Strategies vary in Iditarod

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Here’s one proven way to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race: Let others take the early lead in the 1,000-mile trek to Alaska’s wind-scoured western coast.

That approach might seem counterintuitive to the novice fan of the famous race.

Lagging behind to let dogs conserve their energy is among strategies employed by top mushers. But holding back can also backfire for various reasons, if the timing is miscalculated, for example, or a fierce blizzard strikes at the wrong time.

Four-time champion Martin Buser had the early lead Monday, pulling into the Rohn checkpoint at 9:53 a.m. He arrived about four hours ahead of the second place musher, Matt Failor, who also is in the checkpoint.

He was followed by another musher with impressive Iditarod credentials – four-time champion Lance Mackey. He pulled into the Finger Lake checkpoint on Sunday night, also spending just a couple minutes resting before heading out again.

For defending champion Dallas Seavey, patience and an unwavering trust in the capability of his team paid off last year, when he became the Iditarod’s youngest winner ever at age 25. He didn’t charge to the front until later in the race, but still reached the finish line in Nome an hour before his closest competitor. To rest some of his older veteran dogs more, Seavey sometimes carried them in his sled for long stretches.