Lead Mushers Back on Trail

March 10, 2011|By Kortnie Horazdovsky | KTUU.com

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Idaho musher Trent Herbst was the first musher to the halfway point of the Iditarod, the fittingly-named Iditarod checkpoint, but while he leads the race on the trail, he won't for long.

Herbst, Kelley Griffin and Cim Smyth all surpassed the lead pack Wednesday, but while they continued on the trail, about 30 other mushers took their mandatory 24-hour layovers and are now back on the trail.

Herbst and Griffin are in Iditarod, according to the Iditarod’s standings page, and Smyth is on the trail from Ophir to Iditarod.

Soon to be hot on their tails is four-time champion Martin Buser, who has completed his layover and was the first musher to McGrath. Buser holds the race’s record finish time and has only dropped one dog throughout the race. Buser left Ophir at 12:15 a.m. Thursday.

Also Thursday morning, 2004 Iditarod champion Mitch Seavey was scratched from the race. Seavey injured his hand while cutting open a bale of straw in Ophir and race marshal Mark Nordman determined that the injury was bad enough to withdraw him.

Seavey was in 15th place when the decision was made.

Rounding out the top 10 are Hugh Neff, Lance Mackey, Sebastian Schnuelle, Michael Williams, Jr., John Baker and Robert Bundtzen.

Twenty-five mushers have not yet completed their layovers, but almost all of them are checked into a checkpoint with no checkout time.

Top 10 racers and times, according to the Iditarod site:

1- Trent Herbst Into Iditarod 5:29 a.m. No 24-hour layover

2- Kelley Griffin Into Iditarod 6:41 a.m. No 24-hour layover

3- Cim Smyth Out of Ophir 8:10 p.m. No 24-hour layover

4- Martin Buser Out of Ophir 12:15 a.m. Completed 24-hour layover

5- Hugh Neff Out of Ophir 1:45 a.m. Completed 24-hour layover

6- Lance Mackey Out of Ophir 2:03 a.m. Completed 24-hour layover

7- Sebastian Schnuelle Out of Ophir 2:03 a.m. Completed 24-hour layover

8- Michael Williams, Jr. Out of Ophir 2:37 a.m. Completed 24-hour layover