I’m pretty groggy, but I think I’ve got the math right:
Aliy is 13 minutes behind Mitch… 13 minutes is 780 seconds.
The distance from White Mountain to Nome is 77 miles.
Aliy must gain 780 seconds over 77 miles… Almost exactly 10 seconds per mile.
Mitch’s pace from Elim to White Mountain was 6 mph, or 10 minutes per mile.
At that pace, Aliy must gain 10 seconds every 10 minutes, or 1 second per minute!
Is that close enough for you?
If you don’t like math, here’s another way to look at it:
Aliy gained 35 minutes on Mitch over the 46 miles from Elim to White Mountain.
Racing to Nome, she will have almost twice as far to make up less than half the time.
Either way you look at it, Aliy, Quito and the fantastic dogs of the SP Kennel Red Team are in great shape to chase down the leader and be the first to cross under the burled arch in Nome! Yikes!
GO ALIY GO QUITO!!! we love you both!
pulling an all nighter here in the UK waiting and watching for aliy to win the iditarod!!!
alaska, where men are men and Aliy wins the iditarod!
quito for golden harness!!
matt and the gang at tanglefoot kennels UK
Gonna be a late fun night here glued to the laptop!
GO ALIY GIRL!!!
Yikes is right!!!
Thanks for the math!!! Good job at it too. Here's hoping Mitch wasn't sandbagging. This is going to be an exciting night. Go Aliy and the Red Team!!!
My MacDaddy Book pro will be on all night.
Hope this is old math and not new math… or that we are counting our chicks before they have hatched… but what a wonderful hatching it would be… With Mac, Nacho, Quito, and the rest of the fantastic team we have a good shot… here's to another night without sleep just to share the joy of the moment!
Yeah Baby….and we will be sending positive thoughts and good energy for every second, minute and hour they are on the trail!! They CAN do this!
My stomach is already in knots. I do not know how I will make it through the intervening time until it is clear she is the winner.
Amazing, amazing race and amazing tenacity and spirit shown by Aliy and the dogs.
Yea, MacG for the great math! We know she can do it… we like the math, too. Thanks for the post, what fun this race is from a fan side, can't wait to read her notes later on. Wonder if Quito will be single lead?
Thanks for the breakdown, Mac, it really helps me understand the exciting dynamics better – GO ALIY, GO QUITO!!!
It is close enough for me!! Thanks for the great breakdown. Rooting hard for Aliy fron GA.
It couldn't happen to a better team! I love how Aly acknowledged Macs performance. Like I said before and will repeat, BEST IN THE WORLD!!!
AWWWWWE-SOME!!! Laptop is fully charged, IPad too….We've got out snacks, drinks, and kibble ready to ride this out in front of computer screen with our hair-trigger refresh finger at the ready. Go Aliy GO!!!! We are so, so, SO Praying for you and the pups to burn up the trail, leave 'em in the dust….er…snow…and on to VICTORY in Nome. With Love, Prayers, Licks, Wags, Whinnies, and Purrs…..your fans, David and Debbi Robinson in Spruce Pine, NC
Thanks Macgellan. I was going crazy trying to figure this out.
I can see on GPS tracker that Mitch is out of White Mountain. Go,Aliy, GO!!!!
Allen is crossing Norton Bay at a great clip! Go, Allen, GO!!
Frances (friend of Boris)
Come on Aliy….you can do it….go Girl go…..:)
Bob F
Morehead City NC
Past may not be key to future, but here's a possibility based on recent info:
Musher Distance Time In Time Out Recent Speed (mph) Total Time (hrs) Finish
Aily 77 5:24 13:24 6.59 11.7 1:05
Mitch S 77 5:11 13:11 6.08 12.7 1:50
Jeff K 77 6:52 14:52 6.6 11.7 2:32
Dallas S 77 8:09 16:09 7.01 11.0 3:08
Ray Red 77 8:11 16:11 6.54 11.8 3:57
This is great! I was just doing the math myself. She totally has this. Closest race I've seen – and so exciting!!
I was just doing the math myself! This is such a close race and so much fun! I remember cheering for Susan Butcher when I was growing up in Palmer -a nd it's so wonderful to be cheering for Aliy to chase down Mitch as she pulls into Nome. GO ALIY!!
Go for the gold, Aliy!! Safe to Nome!
Studying for a test right now is difficult…example: define weighted average = Aily has to make up 1 second per hour. define net realized value = Aily could very possibly be the first woman since 1990 to win Iditarod. Define consistency concept = Aily is a great stong musher standing on a sled being pulled by great strong athletes, they can do it!!! I think I will pass as a fan of Aily's but may not pass my test…oh well, I will just study harder tomorrow.
Go Red Team Go!!!!!!!
Go ALIY AND BEAUTIFUL QUITO, and Mac, and all of them precious dogs!!!
I like the math ..
So what is the math now?
mmmm could we please have a update on the math now?
I am thinking Alley has to average better than a tenth of a mile a hour faster?