Iditapod
118 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago - ★★★★★ - 213 ratingsThe Iditapod is a podcast following the Last Great Race, from Alaska Public Media. Daily episodes during the Iditarod Sled Dog Race take you out on the trail -- into checkpoints, down along the sea ice, and across the finish line in Nome. Hear interviews with mushers, behind the scenes news, and in-depth race analysis you won't find anywhere else.
For episodes from past seasons of the Iditapod, visit www.alaskapublic.org/iditapod
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Episodes
S4E9: Coronavirus concerns and the Last Great Race
March 12, 2020 21:13 - 19 minutes - 27.1 MBWhen it comes to concern about the coronavirus, the Iditarod is no exception. In Nome, the city council is considering calling off Iditarod festivities, and we’re also hearing about a big announcement coming from the Iditarod itself, though we’ve been told by someone close to the race that they are not going to be canceling the rest of Iditarod altogether. Meantime, we have a more positive update about Jeff King's health status, a race update, a story about a volunteer passing time tinkering...
S4E8: All the Iditarod feels
March 11, 2020 23:27 - 31 minutes - 42.7 MBThe Iditarod can be a cathartic experience, with all those good dogs, bad dogs, #uglydogs... In this episode we catch up on the race and discuss how it's nearly impossible to analyze who's really in the lead as mushers start to take their mandatory 24-hour layovers at different checkpoints. Alaska Public Media's Tegan Hanlon has a story about Jeff King's substitute Sean Underwood, AKPM's Zach Hughes and Ben Matheson take in the Blood Moon in Takotna, we have a somewhat surprising answer to a...
Anchorage interview with Sean Underwood
March 11, 2020 15:35 - 25 minutes - 34.4 MBAlaska Public Media's Tegan Hanlon interviews Sean Underwood. The 28-year-old musher found out four days before the start of the 2020 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race that he'd be competing in the event. Long-time musher and four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King had to drop out of the race at the very last minute, and tapped Sean, one of his dog handlers, to fill in. And, to be clear, it wasn’t just filling in for a 1,000-mile sled dog race, but also for some of the events leading up to it. We s...
S4E7: Home, home in the Alaska Range
March 10, 2020 20:20 - 25 minutes - 34.6 MBWith plenty of snow on the Iditarod Trail this year, some of the more technical runs have not been as difficult as years past. But the Happy River steps and the Dalzell Gorge are always a challenge, and Alaska Public Media's Tegan Hanlon joins Iditapod host Casey Grove to discuss why we call both of those sections "technical." Also in today's episode, reports from KNOM's Davis Hovey and Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes in Rainy Pass, as well as KNOM's Ben Matheson on the newly rejuvena...
S4E6: Sparky Doo Dah and the Rookies
March 09, 2020 22:05 - 18 minutes - 25.8 MBIt’s Monday, and Iditarod sled dog teams are heading into their second full day of racing after the official start yesterday in Willow. From there they mushed west to the Yentna checkpoint about 50 miles into the race, on to Skwentna at about 80 miles, and the front-of-the-pack teams are already heading up and up and up into the Alaska Range, toward the mountainous checkpoint of Rainy Pass. We hear about the rookies in the race, a clip from Quince Mountain on what it's like to be the first o...
Anchorage interview with Quince Mountain
March 09, 2020 18:51 - 30 minutes - 41.6 MBHappy Monday. Today, we have an extended interview with friend of the Iditapod, Quince Mountain, who’s out there on the Iditarod Trail right now. Quince came in for a rather lengthy interview last week. We talked about his past and present, including Quince’s experiences being transgender. As far as we know, he’s the first openly trans person in the Iditarod. We talked about how, in an event that sees all genders competing against each other and not separated into categories, it doesn’t mean...
