Iditarod 35: Talkeetna driver among 14 mushers to scratch

March 7, 2007

It's been a rough four days for the field of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

As of Wednesday afternoon, 14 of the 82 mushers to start in Willow on Sunday have ended their bids to complete the 1,100-mile trek to Nome.

A pair of Washington mushers are the latest to take their exit in the 2007 race.

Scott White (Snohomish, Wash.) and Perry Solmonson (Plain, Wash.) each scratched in Rainy Pass, citing &#8220uncooperative” weather and poor trail conditions, according to press releases issued by the Iditarod Trail Committee.

Rainy Pass, the fourth checkpoint in the trail, has been a popular place to scratch. Eleven mushers have now decided to end their 2007 race in Rainy Pass. That total is equal to number of mushers who scratched during the entire 2006 Iditarod.

A pair of the most notable mushers in the 2007 field of the Iditarod were the first two mushers to scratch.

Within a 12-hour span on Monday, four-time champion Doug Swingley (Lincoln, Mont.) and fan favorite DeeDee Jonrowe (Willow) both chose to exit the race in Rainy Pass.

Each suffered injuries en route to Rainy Pass, according to Iditarod officials.

Talkeetna's Melanie Gould was forced to scratch in Rainy Pass on Tuesday morning. According to race officials, Gould's sled was damaged beyond repair. Gould is an up-and-comer in the sport. She finished 18th in the 2006 Iditarod.

Valley mushers Randy Cummins (Big Lake), Frank Sihler (Wasilla) and Dan Huttunen (Wasilla) also scratched in Rainy Pass, a checkpoint that sits on Puntilla Lake.

Lance Mackey, winner of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race, continued his hurried pace on Wednesday.

The Fairbanks resident blew through Ophir at 6:50 a.m., and is on his way to the checkpoint of Iditarod.

Also out of Ophir, as of 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, are Paul Gebhardt (Kasilof), Mitch Seavey (Seward) and Ed Iten (Kotzebue).

Zack Steer (Sheep Mountain), Jeff King (Denali), Martin Buser (Big Lake), Jim Lanier (Chugiak) and Robert Sorlie (Norway) were all in Ophir Wednesday afternoon.

For complete standings, see the race Web site, www.iditarod.com.