2019 Iditarod

The big BraverMountain goal for 2019 was achieved when Blair completed 2019 Iditarod on Sunday, March 17, 2019. The info below is what was updated on the site in semi-real time throughout the race, including times when we didn't have information. By maintaining the updates as they were written, hopefully people can relive the real-time drama and uncertainty a little bit. Towards the end, there are links to stories that Blair has told about the Iditarod since the race has finished.

In preparation for the Iditarod, the pups got their ECGs and blood tests. Here is Blair's thread on that process.

**UPDATE #1 -** Blair drew bib #11 at the Musher's Banquet, This is a good number because you have people in front to break trail and leave a scent trail for the dogs, but close enough that the trail isn't trashed from many teams running before you get on it. With mushers leaving approximately 2 minutes apart from the ceremonial start, Blair should be leaving the chute at around 10:20am or so.

**UPDATE #2 -** As everyone probably knows by now, Blair announced the final team for the Iditarod. The team is Pepé, Flame, Spike, Xander, Ebony, Hunter, Talese, Boo, Colbert, Wickson, Hellion and three special guests, Timmy (the Moose) (from Nic Petit) and Orville and Wilbur (from Ray Redington). Timmy, Orville, and Wilbur have all made it to Nome in the Iditarod before and will provide some great experience for the young BraverMountain team. Jenga will not race the Iditarod but will have the special honor of leading the team in the ceremonial start on Saturday. Here is Blair's thread with the team announcement.

The dogs not racing and the puppies will be hanging out at the lodge with Blair and Q's friend Yotam Haber. He will be blogging on his website at yotamhaber.com and has promised to post frequent updates on Twitter. You can follow him at @yotamhaber.

**UPDATE #3 -** Blair has unofficially officially started the Iditarod with the ceremonial start. The team for the ceremonial run through Anchorage was Jenga, Pepé, Spike, Boo, Flame, Timmy, Hunter, Wickson, Talese, Ebony, Colbert and Xander. Here are some threads with pics and videos: Julie Buckles @real\_franico Cassandra (@flyingleaps) And here is a video of the team heading through Anchorage. The team has packed up and headed to Willow for the restart tomorrow.

**UPDATE #4 -** Blair left the official restart on Willow lake at 2:18 AST this afternoon. Here is a video of the team leaving the start. And here is an awesome slo-mo video of the team in action. As of 9:45pm AST (3/3/19), Blair was at race mile 54, running at 9.5 mph and had been in and out of Yetna checkpoint and rested for about 3 hours (i think).

**UPDATE #5 -** Blair is currently (5pm AST on 3/4/19) resting between Finger Lakes and Rainy Pass at mile 135. She has made it through the scary Happy Steps, so the first obstacle is over. She will likely run and rest through the night and face the Dalzell Gorge in the daylight. With the good snow year, the Gorge should be less, umm, terrifying than past years. One note, Xander was dropped at the Finger Lakes checkpoint. According to the #Uglydog on the ground (@thegirlpurls), Xander had a tight quad and was dropped purely for precautionary reasons. He's doing fine and getting lots of love and will be flown back to Anchorage to hang out until the team comes home.

**UPDATE #6 -** As of 6:39am AST on 3/5/19, Blair is into Rohn, at mile 188, having made it through the Rainy Pass checkpoint, up over the pass and down through the Dalzell Gorge over the last 12 hours. She will likely rest in Rohn for a few hours before heading to the next checkpoint in Nikolai.**UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair stayed in Rohn a little over six hours and left at 12:58pm AST on 3/5/19. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** BLAIR HAS MADE IT THROUGH THE ALASKAN MOUNTAINS and is through the toughest stretch of trail. As of 6pm AST on 3/5/19 she was at mile 220 and was resting on the trail.

