Iditarod 2009: Aliy Finishes In Nome!

Aliy Zirkle passed under the burled arch here in Nome at 4:28 this afternoon to take 17th place in the 2009 Iditarod. Her total time on the Trail was 11 days, 2 hours, 28 minutes and 45 seconds. She was immediately surrounded by family, friends and the media, but first bypassed them to take time to thank and congratulate each of the 11 great looking dogs on the team. When she went back and addressed the media, she said she was very happy with the result, especially in light of such extremely difficult conditions on the trail. She congratulated Paul Gebhardt who finished just two minutes ahead of her, admitting that she’d been chasing him down since the Safety checkpoint. Paul, who is a good friend and frequent racing companion, thanked her for making him work so hard right up to the finish and added, “If it hadn’t been for your busted sled runner, I think you might have had me!”

Meanwhile, the dogs all stayed on their feet to devour a number of salmon snacks that Bridgett passed out up and down the line. Most of them thoroughly enjoyed the attention and pats they received from the from crowd, especially Tatfish who couldn’t seem to stop wagging his tail. Manny put in a good “word” here and there, and the rest of the dogs were quite lively. All except for Bullet, that is, who did all she could to overcome her chronic agoraphobia on the special occasion of completing the Iditarod and allow a few pats from children.

In the dog compound, Aliy said that she feels pretty well, adding that she was very hungry but not tired… Yet! She concluded by saying that her first priorities once the dogs were taken care of would be a hot shower and a big bowl of spaghetti, to be followed by an entire coconut cream pie that she specifically requested be on hand for her here in Nome.

There hasn’t been time for any kind of debrief yet, but Aliy did look me in the eye and say, “Have I got some stories for the Dog Log!” The busted runner on her sled and the homemade bootiess on her feet — made out of what were previously the legs of her pants filled with extra dog blankets — assures us that we have a lot to look forward to hearing about. I will post it all — plus video coverage of the finish — as soon as possible. Stay tuned!