Just before midnight, another team succumbs to mechanical issues
Team 36 works on their sled in Koyuk. Photo by Ayuu Ann
As the Top 10 teams settled in for a night of rest in Kotzebue, Team 36, Tre West and Daniel Stang, were stuck in Koyuk, trying to get their sled working. They make the 10th team to scratch after two full days of racing Iron Dog 37, leaving 19 teams left.
Extreme weather created challenging riding conditions all day, with reduced visibility and snow-blown trails. Watching the GPS tracker on many of the racers left fans wondering if riders were lost or the GPSes malfunctioning. Several riders became disoriented coming into Kotzebue, some of them entering town from the opposite side of the race course.
While Team 36 did appear to get their sleds in working order, they still made the decision to scratch. The pair is close to home; they both hail from Nome and will be back in time to see the halfway ceremony.
Racing resumes from Kotzebue at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 18. Racers will go out in intervals based on the previous day’s times.
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