Iditarod 2016: Daily Results, Updated Schedule Info and More from Opening Week
Before the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race got underway, one issue needed to be addressed: The trail needed more snow.
Gabrielle Sorto of CNN reported 300 cubic yards of snow had to be shipped to Anchorage, Alaska, before the opening ceremony took place Saturday. Due to the unusual warm temperatures in Alaska, the route for the ceremony had to be shortened by eight miles despite 15 truckloads of snow filling the trail, per Sorto.
Iditarod Trail Committee CEO Stan Hooley said in a statement that there would be no noticeable changes despite the shortening of the route:
"Key personnel within the Municipality of Anchorage’s street maintenance, parks and recreation and police departments worked very hard to try to find a way for us to go the full 11 miles to the BLM Campbell Tract. Unfortunately, the warm temperatures persisted and it is no longer possible this year. Race fans concentrated in downtown Anchorage will not notice any changes to the race start, as the excitement of having more than 1,000 of the most finely-tuned sled dogs in the world will, as always, make for an electric environment.
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Last year, the race had to move to Fairbanks, Alaska, because Anchorage received only one-third of the snowfall it usually does.
Regardless of the inconsistencies in the weather, Dallas Seavey comes in as the presumptive favorite after winning the event in three of the last four years. He also holds the record for his 2014 finish of eight days, 13 hours, four minutes, 19 seconds.
Here's a breakdown of this year's race.
Day 1 Ceremonial Results
1 of 7
Standings After Day 1
| Position | Musher | Checkpoint | Time Out of Checkpoint |
| 1 | Scott Janssen | Anchorage | 10:00:00 |
| 2 | Jessie Royer | Anchorage | 10:02:00 |
| 3 | Nathan Schroeder | Anchorage | 10:04:00 |
| 4 | Allen Moore | Anchorage | 10:06:00 |
| 5 | Ketil Reitan | Anchorage | 10:08:00 |
| 6 | Lisbet Norris | Anchorage | 10:11:00 |
| 7 | Monica Zappa | Anchorage | 10:13:00 |
| 8 | Charley Bejna | Anchorage | 10:15:00 |
| 9 | Cim Smyth | Anchorage | 10:17:00 |
| 10 | Peter Kaiser | Anchorage | 10:19:00 |
Scott Janssen, looking for his first championship, was the first to race out of the gate Saturday. He finished 38th in 2012, taking more than 11 days to complete his run.
Alexis Fernandez of KTVA in Fairbanks provided a clip of Janssen's dogs gliding through the snow during Day 1.
In hopes of obtaining his three-peat, Seavey started 15th in the pack, coming out of Anchorage in 10:30. You can find the full standings at Iditarod.com.
The Alaska Dispatch News shared video footage of Seavey coming down the trail to cheers from the Alaska faithful
Janssen's early start could be a factor, but Seavey has plenty of time to make up some ground.
March 6 Update
2 of 7
Standings After Day 2
| Position | Musher | Checkpoint | Time Out of Checkpoint |
| 1 | Scott Janssen | Yentna | 17:42:00 |
| 2 | Ketil Reitan | Yentna | 17:56:00 |
| 3 | Lisbet Norris | Yentna | 17:58:00 |
| 4 | Jessie Royer | Yentna | 18:01:00 |
| 5 | Peter Kaiser | Yentna | 18:12:00 |
| 6 | Cim Smyth | Yentna | 18:18:00 |
| 7 | Charley Bejna | Yentna | 18:21:00 |
| 8 | Monica Zappa | Yentna | 18:22:00 |
| 9 | Allen Moore | Yentna | 18:22:00 |
| 10 | Jodi Bailey | Yentna | 18:28:00 |
Day 1 leader Scott Janssen has opened up a comfortable 14-minute lead coming out of Yentna, with Ketil Reitan making a charge up to second after starting fifth out of Anchorage on Saturday.
Devin Kelly of the Alaska Dispatch News provided this clip of the leader Janssen feeling comfortable coming into the next part of the trail.
Lisbet Norris and Peter Kaiser also jumped to the top 5. Kaiser was 10th after the Anchorage checkpoint, while Norris jumped from sixth to third.
Other than Janssen taking a commanding lead after Day 2, there were no major surprises. Defending champion Dallas Seavey has moved up to 14th and took only a four-minute rest before getting back on the trail. If he wants to lunge for another championship, he'll need to balance his time of rest and trail in a more efficient fashion.
March 7 Update
3 of 7
Standings after Day 3
| Position | Musher | Checkpoint | Time Out of Checkpoint |
| 1 | Lance Mackey | Rohn | 18:54:00 |
| 2 | Dallas Seavey | Rohn | 19:44:00 |
| 3 | Aliy Zirkle | Rohn | 20:01:00 |
| 4 | Mitch Seavey | Rohn | 20:43:00 |
| 5 | Paul Gebhardt | Rohn | 20:53:00 |
Don't look now, but here comes Dallas Seavey.
The defending champion has leaped to second place after the Rohn checkpoint after moving up to 14th in our last update. He still has some ground to make, however, with Lance Mackey now as the leader with nearly an hour advantage of Seavey.