S4E5: An Iditarod restart switcheroo (and more snow)
March 09, 2020 05:29 - 24 minutes - 33.5 MBThe 2020 Iditarod began in earnest Sunday with the official restart in Willow, where, to the surprise of many, musher John Schandelmeier replaced his wife, Zoya Denure, who reportedly had some last-second health issues. What wasn't a surprise, at least for this winter, was more snow! We have a report on that from Danny Seavey, as well as a dog profile, a listener question and more. Host Casey Grove is joined by Alaska Public Media's Tegan Hanlon.
S4E4: Iditarod ceremonial start, and a participatory parade
March 08, 2020 07:46 - 36 minutes - 50.6 MBThe Iditapodders took to the streets of downtown Anchorage, and the trails of midtown Anchorage, for the ceremonial start of the 2020 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Alaska Public Media reporters Zachariah Hughes and Tegan Hanlon joined Iditapod host Casey Grove in talking to mushers, but then Casey hopped on a sled with Quince Mountain, riding the entire 11-mile course. AKPM reporter Liz Ruskin also joined in with an audio postcard from the trail-side parties.
S4E3: Without a King, but plenty of snow
March 07, 2020 01:27 - 28 minutes - 38.9 MBOn the eve of Iditarod 2020, we discuss four-time champion Jeff King dropping out due to a medical emergency, how his rookie handler is taking King's top-notch team, and how heavy snow along the Iditarod Trail (a trench in places) will surely affect this year's race. Host Casey Grove is joined in the studio by Alaska Public Media reporters Tegan Hanlon and Zachariah Hughes.
Anchorage interview with Iditarod CEO Rob Urbach
March 05, 2020 20:24 - 23 minutes - 32.9 MBThis year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race will be the first for its new CEO Rob Urbach, who took over in July. In recent years, the Iditarod has struggled with sponsors pulling out, a so-called "dog-doping" scandal and accusations that its board of directors had conflicts of interest. In the meantime, the board has been overhauled and expanded, and there have been some new race rules put in place, as the Iditarod grapples with various issues and increased scrutiny. Urbach came to the Idit...
S4E2: Iditapod LIVE!
March 04, 2020 01:39 - 1 hour - 127 MBInstead of hiding in our cozy little radio studio at Alaska Public Media or out on the sparsely populated Iditarod Trail, we took the Iditapod to the Beartooth Theatrepub in Anchorage on Monday, March 2 for a live, onstage event, where about 300 people joined reporters Zachariah Hughes, Tegan Hanlon and Casey Grove for a wide-ranging discussion with Iditarod mushers Jessica Klejka, Matthew Failor and Jeff King. We laughed, we didn’t cry somehow, and we did our best to explain some of the i...
Fairbanks interview with Brent Sass
March 02, 2020 23:13 - 17 minutes - 23.5 MBThree-time Yukon Quest champion dog musher Brent Sass is headed back to Alaska’s other thousand mile sled dog race, the Iditarod, after some trial and tribulation. Sass is originally from Minnesota, and lived in Fairbanks in the Goldstream Valley before moving a little farther north to Joe Bush Creek near Manly Hot Springs. Sass joined us from Fairbanks, where he was getting ready before heading south for the Iditarod ceremonial start in Anchorage.
S4E1: Looking back at 2019 Iditarod, this year's 300-milers and Yukon Quest
February 28, 2020 21:53 - 30 minutes - 42.4 MB... and we're back! Kicking off the 2020 Iditapod, host Casey Grove and Alaska Public Media trail reporter Zachariah Hughes discuss the 2019 running of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, as well as the 2020 Copper Basin 300 (briefly) and the Kuskokwim 300 (at length). And Casey talks to three-time Yukon Quest champion Brent Sass about his recent victory in that other thousand-mile sled dog race and his impending return to the Iditarod.
Girdwood interview with Nicolas Petit
April 09, 2019 18:04 - 28 minutes - 38.5 MBIn this (probably) final bonus episode for Season 3 of the Iditapod, Girdwood's Nicolas Petit reflects on what happened that caused his dog team to stop between Shaktoolik and Koyuk and how he decided to scratch from the 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Thanks to Mark Thiessen at the Associated Press for sharing this interview with us.
