Iditarod

As mushers speed toward Nome, a controversial new Iditarod rule is in effect for the first time. After a vote by the board of directors last fall, mushers are now allowed to carry two-way communication devices, like cell and satellite phones. Many competitors both young and old think the presence of technology goes against the spirit of the race.

Iditarod mushers reached the Yukon River at Tanana on Tuesday night. Teams are ready to launch their race plans as the eight-hour and 24-hour rest periods come into view. But first, they must run the longest stretch of the race between checkpoints and make it through the early race with their teams intact.

Last year, Martin Buser had a tough Iditarod. He finished in 37th place, his lowest position on the leader-board in a decades-long career. But this year, as the four-time champion charges through the race’s early checkpoints, a lot of things are going better.

During the first night of this year’s Iditarod, teams endured frigid temperatures on the Tanana River to reach the second checkpoint of Manley Hot Springs. Teams are adjusting to the deep cold and preparing to push to the Yukon River, where the race will unfold.

Mushers can expect warming temps along the Iditarod trail but not a flake of snow.

The Iditarod trail won’t be full of just mushers: a teacher will be following along as part of a yearly program. For two years, Annie Kelley, of St. Andrew’s School in Chicago has been preparing for a new type of lesson plan.