Mushers Gain On Leader

More than a dozen well-rested mushers in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race steadily gained ground on frontrunner Doug Swingley, who blasted way ahead of the pack before taking his required 24-hour layover in this abandoned goldrush community.

While Swingley gave his 14-dog team some time off, the 90-mile stretch of trail between Ophir and Iditarod got plenty crowded.

Tim Osmar, who took his mandatory layover miles back in McGrath, was first among the pack into Ophir, arriving at 5:22 a.m. Alaska time and departing 3 minutes later.