The Current Standings show that 40 mushers have now crossed the finish line in Nome with 16 still on the trail. The 40 include the oldest (Jim Lanier at age 69 finished late on the 17th AKDT/early on the 18th EDT in 24th place with a time of 10 days 5 hours 21 min 10 sec) and the youngest (rookie Quin Iten, age 18, finished in 38th place with a time of 11 days 5 hours 23 min 34 sec).
The first rookie to finish this year was Dan Kaduce in the 21st slot with a time of 10 days 0 hours 50 min 0 sec.
The two Scotsmen (McDonald and Stewart) are still on the trail as is Jamaican Newton Marshall. McDonald and Marshall should be finishing their race later today.
At the tail of the pack are two rookies who seem to be egging one another along. Jane Faulkner and Celeste Davis have been leaving the last few checkpoints together (although, since Davis has two fewer dogs, she's been arriving a half hour to an hour after Faulkner). It looks like they've made a pact to finish this thing together.
The winner may have crossed the finish line but the race is far from over.
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At my last job, I managed two buildings located at the Iditarod starting line, downtown. There is a plaza between the two, right at the cross-walk, which features artwork & a huge mural regarding the race. All of the winners' names & finish times are listed there.
To the left of that is a red lantern, with the statement: "Dedicated to all the men and women who have run the race. They are ALL winners."
When Emil Churchin had to scratch at the Ruby checkpoint because his dogs just wouldn't go any further, he was in tears. he kept speaking about how he felt he was a failure for having to pull out and not make it to Nome in what will likely be his only attempt. (He says he's spent some $40K on this year's race.) Yet only 71 people in the WORLD made the attempt this year. Finish or not, all 71 are winners.
Right now, (coming up on noon AKDT) there are three mushers running pretty close together out of Koyuk for the chance to extinguish the real "Red Lantern" waiting at the finish line for the final musher to pull in. Rookies Davis and Faulkner have been joined by Ross Adam who has run this race before.
They may not make it in time for the banquet to be held this weekend, but there are a lot of people on line who are still rooting for them to get to Nome.
The folks in Nome frequently point out that the Iditarod in Anchorage is a day; in Nome, it's an entire month of parties, preparation, more parties, and celebration.
Celeste Davis in still bringing up the rear; I believe she'll make it all the way.
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