Martin Buser is sitting on a commanding four-hour lead in Nikolai Tuesday morning, along with seven other top mushers eying the four-time champion’s strong
Despite trailing fellow Big Lake musher Kelly Maixner’s into Rohn on Monday, Buser cruised right through that checkpoint, regaining the lead and pulling into Nikolai just after 1 a.m. Tuesday.
The closest musher behind Buser is Girdwood’s Nick Petit, who landed in Nikolai more than nearly four and a half hours later at 5:36 a.m. Then came a cascade of top contenders—Tok musher Hugh Neff at 7:10 am., two-time second-place finisher Aliy Zirkle at 7:34 a.m., and Buser’s fellow four-time champ Jeff King at 7:44 a.m.
Nome’s Aaron Burmesiter, Akiak’s Mike Williams Jr., and Two Rivers vet Sonny Lindner were also into Nikolai before 8 a.m. The rest of the leading contenders—2011 champ Dallas Seavey, his father (and reigning champion) Mitch Seavey, and several other top contenders—were all out of Rohn and en route to Nikolai late last night.
Buser’s speeds have kept in excess of 8.5 mph throughout much of the race, strong but certainly not the fastest times posted so far. Neff and Zirkle have kept their pace north of 9 mph for much of the race so far, but with considerably more rest that Buser’s team.
Longtime musher and top contender DeeDee Jonrowe of Willow bowed out of the race in Rohn Monday night. Jonrowe had suffered a nasty spill from her sled in the Dalzell Gorge. She scratched with a full dog team.
Cindy Gallea of Wykoff, Minnesota was the first scratch, dropping from the race in Skwentna Sunday evening. Also scratching in Rohn was Willow’s Linwood Fiedler, also citing a ride ride through the Gorge.
With roughly 700 miles to go to Nome, and the world’s greatest mushers hot on Buser’s trail, and many crucial rests as yet untaken, Iditarod XLII remains any musher’s race.