March 1, 2009

• Prediction: Cain Will Win

  Update:  12:39 PM  I called it!  Details later.

  

  Cain Carter had a lead of 53 minutes ahead of Travis Beals and 56 minutes ahead of Rebekah Ruzicka, into Yentna Station last night, after mushing 81.5 miles from Knik on the outward leg of the 2009 Junior Iditarod.  Yentna is a mandatory ten-hour rest stop before the young (ages 14-17) mushers backtrack along their trail almost 35 miles, then turn left off the trail to travel along the Susitna River toward the finish in Willow, another 29 miles. 

  This morning, the GPS Tracker shows Cain seven and a half miles ahead of Travis, both of them moving at 9 MPH, and Rebekah 3 miles behind Travis, moving at 8 MPH.  Ava Lindner (Sonny’s daughter) and Cain’s cousin Patrick Mackey (Jason’s son) are currently moving at competitive speeds, but are ten miles and at least an hour behind Rebekah.  I feel confident in sticking my neck out to predict that this year the Jr. Iditarod Championship belongs to Cain Carter.

   

  This is Cain Carter’s last chance to win the Jr. Iditarod.  Last year, he was neck and neck with Jessica Klejka at the finish, and her lead dog’s nose crossed the finish line 2 seconds ahead of his lead dog’s.  He finished third this year in the Tusutmena 100, above (photo from comebackkennel.com by Raychel Bullock).  He says he is looking forward to competing against his stepfather, Lance Mackey, in next year’s Iditarod.

  

  • 2:41 pm
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