Day 4: Leader board populated with familiar, unfamiliar names

March 11, 2009

Takotna turned into a parking lot Wednesday as many teams opted for their 24-hour layover. (Scott Jensen/KTUU-TV)

by Kevin Wells
Wednesday, March 11, 2009

MCGRATH, Alaska -- Iditarod 37 looks different, from the snowy weather to some of the names atop the leader board.

Like Aaron Burmeister, whose best career finish is 13th. But he is hanging among the elites as a large pack of teams waited for the right moment to pounce on the opposition.

This is Burmeister's 12th Iditarod, but for the first time the Nenana musher was the recipient of a checkpoint award for being the first into McGrath.

"(The trail) was soft and wet, and I had a 70-pound dog in the sled, so it was a slow run," he said.

Burmeister was more focused on the trip ahead. Turns out, so were his pursuers.

"We'll see how it goes on the other end, but so far so good," two-time defending champion Lance Mackey said. "I have no complaints."

As McGrath acted as a busy train station, activity came to a standstill in Takotna -- the first 21 teams all stopped, most opting for their 24-hour layover rather than attempting to traverse the deep snow and sketchy trail ahead them.

"I have confidence we'll have something to run on," former champion Mitch Seavey said. "It will probably be slow and tough, and just the way we like it."

Jeff King, a four-time winner, said even his team knew McGrath would be little more than a pit stop.

"(The dogs) didn't even look sideways when we went through McGrath, they knew we weren't stopping there," King said. "They also knew we were stopping here (at Takotna). They came charging here. They know what we're in for."

King's philosophy is echoed by Seavey, another man who knows what it takes to win

"If I start reacting to other teams, certainly early in the race, all it will do is damage my dog team," Seavey said. "I'm doing what I need to do with my team and I'll continue to do that."

As of 7 p.m. Wednesday, all of the top 28 teams were off the trail in layovers. Four-time champion Martin Buser was the only musher to push through Takotna. He was holed up in Ophir with the lead

Contact Kevin Wells at kwells@ktuu.com

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