S3E17: Iditapod epilogue
April 04, 2019 18:31 - 32 minutes - 45.2 MBThe 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is over, and we left off in our last episode with a lot of loose ends. So here's to tying up loose ends, maybe a minor correction and hoisting the Red Lantern and other awards we failed to mention earlier! Also: We play "Can't Let It Go," because, frankly, we can't get over -- or done with -- the Iditapod. But we have to! See you next year!
S3E16: A new trio of elite women mushers
March 14, 2019 21:23 - 34 minutes - 47.5 MBIt happened, because Paige Drobny made it happen: The top 10 of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race includes three women for the first time ever. Fans of Drobny, Aliy Zirkle and Jessie Royer are ecstatic, as are some Bethel residents who were cheering on 2019 Iditarod champion Pete Kaiser. We hear from them in this episode, plus a lightning round of questions and... a couple special guests!
Ask a Climatologist: Iditarod edition
March 14, 2019 02:32 - 9 minutes - 12.9 MBLike it is affecting a lot of things in the north, our warming climate is affecting the Last Great Race. There are some nuances, however, and to suss it all out, we brought in our resident climatologist, Brian Brettschneider with the University of Alaska Fairbanks, who we hear from regularly on a segment on Alaska Public Media called Ask a Climatologist. Brettschneider says mushers and others on Alaska's western coast are seeing open water because a confluence of factors has caused historic ...
S3E15: Kaiser Racing team hangs on for first Iditarod win
March 13, 2019 22:36 - 16 minutes - 22.5 MBThat’s right: Iditarod has a new champion. And it’s really looking like we’re going to have three women in the top 10 for the first time in 47 years for the Last Great Race. As for the pride and swelling hearts of Bethel, the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, maybe all of Western Alaska, Peter Kaiser and eight dogs crossed under the Burled Arch in Nome at 3:39 a.m. Alaska time Wednesday trailed only 12 minutes later by the 2018 champ, Joar Leifseth Ulsom.
Nome interview with Pete Kaiser
March 13, 2019 16:03 - 15 minutes - 20.7 MBAfter the excitement of the race finish, Pete Kaiser adjourned to the nearby Mini Convention Center for a brief question-answer session with reporters. The first half of the discussion was moderated by Andy Angstman, a race official and longtime friend of Kaiser’s from Bethel. You’ll hear a few questions from Angstman before it was opened up to reporters, all in front of several dozen fans and supporters there in spite of the early hour.
Breaking news: Bethel's Pete Kaiser wins 2019 Iditarod
March 13, 2019 14:44 - 5 minutes - 7.95 MBA new Iditarod champion has been crowned. Bethel musher Pete Kaiser’s team of 8 dogs crossed under the Burled Arch in Nome at 3:39 a.m. Wednesday, March 13, 2019. A boisterous crowd of friends and family from the Bethel area traveled to Nome to celebrate Kaiser’s victory. The 31-year-old wins $50,000 and a new truck. It’s a career highlight for Kaiser, who has raced the iditarod each year since 2010. On three separate occasions he’s placed as high as 5th, but this is his first win. His run t...
S3E14: Kaiser poised for first Iditarod win
March 12, 2019 21:33 - 28 minutes - 39 MBHeading into a final, mandatory, eight-hour rest in White Mountain about 40 minutes in the lead, Bethel's Peter Kaiser could be set up to win his first Iditarod in his team's 10th race. But anything can happen in that final 77 miles, and the defending champ, Joar Leifseth Ulsom, is not far behind. We also talk to some former champs about how they're in the middle of the pack and running a totally different kind of race. Plus: There's no sea ice! But there is Snack Attack with Ben and Zach!
Unalakleet interview with Martin Buser
March 12, 2019 17:10 - 7 minutes - 9.64 MBThis is an interview with longtime Iditarod racer and four time champ Martin Buser from Big Lake and comes to us by way of Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes in Unalakleet on Monday. Buser's originally from Switzerland and his voice and exuberance for mushing are ever-present in Iditarod. But he’s getting older.
