Former rookie of year forced to scratch; dog dies on trail

TAKOTNA — Norway’s Bjornar Andersen was forced to pull himself out of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Thursday in Takotna after suffering an injury during the race on Wednesday.

The extent of his injuries was not immediately known, race spokesman Chas St. George told the Associated Press. Andersen was taken by a small airplane to McGrath, where he boarded a commercial flight Thursday for Anchorage and further medical care.

The race began with 67 teams, and Anderson was the third musher to scratch. Anchorage’s Bob Hickel was the first to scratch, removing himself from the field at the Finger Lake checkpoint on Monday.

Rookie Nancy Yoshida, of Thompson, N.D., scratched in Rainy Pass on Tuesday.

The front-runners are expected to finish next week.

John Anderson, the race judge in Takotna, told the Associated Press he knew something was wrong with Bjornar Andersen when he arrived in 14th place, well behind where he should have been, given his strong dog team.

“He had a real bad crash coming out of Rohn,” Anderson said. “His sled tipped, he body-slammed.”

Anderson said the musher was examined by a physician at the Takotna checkpoint, who is “pretty sure that he has some internal injuries.”

Bjornar Andersen complained about abdominal pain and decided to leave the competition rather than face an uncertain future on a 150-mile of tough trail ahead after Takotna, Anderson said. The musher’s uncle, Robert Sorlie, is a former Iditarod champion.

“He is such a competitor,” the race judge said. “He really didn’t want to scratch, but he knew it was the right thing to do.”

— Associated Press

Dog dies on trail

RAINY PASS — A dog on the team of North Pole musher Jeff Holt died on Tuesday on the trail between Rainy Pass and Rohn, according to a press release issued by Iditarod race marshall Mark Nordman.

The dog was a 6-year-old male named Victor. According to another release issued by Iditarod officials, a necropsy performed to try to determine the cause of death was inconclusive.

— Staff report

He’s got the best sleds on the trail

Mushers who know, know to rely on a sled built by Hans Gatt. With 20 years of experience, he builds, by most accounts, the world’s best dog sleds.

“Right away when I started running dogs 20-some years ago, I stared building my own sleds. I started making a few more every year, and eventually it became a business,” said Gatt.

In the staging before the restart of the 2009 Iditarod last Sunday, Gatt showed off his black and yellow beauty. Made of carbon fiber and aluminum, his sleds are 15 to 20 pounds lighter than the wood and plastic constructions of most other riders. That makes all the difference when trying to right your sled in the middle of a blizzard on the Bering Sea coast.

Lance Mackey admits Gatt Sleds are the best, but this year he is sponsored by Carl Brown, a sled maker from New Hampshire.

“It was an easy way to not spent $3,000,” said Mackey. “But I still believe Hans makes the best there is.”

For himself, Gatt said he’s happy Mackey isn’t riding one of his sleds. He claimed it gives him one more advantage over the two-time, back-to-back defending champ.

Knowing he can trust what’s under foot, Gatt was very comfortable about the race before it began.

“There’s nothing really that difficult in the Iditarod. If you get a storm on the coast, that’s a challenge, but other than that, it’s pretty straight forward,” Gatt said.

As of Thursday afternoon, Gatt stood in 11th place having just left Ophir after his 24-hour break.

— Todd L. Disher