**UPDATE #7 -** Blair arrived at the Nikolai checkpoint at 3:35am AST on 3/6/19. She rested on the trail to Nikolai for about 4 hours and made the 40 mile run to Nikolai in about 5.5 hours. She will likely reset in Nikolai for 5-6 hours and then make the run to McGrath which is 48 miles away. An Anchorage Daily News article had info about the rookies going through the Dalzell Gorge and it sounds like Blair tipped the sled on the ice, but was able to recover without any damage done. Scary moment, but nothing more. Blair is holding her place in a group of mushers and was 40th into Nikolai. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair left Nikolai at 9:19am AST on 3/6/19 after a 6 hour rest. She's on the run to McGrath which will likely be one long run (well, with short breaks, but not a long one). **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair checked into McGrath at 5:42pm AST on 3/6/19 after an 8 hour run. She'll like be in McGrath several hours and will possibly do her 24 mandatory rest here. Blair did drop a dog in Nikolai but there is no further information as to who or why at this point. She has 12 dogs still running.

**UPDATE #8 -** Blair has declared her 24 hour rest in McGrath. Because of the time differential at the start, she'll stay a total of 25 hours 24 minutes, which would have her leave time at 7:06pm AST on 3/7/19. Still have no info on which dog was dropped in Nikolai, but Iditarod.com posted a pic of Blair and the team entering McGrath and they looked great. Here's a link to the picture and story. Based on the picture of Blair arriving at McGrath, it looks like the dog dropped at Nikolai was probably either Hunter or Talese, as neither can be seen for sure. Wilbur is in lead with Pepé, Orville is in swing with Spike, Helli is third back, likely with Boo, Flame is fourth back with Hunter or Talese, Colbert is fifth back with Timmy, and Wickson is in wheel with Ebony. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair left McGrath at 7:08pm AST on 3/7/19 with 11 dogs. The identify of the dropped dog is unknown. Will likely run through to Ophir tonight. **UPDATE TO UPDATE** - Blair arrived at Takotna at 9:58pm AST on 3/7/19, rested for a few hours, left at 12:16am AST 3/8/19, and arrived at Ophir at 3:22am. Still no confirmation on the dogs dropped at Nikolai and McGrath, though Wilbur is apparently by himself in lead, so Pepé was either dropped or moved out of lead. Helli has apparently eaten through 8 harnesses.

**UPDATE #9 -** Blair is resting in Ophir after arriving at 3:22am AST on 3/8/19. We have confirmation that Talese was the dog dropped in Nikolai and he is doing fine. Video of Blair and the team leaving McGrath shows that Timmy the Moose was dropped in McGrath. No other info about why, but he was looking happy when they arrived in McGrath, so it is very likely nothing serious and just precautionary. Blair will likely rest a few hours in Ophir before starting the 80 mile run to Iditarod. That run will like be broken up by a rest break of a few hours in the middle. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair left Ophir at 7:42am AST on 3/8/19 with 11 dogs. Will likely be a 14+ hour trip to Iditarod with a long break in the middle.

**UPDATE #10 -** Blair arrived in Iditarod at 2:28am AST on 3/9/19 after a roughly 18 hour trip from Ophir. She will likely rest for several hours before started the 55 mile run to Shageluk. Iditarod is considered the halfway point of the race and it's a major milestone for Blair and the team! **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair has left Iditarod at 10:30am on 3/9/19 with 11 dogs, she is on the way to Shageluk, a hilly, seemingly endless 65-mile run through completely uninhabited terrain that generally takes 7-10 hours. The official Iditarod site suggests running this leg with another musher, if only for the company, but Blair does not appear to be doing so. No updates on Talese or Timmy the Moose. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair is in the Shageluk at about 6:40pm AST on 3/9/19 after about an 8 hour run from Iditarod. This is the first stop where she could take her 8 hour mandatory rest, but it won't necessarily be taken here. Either way, she'll like rest here for at least several hours. Also, during the run, the standings showed Blair had actually left Iditarod with 10 dogs, but then it changed and showed her in with 11 at Shageluk. The hope is that she really does still have 11, but it's not 100% clear yet.