S3E13: Heartbreak for Petit as team quits on the coast
March 11, 2019 23:37 - 20 minutes - 27.6 MBThe team of Girdwood musher Nicolas Petit stalled on the edge of Norton Bay, allowing Bethel's Pete Kaiser to race past, as well as several others. Petit had been leading for most of the race, and Monday afternoon, it was still uncertain if he'd even finish. We hear from Petit, and we hear from Kaiser who now might be set up to win his first Iditarod. That, plus explanations of Mushergrams, Teacher on the Trail and... whatever happened to Pilot Rob?
Breaking news: Petit stalls, Kaiser takes lead into Koyuk
March 11, 2019 18:51 - 4 minutes - 6.2 MBWelcome to some breaking news on the Iditapod. Monday morning saw a huge lead change in the 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, as the team of Girdwood musher Nicolas Petit has stalled on the coast, allowing Bethel’s Pete Kaiser, the race’s current leader, and at least three others to pass him. We hear from Petit out on the sea ice, via Iditarod Insider.
S3E12: Big push to the coast
March 11, 2019 04:39 - 21 minutes - 29.4 MBGirdwood's Nicolas Petit stayed in the lead of the 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday after making a long 90ish-mile run from Kaltag to Unalakleet overnight. We hear from a couple Yukon-Kuskokwim-area rookies in this year's race, and a couple YK-area parents with kids in the Iditarod. Plus, a question about climate change and a conversation with Iditarod musher Kristin Knight Pace, who has a book out called "This Much Country."
Anchorage interview with Kristin Knight Pace
March 10, 2019 23:58 - 13 minutes - 18.2 MBIditarod and Yukon Quest musher Kristin Knight Pace joins Alaska Public Media's Casey Grove in the studio for an interview about her book, This Much Country, and what's in it, including how she survived a divorce to find her true self in Alaska, eventually mushing dogs in the toughest long-distance races in the world, and starting a family.
Takotna interview with Martin Apayauq Reitan
March 10, 2019 21:43 - 3 minutes - 4.32 MBAlaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes talks with Kaktovik musher Martin Apayauq Reitan - a rookie in the 2019 Iditarod - in Takotna about his sled, damaged much earlier in the race at the Happy River Steps.
Our 2019 trail reporters reunite in Unalakleet
March 10, 2019 21:28 - 15 minutes - 21.7 MBBecause the theme of this year's Iditapod is "Fun and Friendship," and because Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes and KNOM's Ben Matheson were reunited in Unalakleet ahead of the 2019 Iditarod frontrunners reaching that checkpoint and the coast of Alaska, here's a conversation between Ben and Zach and some of their tales from the trail.
S3E11: Mushing the Mighty Yukon
March 10, 2019 01:26 - 21 minutes - 30 MBMushers headed north on the Yukon River on Saturday, with the front of the pack on their way to Kaltag, where they turn west and head toward the coast of Alaska. Bethel's Pete Kaiser had advanced his team to the front, and we hear more about how he's managed that from earlier planning, as well as about sled modifications and repairs happening on the trail. Also, Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes somehow works in an interview about Harry Potter books on tape with Martin Apayauq Reitan an...
Shageluk interview with Paige Drobny
March 09, 2019 22:02 - 9 minutes - 12.6 MBEster musher Paige Drobny and her Squid Acres dogs (squids, she would say) have moved into the top 10 of the 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. At least, that's where they were Friday and Saturday, the highest position the team has had in and out of these later-race checkpoints, or maybe ever! Recorded with KNOM's Ben Matheson Friday in Shageluk.
Shageluk interview with Jessie Royer
March 09, 2019 19:43 - 11 minutes - 16.3 MBFront-of-the-pack 2019 Iditarod musher Jessie Royer talks to KNOM's Ben Matheson on Friday in Shageluk about having to drop a dog, what she's expecting from the trail ahead and how she feels about mushing near the front as one of the race's most competitive teams.
