Buser Takes Lead, First Mushers Scratch

March 08, 2011|By Kortnie Horazdovsky | KTUU.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser took the lead in the Last Great Race across Alaska Tuesday morning, after Mackey had left Rohn in the top position.

Earlier in the morning, Buser wasn’t even in the Top 10 heading out of Rohn.

Following Buser into Nikolai was Robert Bundtzen, Hugh Neff, Ray Redington Jr. and Lance Mackey, all within a half-hour of each other.

The remaining of the Top 40 mushers in the Iditarod race have gone through Rohn towards Nikolai, 75 miles away. Five more were stopped in the checkpoint.

Tuesday also saw the first scratches of the race. Melissa Owens, a 21-year-old musher who was guiding her dogs home towards Nome, scratched at 2 a.m. in Rainy pass. Owens said she had injured her leg before the race and hurt it again on the trail.

Zoya DeNure, from Gakona, scratched in Rainy Pass at 6 a.m. for the welfare of her team.

The Top 10 Teams as of 8:50 a.m. Tuesday are:

1- Martin Buser - In Nikolai at 8:05 Tuesday

2- Robert Bundtzen - In Nikolai at 8:09 Tuesday

3- Hugh Neff - In Nikolai at 8:10 Tuesday

4- Ray Redington Jr. - In Nikolai at 8:31 Tuesday

5- Lance Mackey - In Nikolai at 8:32 Tuesday

6- Sebastian Schnuelle - Out of Rohn at 19:16 Monday

7- Ramey Smyth - out of Rohn at 21:33 Monday

8- Jessie Royer - Out of Rohn at 21:45 Monday

9- Aliy Zirkle - Out of Rohn at 21:57 Monday

10- Dallas Seavey - Out of Rohn at 22:48 Monday