**UPDATE #11 -** Blair left Shageluk at 4:02am ADT on 3/10/19 after an 8 hour rest in the checkpoint. She has now completed her mandatory 8 hour rest on the Yukon River section of the trail. She was checked out with 11 dogs, so it appears that the information yesterday showing 10 dogs was in fact incorrect. She will likely run straight through Anvik with a minimal stop and on to Grayling as that total run is only about 43 miles. That should be around a 6 hour run depending on trail and weather conditions, followed by a rest of several hours. At this point (mile 498), Blair and the team are halfway to Nome. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair arrived at Anvik on 3/10/19 at 7:37am ADT. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair left Anvik on 3/10/19 at 8:02am ADT. The run to Greyling is 18 miles, and takes one and half to two and a half hours. Still no new updates for any of the dropped dogs. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair checked into Grayling at 10:14am ADT on 3/10/19 after a 2.5 hour run. She will likely take a several hour rest period here before heading to Eagle Island.

**UPDATE #12 -** Blair left Grayling at 4:34pm ADT on 3/10/19 after resting just under six and half hours. The run to Eagle Island is 62 miles. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair arrived in Eagle Island at about 1:00am ADT on 3/11/19 after a run of 8 hours and and 24 minutes. She will likely rest here for several hours (probably at least 8) before heading to Kaltag. Quince was in McGrath yesterday and informed everyone that Timmy the Moose is doing fine. Sounds like he had a stomach issue and was dropped for precautionary reasons. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair and the team of 11 dogs left Eagle Island at 10:22 AST on 3/11/19 after a rest of just over 9 hours. It's 62 miles to Kaltag on a reportedly slow/wet trail, so expect it to take 9+ hours without stops and she may well take a rest break on the trail. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair arrived in Kaltag at about 9:15pm AST on 3/11/19 after a nearly 11 hour run up the Yukon. Expect a 8-9 hour rest in Kaltag before the trek to the Bering Sea begins. 652 miles down!!

**UPDATE #13 -** Blair left Kaltag at 1:22am AST on 3/12/19 after resting for 4 hours and 5 minutes.. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** The race standings mistakenly showed Blair out of Kaltag at 1:22am. She actually left at 9:48am AST on 3/12/19 after resting for 12 hours and 31 minutes. She left with 10 dogs and we have no info and which dog was dropped or why. The run to Unalakeet is long (82 miles), so Blair may well stop to rest at either Old Woman cabin or Tripod Flats cabin, especially if the weather turns problematic (which it can do very quickly in this area). If the weather cooperates, this run should take 10-15 hours, but in bad weather it can easily take 20 hours. Talese was returned to Anchorage a couple of days ago and is staying with the rest of the gang at the Redingtons. Also, Nic Petit scratched, so he may take Timmy the Moose home with him.

**UPDATE #14 (and it's a doozy) -** So, when last we left our intrepid heroine and team, she had left Kaltag at 9:48am on 3/12/19 with 10 dogs. She moved steadily to mile 690 (38 miles out of Kaltag) before the tracker showed her turning around and going back to the BLM cabin at mile 381. Still no information on exactly what caused the backtrack, although weather seems to have been the major issue. Throughout Wednesday, 3/13/19, the tracker showed Blair still at the cabin as the remaining six teams behind her caught and then passed that location. There was, you could say, some concern about the situation. However, at about 6pm AST, Blair's parents received word that Blair's tracker had malfunctioned and that she was moving towards Unalakleet. Additionally information from Quince indicated she was traveling with the last three mushers on the trail, Victoria Hardwick, Cindy Gallea, and Jeremy Keller. And, sure enough, Blair and the gang arrived in Unalakleet at 1:02am ADT on 3/14/19 after a whopping 39 hours on the trail. We have no real details on all that occurred with Blair and the team (bet it makes a great story to tell when it's all over) but they are still moving forward, planning to work as a group of four to get to Nome. It sounds like the team is doing well. Orville was the dog dropped in Kaltag and he is back in Anchorage and doing fine. Quince indicated that Blair would be leaving Unalakleet for the 40 mile run to Shaktoolik at about 7:30am ADT on 3/14/19, but of course plans are subject to change. Let this be a lesson to us all about trusting too much in the trackers.

**UPDATE #15** - Blair left Unalakleet at 8:07am ADT on 3/14/19 with 10 dogs. It's 40 miles to Shaktoolik, so figure a run of 6-7 hours. She's leading the pack of final four mushers out with Victoria Hardwick leaving about 30 minutes later. Fingers crossed for no tracker issues today. **UPDATE TO UPDATE:** Blair arrived at Shaktoolik at 3:21pm ADT, after a run of 7 hours and 14 minutes. 221 miles to go!