Iditarod interview with Aliy Zirkle
March 08, 2019 22:59 - 3 minutes - 4.62 MBHere's a quick, couple-minute interview with Two Rivers musher Aliy Zirkle recorded Thursday in the checkpoint of Iditarod, where she was taking her 24-hour rest. KNOM's Ben Matheson asked about Zirkle's move passing other teams taking their 24s earlier to take the lead.
S3E10: Making it to the Yukon River
March 08, 2019 19:57 - 16 minutes - 23.2 MBTop teams in the 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race are reaching the Yukon River on Friday as the race enters its fifth day, with snow and more warm temperatures in the forecast. Girdwood's Nicolas Petit and Norwegian-by-way-of-Willow musher Joar Leifseth Ulsom have continued to leapfrog each other, with Nic winning a five-course meal in Anvik. We hear more about the different strategies as they came into focus earlier in the race and take a listener question about team positions for dogs.
Ophir interview with Nicolas Petit
March 08, 2019 16:44 - 15 minutes - 21.3 MBHe's been running out in front of much of the 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, so clearly Nic Petit is a hard musher to catch up with, but KNOM's Ben Matheson had a nice long chat with the Girdwood local and 2018 runner-up Wednesday in Ophir, where Petit took his mandatory 24-hour layover. They talked about Nic's strategy of camping out more and how the dogs are doing - including, yes, more poop talk - among other things.
Takotna interview with Matt Failor
March 08, 2019 01:03 - 7 minutes - 10.3 MBAn extended interview with Willow musher Matt Failor, with Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes in Takotna. Hear more from the man who named a litter of dogs after heavy metal bands about getting more attention after winning the Kuskokwim 300, how his Iditarod is going and how he saw a snowmachiner, trying to pass him, crash along the trail.
The true story behind Dillon, the would-be Iditarod dog
March 07, 2019 21:15 - 13 minutes - 18.8 MBIditapod contributor Quince Mountain checks in from Winter Lake Lodge, a.k.a., thewhere a sled dog that lives at the lodge broke his chain and went for a run following Iditarod teams all the way up to Rainy Pass. Dillon's used to runs of up to 10 miles, but this was a 30-mile haul! Quince talks to lodge owner Carl Dixon and its manager, Lisa Rattan, about what they say is the real story.
S3E9: Zirkle first to halfway. Plus: injuries, wildlife and litter names
March 07, 2019 19:44 - 14 minutes - 19.8 MBTwo Rivers musher Aliy Zirkle and all 14 of her SP Kennel dogs made it to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race's halfway point, the Iditarod checkpoint, for her 24-hour layover. Other mushers coming off their 24s are expected through there Thursday. Earlier on their breaks, mushers shared stories of injuries, sled mishaps and wildlife encounters, as well as sled dog litter-naming conventions.
Tough-as-nails Richie Diehl and his busted face
March 07, 2019 17:18 - 2 minutes - 3.86 MBAniak musher Richie Diehl talks in Takotna about hitting a tree -- face first -- earlier in the race and continuing down the trail. Interview by Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes on Wednesday, March 6, 2019.
Quince Mountain checks in from... Skwentna?
March 07, 2019 16:09 - 13 minutes - 18 MBBraver Mountain Mushing's Quince Mountain is out on the 2019 Iditarod trail trying to catch up with the mushers on a snowmachine. Due to some technical issues, he was only in Skwentna for our Wednesday phone call. That's about 80 miles into the trail, and Wednesday saw leaders into the Iditarod checkpoint, which is about 430 miles into the 1,000-mile race. But.. Quince is alive and OK, and that's the important part. We talked about the journey so far, somehow even got on the topic of dog poo...
McGrath interview with Aliy Zirkle
March 06, 2019 20:08 - 7 minutes - 9.85 MBThis is an extended interview with Two Rivers musher Aliy Zirkle in McGrath, recorded Tuesday, March 5, 2019 by KNOM Radio's Ben Matheson.
