As they came across the Alaska Range, two local mushers were in the top 10 positions of the 2021 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Richie Diehl left the Rohn checkpoint at 5:25 p.m. on March 8, with Pete Kaiser about 40 minutes behind him. At the time they were in 3rd and 4th place, with Ryan Redington leading the pack and Martin Buser in second.
Lots of other teams were chasing them, though. By the time they got over the range to rest in Nikolai, they were joined by a dozen other mushers. As of March 9, a few mushers, including Diehl and Kaiser, are headed down the trail to McGrath. Led by four-time Iditarod winner Dallas Seavey, the group includes three other former champions: Buser, Kaiser, and Joar Leifseth-Ulsom.
Farther back on the Iditarod trail, Victoria Hardwick’s team checked out of Rohn this morning, headed for Nikolai.
