Jeff King runs on the trail in a snowstorm nearing the Unalakleet checkpoint on Monday afternoon March 12th during the 2018 Iditarod Sled Dog Race — Alaska
Photo by Jeff Schultz/SchultzPhoto.com (C) 2018 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Jeff and team had a nice run to Unalakleet from Kaltag today! After resting six and a half hours in Kaltag, the team hit the trail in wee hours of the morning at 03:05 and booked the second fastest run time to Unalakleet (UNK) at 10 hours 10 minutes (Jessie Holmes had the fastest at 10 hours 1 minute). Jeff arrived into UNK at 13:15, just THREE minutes behind Martin Buser. Hmm… we think perhaps Jeff has his eye on that guy!
UNK is the largest community on the Iditarod Trail between Wasilla and Nome, and storms and wind are pretty common at this point on the trail, as they are heading further up the coast to the checkpoints of Shaktoolik at Koyuk. Teams in Shaktoolik this morning were reporting wind and ice fog, and in Koyuk the wind was really blowing as Joar Ulsom arrived there early this afternoon.
Check out this short video piece on UNK that was put together by the Anchorage Daily News by clicking here.
Some “breaking news” came out from the Iditarod Insider today as it was determined Nic Petit had taken a wrong turn or wrong trail as he headed for Koyuk. That gave Joar the opportunity to take the lead, and he is currently the race leader. Mitch is currently running in third place, and will arrive in Koyuk later this afternoon.
What’s next for Jeff and the team from here? First, complete this rest and fill up everyone’s bellies! Then, on up the coast! The trail from UNK to Shaktoolik is a 40 mile run, and from Shaktoolik on up to Koyuk is supposed to be a 50 mile stretch, but that stretch is now a bit longer-than-expected due to a reroute around bad ice on the Sound. The weather shows the wind dying down in Unalakleet, however snow and fog are still in the mix up towards Shaktoolik.
Go Jeff & Team Husky Homestead!