Mushers’ joy on display at Iditarod finish line

NOME — Despite often overwhelming exhaustion, many Iditarod mushers cross beneath the Burled Arch in Nome exuding an infectious joy. There’s relief, of course, but often a great appreciation for the fans and volunteers who make the race possible.

“The volunteers, the community, everybody was so supportive,” said rookie musher Kristin Bacon moments after crossing the Iditarod finish line for the first time on Saturday morning.

Bacon worked as a “Skwentna Sweetheart” volunteer at the Iditarod’s second checkpoint for years, and said meeting her sister Sweethearts in Skwentna this year as a musher was the “super highlight” of her race.

She had a similar feeling mushing into Nulato, where pediatric physical therapist from Big Lake has worked with two local boys for several years.

“I’ve been telling them for years, maybe someday I’ll see you on the Iditarod, and they’re always like, ‘Yeah, yeah,’” said Bacon, who often travels to remote Alaska villages to work with children. “So that was pretty cool.”

Pappas’ proud ‘Papa’

Tim Pappas, an Iditarod rookie who mushes out of Martin Buser’s Happy Trails Kennel in Big Lake, was beaming beneath his big black parka and black stocking cap pulled down over his brow as he kicked to a 51st place finish Thursday night.

And Buser was there to greet him.

“My boys done did good!” exclaimed four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, who called Pappas his adopted son.

After smiling for a team photo with Buser and the third Happy Trails finisher in the race, James Volek (who finished 50th), Pappas said he was ready for sleep, a shower and some beer — though “not necessarily in that order.”

But first, he needed to soak in the feeling of accomplishing something great: running a dog team over nearly 1,000 miles in 11 days, 6 hours, 15 minutes and 4 seconds.

“We kinda moved a little quicker than I expected,” he said, of the final 22-mile run from Safety to Nome. “We just went steady all day, and I think the dogs kinda sensed (the end).”

Pappas said he didn’t really care when or in what place he came in.

“I just wanted to be here, that was all that really mattered,” he said.

“They care that you’re here”

The sense of relief was shared by even the most veteran mushers in the race, including perennial pixie-in-pink DeeDee Jonrowe.

After notching her 31st career Iditarod finish on St. Patrick’s Day in Nome, the Willow musher said her legions of fans help her remember not to worry about the young guns cruising past her these days.

“They don’t care when you come in, they care that you’re here,” said a sweating, smiling Jonrowe to after striding into the finish chute on Front Street speckled with green-clad spectators.

Jonrowe said this year’s finish was fun because her team seemed to get better as it moved up the Bering Sea coast.

“I really had fun and here at the end, on the coast, I had one of my greatest runs,” she said.

And while “there were a lot of things that weren’t perfect” about her race — having to stop and wait for a pooping buffalo and having her watches die early on, for example — Jonrowe said one humble item in her sled bag proved worthy of that description.

“This was perfect,” she said, holding up a roughly 10-inch screwdriver.

Jonrowe said the versatile screwdriver made itself useful in opening bags and HEET cans, as well as slicing through things that might otherwise require a knife.

“This should get the tool of the year award,” she said.

Contact Frontiersman reporter Caitlin Skvorc at 352-2266 or caitlin.skvorc@frontiersman.com.