Tuesday, 8:40 a.m. update
John Baker and Ramey Smyth are out of Safety and headed to Nome, with Baker well on his way to winning the race.
John Baker and Ramey Smyth are out of Safety and headed to Nome, with Baker well on his way to winning the race.
The Kotzebue musher gained time on Smyth on the 55-mile run from Elim to White Mountain today.
Baker, who had a 50-minute lead leaving Elim, clocked a time that was 31 faster than Smyth's.
Baker dashed in and out of Safety, lingering for one minute before hitting the trail at 6:48 this morning with 10 dogs in harness.
Smyth left at 8:13. Once trailing by 50 minutes, how he's down 75 minutes with 22 miles to go. He dropped a dog in White Mountain and another in Safety and is down to eight.
Baker's time from Elim to Safety was 6 hours, 43 minutes. Smyth's was 7:14.
A finish is expected in the next hour.
Baker past Safety
Tuesday, 7:05 a.m. update
The word in Nome is John Baker has passed Safety and on his way to the finish line, Kyle Hopkins reports.
The word in Nome is John Baker has passed Safety and on his way to the finish line, Kyle Hopkins reports.
GPS tracking agrees.
When it's official, we'll let you know.
Baker closing in on Safety
Tuesday, 6:30 a.m. update
With Nome achingly close and a musher known for his final kick about an hour behind him, John Baker of Kotzebue is closing in on Safety -- and his first Iditarod championship.
After knocking on the door for years, Baker is poised to become the first Western Alaskan to win the 39-year-old race.
Expect a finish sometime around 9 or 10 this morning. We'll keep you updated here and on Twitter if that estimate changes.
Baker has protected his lead on the 55-mile run from White Mountain and remains roughly 10 miles ahead of pursuer Ramey Smyth, according to the Iditarod's GPS tracking.
GPS readings show Baker is about four miles out of Safety, the final checkpoint before Nome and the finish line. Smyth is about 14 miles out.
That should translate to a lead of about an hour once the two reach Safety.
And while Smyth has made several legendary runs from Safety to Nome, he has just 22 miles to make up the gap on Baker.
John Baker leaves Golovin Monday afternoon in first place. (Bob Hallinen)
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