2022 Iron Dog - Day 4 Update

With the entirety of the race roster taking some much needed rest and recovery time in Nome, today marks the period of time during the race where fans try their best to keep up with a race where information as details are coming from every which direction at a lightning pace to simply watching teams do some repairs and maintenance on their machines.

A total of 21 teams are still in the running for the top prize, while 7 teams have been forced from the race, the latest being Team 39 Barber/Lapham which we touched on in yesterdays Day 3 Update.

Like we mentioned yesterday, a mandatory 24 hour layover period is held annually in Nome to give racers the rest they need and also allow for some time to have teams perform maintenance and do repairs on their sleds.

Each team is given 15 minutes of off-the-clock inspection time to go over both of their race sleds with a fine-tooth comb to see what they might need, look for worn or broken parts, and get a list of tools they will need to get this done as quickly as possible.  While the inspection time does not add to their elapsed trail time, the time for repairs certainly does.  This is why you'll often see detailed lists made by each team noting which parts and tools they'll need so everything can be gathered and set aside to accomplish what they need to as fast as they possibly can.

Accounting for adjustments made for layover and departure times, the actual leaders remain Team 7 Aklestad/Olstad in first place, Team 14 Boylan/Leslie in second, and Team 10, Chris Olds and Mike Morgan, in third. Racers are expected to leave Nome starting at around 7am tomorrow morning.  

The photo below shows whats left of Leah Bauer of Team 2's Polaris sled.  We are thankful she is able to take a fairly lighthearted photo in the midst of what could have been much worse.

Thomas of Team 40 also found himself involved in what is commonly referred to as a 'get off' and found his sled in a bit of a tree-trap!