Schools, towns and checkpoints along the final third of the trail, including in Shaktoolik and Nulato, are limiting their involvement with the event. And that has major consequences for all involved, especially the mushers, who are having to modify their plans for racing a critical and competitive stretch of trail renown for its harsh conditions.
Related : While the coronavirus sidelines other sports, the Iditarod mushes on. Ramstead, the race judge and herself a musher, wrote the message in Galena, and also shared the news in person.
There will be no race personnel there at all, though. For mushers, the checkpoint changes are bad news. The stretch up the coast from Unalakleet past Shaktoolik to Koyuk is notoriously windy, unpredictable, and harsh. Not having a checkpoint there means not having many options for shelter if conditions become extreme.
Joar Leifseth Ulsom, the Iditarod champion, was processing the news in Galena as he snacked on an egg roll. So hopefully we have good weather and a nice trip over.
Related: Follow all of our coverage of the Iditarod here. Mushers can stay at a checkpoint as long as they need to so their canine athletes can rest and even stay behind if they need extra care. If Petit stays at checkpoint longer than 20 minutes he will not leave until at least 2 and half hours later to make sure his team is ready to go.
He said Petit has a special bond with the animals like no other and treats them like family. With those wins he has a good chance of winning. Petit said if a musher trains well before the big race, the Iditarod is the easiest part. He said the training is the most difficult thing to do. That means teams will cross the Alaska Range twice this year but will avoid the windy Bering Sea coast.
Already, the new out-and-back trail means more race checkpoints will be located near remote lodges and in ghost towns. Nordman said the race will set up large tents big enough for multiple mushers to rest in some locations.
Further down the trail, the race is completely bypassing the community of Takotna , usually a popular checkpoint where mushers can feast on an array of pies baked by residents. Nordman said he expects many mushers will opt to rest away from others during the race, and near their dog teams. Normally, many checkpoint areas are often brimming with reporters, race staff, vets and others following the trail. Local residents also often gather at the checkpoint buildings, and bring food to share.
Those in the bubble must go through the COVID testing protocols and follow other social-distancing and sanitation rules. The idea, Urbach said, is to ensure everyone in the bubble has tested negative for COVID before the race begins, and then to keep them isolated from others.
Just 47 mushers — all but 12 of them are race veterans. Or, as dog-handler-turned-Iditarod-musher Sean Underwood put it:.
He said he trusts that the Iditarod and infectious disease experts have come up with the best plan, and he will abide by its rules. Even before the coronavirus, Buser usually brought his own small tent on the Iditarod Trail to rest in, instead of sleeping in checkpoint buildings with fellow mushers.
Other mushers are also hopping on the trend, including year-old twin sisters Anna and Kristy Berington. Anna said she knows everyone will be tested, but the thought of sharing a tent with others still feels too risky. And that could cost you dearly, you know, down the line. Depending on who you talk to, some mushers say the idea of going over the Alaska Range twice is very exciting — or very daunting. That means Kristy Berington is bringing a small battery-powered camera to document the race, instead of using her phone.
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