Scott Janssen, who had the lead after two days, has plummeted to 42nd, as he has yet to break out of the Rainy Pass checkpoint as of yet.
Just when it seemed like counting Seavey out of this competition was smart, he's stormed back to take the top spot. There's still plenty of days to go before declaring a winner, but Seavey is in good position after Day 3.
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March 8 Update
4 of 7
Standings after Day 4
| Place | Musher | Checkpoint | Time Out of Checkpoint |
| 1 | Brent Sass | Out of Nikolai | 10:57:00 |
| 2 | Noah Burmeister | Out of Nikolai | 11:20:00 |
| 3 | Dallas Seavey | Out of Nikolai | 13:08:00 |
| 4 | Mitch Seavey | Out of Nikolai | 13:24:00 |
| 5 | Wade Marrs | Out of Nikolai | 13:50:00 |
While defending champion Dallas Seavey and his father, Mitch, kept up a solid pace on Tuesday, Brent Sass surged past the checkpoint without a break and emerged as the leader as a result, per AlaskaPublic.org.
Only a short break transpired for Noah Burmeister, who also tried to get a leg up on the Seaveys by taking a minimal rest in Nikolai before proceeding toward McGrath.
As Sebastian Schnuelle of Iditarod.com later reported, though, the Seaveys were ultimately catching up and were projected to be the first ones to reach McGrath, which was what happened in 2015. Marrs is expected to be running third as the action bleeds over into Wednesday.
So Sass, Burmeister and the other hopeful contenders have some work to do. The good news is the track conditions are excellent.
Imported snow and a lack of harsh weather has leveled the field of competitors to a degree thus far, which means the Seaveys must remain sharp to stay ahead as the "last great race" goes on.
March 9 Update
5 of 7
| 1 | Dallas Seavey | Ophir | 02:21:00 |
| 2 | Noah Burmeister | Ophir | 05:52:00 |
| 3 | John Baker | Ophir | 06:02:00 |
| 4 | Robert Sorlie | Ophir | 08:24:00 |
| 5 | Jeff King | Ophir | 08:50:00 |
Dallas Seavey made his move to the top of the pack Wednesday, exiting the Ophir checkpoint with a massive advantage over his competition. By resting only five minutes, Seavey was able to open up a lead of more than three and a half hours over Noah Burmeister, who moved up in the pack after taking only a 10-minute break.
Seavey came into the day in third place behind Brent Sass and Burmeister. Having gone on a short break on Tuesday, Burmeister was attempting to put himself enough ahead of Seavey to give himself a rest in Ophir. Unfortunately, it didn't' work out. Seavey pushed his way to the front of the pack with a strong run throughout the night and appears to be establishing himself as the favorite.
Sass has moved back all the way to ninth place after choosing to take an extended break in Ophir. He entered the checkpoint more than an hour ahead of Seavey, so this move might wind up working out.
Also taking a rest if Mitch Seavey, who is currently sitting in 18th due to his decision. It's interesting that the Seaveys chose to pave different paths with the Ophir checkpoint. We'll have to see as the race unfolds which of the brothers made the wise decision.
March 10 Update
6 of 7
| 1 | Jeff King | Ruby | N/A |
| 2 | Brent Saas | Cripple | 12:16:00 |
| 3 | Aliy Zirkle | Cripple | 15:45:00 |
| 4 | Noah Burmeister | Cripple | 17:44:00 |
| 5 | Dallas Seavey | Cripple | 17:52:00 |
While the other mushers are waiting for the right time to get out of the Cripple checkpoint, Jeff King has taken the lead and will soon be on his way to Galena, 50 miles out.
Defending champion Dallas Seavey, who held the lead on Wednesday, has dropped to at least five hours behind the leaderboard now to fifth place. Brent Saas left the Cripple checkpoint at noon, but King has stormed ahead.
The top of the leaderboard has changed hands each time since Day 2, and if King is already in the top spot and at the next checkpoint, that has to fare well for the upcoming days.
March 11 Update
7 of 7
| 1 | Brent Saas | Naluto | -- |
| 2 | Aliy Zirkle | Galena | 18:46:00 |
| 3 | Mitch Seavey | Galena | 18:50:00 |
| 4 | Jeff King | Galena | 19:37:00 |
| 5 | Robert Sorlie | Galena | 19:45:00 |
| 6 | Dallas Seavey | Galena | 20:35:00 |
For the first time in the race, Brent Saas is atop the leaderboard at Day 7 of Iditarod.
Saas was the first to make it to the Naluto checkpoint on Friday, as the next five mushers are separated by almost two hours. Reigning champion Dallas Seavey is now sixth while his father, Mitch Seavey, has made the leap to third and is creeping up on Aliy Zirkle for second.
“It was a hot day in the sun,” Sass said, via the Alaska Dispatch News. “[The dogs] are mentally tired, but they did really good. I’m proud of the dog team.”
The next checkpoint out of Naluto is Kaltag. It's a shade under 50 miles away, as the mushers are now three quarters of the way through this race.
Currently, Saas is in good position to secure a lead, but this competition has been wide-open since Day 1.
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