Allen left Braeburn right on time at 4:23 pm PST. He left with 10 healthy dogs and a light sled. He dropped Puppet who had both a sore shoulder and sore wrist. She is doing well and resting in her dog box, next to Schmoe and Pud. In Carmacks, Allen began sorting through his gear and getting rid of weight. In Braeburn, he continued to lighten the load to only the barest of essentials for this last run to the finish line. Given his history as a sprint musher, I have no doubt he knows how to run a light sled to the finish line! Aliy and Ray kept him on schedule of eating, resting, and caring for the dogs. He was well ahead of schedule when he approached the checkout line. He rode up on the sled with several minutes to spare. A large crowd gathered to watch him take off on this leg of the race, including friends and fellow mushers. He was asked to give a speech and said “I’ll see ya’ll at the finish line,. Somebody may have to carry me off the finish line though.” When asked by the media what his race strategy was he answered “Run fast, Long time”. As you can see, he still has his sense of humor and is in good spirits. Hugh is taking off at his appointed time, and running with the 9 dogs he has left. Lance will leave a little over three hours later. We’ll be leaving Braeburn with a few cinnamon rolls for the road, to start the vigil at the finish line.

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