**UPDATE #16 -** Blair left Shaktoolik at 8:41pm ADT on 3/14/19. Shaktoolik to Koyuk is 50 miles, but it feels like forever. Expect 5-9 hours here. **UPDATE TO UPDATE:** Blair arrived at Koyuk at 4:01am ADT on 3/15/19, after a run of 7 hours and 20 minutes. 804 miles down, 171 miles to go! Also, Blair is no longer the Red Lantern. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Blair left Koyuk at 1:29pm ADT on 3/15/19 with 10 dogs on the line. She appears to be traveling with fellow rookie Victoria Hardwick for this leg, as they left only one minute apart. It's a 48 mile run to Elim so expect 7-8 hours for the run.

**UPDATE #17 -** Blair arrived at Elim at 9:37pm ADT after a run of 8 hours and eight minutes. 123 miles to go! **UPDATE TO UPDATE:** Blair left Elim at 2:12am on the 16th, after resting 4 hours and 35 minutes. The plan for Blair, Victoria Hardwick, Cindy Gallea and Jeremy Keller to work as group of four seems to have been abandoned, as Blair left a full 4 hours before the others, and even before the other two mushers at Elim, who had arrived four hours before Blair. The run to Golovin is 28 miles, so expect 3 to 4 hours. However, the Golovin checkpoint is minimal, and does not even appear on checkpoint list, so there probably won't be in/out notifications. Golovin to White Mountain is only 18 miles, and usually takes about 2, maybe 3 hours, so Elim to White Mountain is 46 miles total, and about 5-7 hours. Blair will be required to take an 8 hour layover at White Mountain.

**UPDATE #18 -** Blair arrived at White Mountain at 9:51am ADT. The run from Elim took 7 hours and 39 minutes. She has come 921 miles, and is required to take an 8 hour layover here, so the earliest she can head out is 5:51pm ADT. She has only 77 miles left! **UPDATE TO UPDATE:** Blair left White Mountain on 3/16/19 at 8:44pm ADT after a rest of 10 hours and 53 minutes. She left with 8 dogs, but there is no info on who she dropped or why. The run to Safety is 55 miles, and 5-7 hours. By all accounts, the Blowholes haven't been particularly problematic this year, but that can always change. She appears to be running this leg by herself.

**UPDATE #19 -** Blair arrived at Safety on 3/17/19 at 6:00am ADT, after a run of 9 hours and 16 minutes. The dogs dropped at White Mountain were Hunter and Colbert, but we do not know why they were dropped. 976 miles down! **UPDATE TO UPDATE:** HERE WE GO! Blair left Safety at 6:30am ADT, after resting for 30 minutes. The run to Nome is 22 miles, and takes around 3 hours, so expect her into Nome between 9:30am and 10:30am ADT!! Go Blair!! You can find out what time that is for you here. **UPDATE TO UPDATE -** Q posted on Twitter that the two dogs dropped at White Mountain were Colbert and Hunter. They have already been transferred to Nome and Q says they are happy and healthy - just waiting for the rest of the team to arrive shortly.

**UPDATE #20 -** After a run of 3 hours and 47 minutes, **BLER HAS ARRIVED IN NOME!** She arrived at 10:17:02am ADT. Her total race time was 13 days, 19 hours, 17 minutes, and 2 seconds. She is no longer a rookie!

**HERE IS VIDEO OF BLAIR CROSSING THE FINISH LINE!!**

Blair was interviewed briefly on the side of the trail between Ophir and Iditarod. You can watch it here.

Blair's story about why Colbert was dropped after eating 15lbs of chicken skins.[1]

Blair's story about encountering a mystery on the road from Ophir to Iditarod.[2]

Blair's story about a creek crossing not far outside of Kaltag (this occurred in the time period of Update #14, but before it became a doozy). [3]

Link to NPR segment with Blair's audio diary during the race.[4]

Blair's story about the Iditarod with a link to her story in Outside Online, plus lots of great pictures.[5]