S3E8: Taking 24-hour rests, as Aliy takes the lead
March 06, 2019 19:27 - 13 minutes - 18.3 MBIn this episode, we have a race update as mushers start to take their mandatory 24-hour rests at different checkpoints, part of the strategy of running the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and we talk to the mushers at McGrath and Tokotna. Early Wednesday saw last year's runner-up, Nicolas Petit, in the lead for a time, heading into Ophir. But three-time second-place finisher Aliy Zirkle left that ghost town checkpoint before Petit and was mushing in first place prior to taking her 24. Plus, we...
McGrath interview with Nic Petit
March 06, 2019 16:40 - 7 minutes - 9.84 MBThis is a bonus extended interview with Nicolas Petit in McGrath, where KNOM's Ben Matheson caught up with him, along with... another reporter whose name we do not know yet! This interview was recorded Tuesday, March 5, 2019.
S3E7: Rainy Pass, race rookies and Rohn axe-throwing
March 05, 2019 18:57 - 17 minutes - 24.6 MBIn Episode 7, we talk to mushers making preparations at the Rainy Pass checkpoint, as well as some first-time Iditarod racers and... some volunteers staying entertained by throwing axes? Speaking of throwing axes (loosely), we also answer a question about what happens if you get hurt out on the trail.
Rainy Pass interviews with Jessie Royer, Matt Hall, Linwood Fiedler
March 05, 2019 16:27 - 12 minutes - 16.6 MBThis bonus Iditapod features three full interviews from the Iditarod's Rainy Pass checkpoint: Jessie Royer, Matt Hall and Linwood Fiedler. They were recorded by Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes on Monday, March 4, 2019.
S3E6: The first 100 miles
March 04, 2019 18:47 - 16 minutes - 22.9 MBWe check in from the trail, where mushers covered the first 100-plus miles from the Willow restart Sunday to the first checkpoints, Yentna and Skwentna, and on to Finger Lake. Alaska Public Media's Zachariah Hughes talked to mushers at Skwentna overnight, and we take a listener question on sled design. Also, today's episode features an extended interview with Ester musher Paige Drobny, an Iditarod veteran and one of a record field of female mushers.
S3E5: Clock ticking after Willow restart
March 04, 2019 06:45 - 20 minutes - 28.8 MBFifty-two mushers headed out of Willow as the 2019 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race began in earnest Sunday, March 3. Iditapod host Casey Grove is joined by KNOM's Ben Matheson and Braver Mountain Mushing's Quince Mountain for discussions of the restart, early-race strategy and some of the numbers of the Iditarod, including that this year's race features the highest-ever percentage of female mushers.
S3E4: The Ceremonial Start
March 03, 2019 05:11 - 25 minutes - 22.9 MBWe talk about why the Ceremonial Start in downtown Anchorage is a thing, hear what mushers are talking about this year, and visit with the Trailgaters. It's the last time anyone gets to catch their breath before the real start of the race. And maybe catch a few hotdogs, too.
S3E3: This year's race
March 02, 2019 05:19 - 24 minutes - 22.4 MBWe talk about trail conditions, which teams look like contenders for the Top 10, our Rookie Of The Year Picks, and the best ways to follow the race. Also, a quick intro to our team on the trail.
Extended interview with Brent Sass
February 27, 2019 21:00 - 16 minutes - 22.7 MBAs promised in Season 3, Episode 1, here's an extended cut of the interview with two-time Yukon Quest champion Brent Sass of Eureka, the location of his kennel, Wild and Free mushing.
S3E2: The racing season so far
February 27, 2019 00:38 - 27 minutes - 37.9 MBWe take a quick look back at competitive mid-distance sled dog races that many Iditarod mushers use as qualifier or tune-up races. And though he's not in Iditarod this year, we talk to Yukon Quest champion Brent Sass about that race, his plans to return to Iditarod next year and who he thinks could win this year. We also take a visit to Alpine Creek Lodge off the Denali Highway, a remote yet comfortable training ground for established and up-and-coming dog teams alike.