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Racing to the Front

Run/Rest Patterns Explained

by Andy Moderow

03/13/2006

Race statistics, with the teams rumbling towards Nome, become increasingly insightful as mushers near the finish. Unfortunately, however, that doesn’t mean times and positions can be read literally. There are several ways that competitors challenge the race leader, and we can expect to see mushers put these techniques to use as the teams head towards White Mountain.

The race is by no means over when the first team reaches White Mountain, but getting there with a sizable lead (2+ hours) prevents the leader from getting neck cramps, the result of constantly checking the trail behind them. For this reason, a mini race to White Mountain often occurs amongst frontrunners, where the mushers then enjoy an equally long 8 hour layover before the final stretch.

The main way for a competitor to make up time, this late in the race, is to stop for less time then their competition. There are two ways to stop less: A team can choose to only rest once on a stretch where the competition rests twice, or a team can take slightly shorter breaks then other racers across multiple checkpoints. The ‘only rest once’ approach was just utilized by Paul Gebhardt, who ran straight from Unalakleet to Koyuk, not stopping in Shaktoolik like every other team in the top 5. While this move put him into Koyuk in third place, the gains aren’t necessarily as large as they first appear on paper. For one, he will have to rest longer than most at Koyuk, as the dogs must be well rested before, and get adequate rest after, such a run. Think of it this way: If you have to stay up all night working, sleeping for as long as you want before and after that night would be the only way to remain efficient both during, and after, the long night. The dogs are no different: Without adequate rest, a team will slow way down. No musher wants to be substantially slower than their competitors when running the final leg into Nome, as such a scenario could easily make them a target.

Another way to make up time is to slowly reduce rest lengths, gaining 15 minutes here and there. John Baker has utilized this technique to gain an hour on Jeff King in the past day: He stopped 4 hours at both Kaltag and Unalakleet, and his run time between the two checkpoints suggest that he took a short (2-3 hour) break on the trail. While this won’t allow him to catch King, such a way to move up is somewhat safer than the ‘only rest once’ approach.

The saying goes: “There is more than one way to skin a cat.” While its funny to talk about cats when evaluating the Iditarod, the saying rings true in how competitors vie for top spots. In all approaches that utilize stopping less, a musher must pay close attention to their team, ensuring that their dogs get the rest they need. Without a healthy and happy dog team, the musher knows that they won’t go anywhere fast.