Father-son team scratches outside of Kiana
Robert and Forest Strick worked on one of their sleds in the garage in Kiana before heading out. They soon would return, and scratch, from Iron Dog 37.
Iron Dog Team 4, the father-son duo, is the latest casualty in what is turning out to be a particularly brutal race this year. Robert Strick and his son Forest limped into Kiana to make much-needed repairs, then eventually headed out.
They would later return after Forest Strick injured himself outside of Kiana. It is not clear what exactly happened, but according to the checkpoint volunteer, the younger Strick’s injury was enough that the team decided not to press further. With half of the race still to go, and some demanding terrain on the southbound route, riders know they must be in peak shape to handle the abuse still to come.
Team 4 is the 13th team to scratch thus far, leaving 16 still in the race. The lead team, Team 7, Tyler Aklestad and Nick Olstad arrived into the halfway point of Nome at 4:27 p.m.
The Stricks are packing up their gear and headed back to Kotzebue to fly home.