on foot, and one on skis. 

Ryan Wanless (bike) - Ryan’s competitive side is coming out as he makes a push for the finish line. He rode last night until 8:30 pm and overnighted at the town of Golovin. At the Golovin school, Frank and Audra typically take racers in for a meal and offer a place to stay for the night. This morning Ryan got rolling just before 9 am, right before sunrise. He stopped in White Mountain for a late lunch, was spotted on the Iditarod live feed from the White Mountain checkpoint, and is on his way to the Topkok cabin for the night.

Julie Perilla Garcia and Karl Booth (both on bike) - these rookies have been traveling together the entire race. They started their day at Walla Walla safety cabin, got an early start at 4:15 am, and made great time going over Little McKinley, which is nearly the last significant climb in the race. They appear to have enjoyed a ripping downhill, stopped in Golovin for brunch at the school, stopped in White Mountain for dinner, and are on their way under a full moon to the cabin in the Topkok hills for the night. Julie and Karl have been about 10-15 miles ahead of Janice and Matt for much of the day.

Janice Tower and Matt Tanaka (both on bike) - Janice and Matt are also both rookies who have been traveling together the entire race. This morning they started riding from Elim school at 7:30 am and rode on sea ice to Little McKinley. They, too, made great time going over Little McKinley and on the ice in Golovnin Bay. They stopped for a meal in Golovin and  were spotted on the Iditarod live feed from the White Mountain checkpoint on their way into town for dinner.

Jon Richner (foot) - After a late night into Unalakleet, Jon took a rest day today while he waits for Erick to bring him his headlamp, accidentally left charging in Kaltag. Evidently a musher kindly lent him one to get him through the Kaltag portage, which is the 77-mile long link between the Yukon River and the coast, from Kaltag to Unalakleet. Smart move to wait at a place with abundant pizza! We expect to see him moving again tomorrow morning. At this point, all of the dog teams have run past Unalakleet, so our foot and ski athletes are not expecting to see any more dog teams or active sled dog race checkpoints. The trail will return to the silence that is present the other 362 days out of the year.

Erick Basset (ski) - Erick left Old Woman cabin at 10:30 this morning and has been moving steadily all day. At this rate, it’s likely that he will ski to Unalakleet and stay there with Jon for the night.

Kari Gibbons and Petr Ineman (both on foot) - Kari and Petr have been traveling together until about 5 pm, but recently Kari has gone ahead. They started at Kaltag this morning at 5:20 am to traverse the Kaltag portage. There are two beautiful log safety cabins along the portage where racers can stop for warmth and rest. The two safety cabins are known as Tripod Flats and Old Woman. Kari sent a message from the high point on the Kaltag portage and said, "Well this sure is freakin’ pretty!" They are headed towards Old Woman cabin and may stay there overnight.

What is next for the racers? Bikers might finish in three distinct groups on Saturday, as long as things go smoothly. Forecasted winds along the coast look breezy in places, but doable. The walkers and skier will be at it for more days to come. We are wishing for favorable conditions that will give all nine of them safe passage to that beautiful burled arch in Nome!

Author: Leah Gruhn