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March 6, 2015 by

The Iditarod banquet is a great evening for catching up with old friends, making new ones and is a chance for mushers to thank their family, friends, sponsors and supporters. A packed house tonight saw 79 mushers draw their bib numbers ready for the starts on Saturday and Monday.

We also heard from the family of the honorary musher Philip Esai from Nikolai who passed away in May last year. He and his wife Dora have been volunteers for the Iditarod since it began, doing everything from working on the original trail from Rohn towards McGrath to cooking pots of stew for mushers. The memory of Philip goes down the trail in the Ceremonial Start wearing bib #1.


Aliy in the spotlight


Aliy meets a bunch of new friends!


Meeting more new friends; with Ally from Make-A-Wish! (Learn more about Ally at akwa.wish.org/iditarod)

A bunch of us at our table played “Bib Draw Bingo” where we each chose three numbers for Aliy and three for Allen that we thought they might draw. As each musher drew their bibs we would cross off any that were picked. None of us picked either of them correctly so it’s not such a great story, but it was fun at the time.

Allen was first up and drew bib #57. We were sitting at table #57. Allen is 57 years old and was born in 1957 – spooky… He and the Black Team will leave the starting chute at 11.52am.


Allen is amazed at the #57!, A2

Aliy then took to the stage and started out thanking her dogs, particularly Nacho, Quito and Chica – she said they are the heart and soul of her team. She then thanked all of you – the website sponsors, whether you are a dog sponsor, dog fan club member or if you’ve joined one of our teams. She said it keeps it down to earth and makes it special for us so if you have joined anything or even made a comment, we really appreciate you! Aliy drew bib #32 so she and the Red team leave the start chute on Saturday at 11.02am.


Dog tags for Numbers 32 and 57

At the same time Doug (Aliy’s Dad) and VIP kennel sponsors Tom and Cindy Eckhoff attended the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame awards ceremony and there will be a separate post about that.

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14 Responses

  • What a fun night!!! I can perceive the energy in the place! Hey, when I attended graduate school in FL, my apartment number was …. 57!!! How's that for a coincidence??? 😃
    Best of luck to Aliy and Allen and the pups and the crew!!! ❤️🐾👣

  • What an amazing experience attending that banquet was last night….this is our first trip and now we totally understand why folks return year after year! It was very touching to hear Aliy talk about Quito, Nacho and Chica during her speech…heart and soul indeed! Cool numerology spin on Allen's #57! Go Red and Black Teams!

  • Thanks so much for this wonderful collection of photos!!!

    While Allen pulled a number of significance to his history (57 – remember "The Manchurian Candidate" and how it relates to this number?)…

    Aliy picked her age (well, she looks 32) – but most significant, ALL 4-LEGGED ATHLETES IN IDITAROD WILL WEAR THE RED TEAM'S COLORS!!!

    Woof, woof, woof!!!

  • Aliy and Allen,
    Blessings on your trip. I am glad you don't have to go though the Gorge and the Steps.
    Thanks in advance to your wonderful team who will be posting on your blog.
    Remember as you mush in the middle of the night that you are not alone. God and your fans (in spirit in front of our computers) will be there.
    Looking forward to all of your trip stories. Take care and be safe. Special hugs to Quito and all your beautiful dogs.

  • I agree with Margaret. Aliy looks younger each year, yes 32 looks about right this year.

    Best of all Aliy and Allen both picked the top two luckiest numbers, 32 and 57.
    Why are those numbers so lucky?
    Because they get to be worn by Aliy and Allen.
    What more an Iditarod bib want?

  • We were blessed to attend the Musher's Banquet for the first time last year. A big shout out to the Iditarod Insider for carrying the banquet LIVE this year. Except for not getting to talk with Aliy and Allen in person it was almost like being there and certainly brought back wonderful memories.

    If I had any magic fairy dust I would sprinkle it on Quito, Chica and Nacho's feet so they could fly to a first place finish this year. They certainly deserve it (and Aliy too of course). I know Allen will do a marvelous job with the pups again this year.

    Whatever the outcome, I wish safe travels and happy memories for Aliy, Allen and all the dogs.

  • We'll be glued to the computer down here in little old New Zealand wishing Allen and Aliy best wishes for a safe and successful race.
    Carol and Jim Shepherd (Moira's Mum and Dad) together with Lexie and Spicy.

  • The banquet sounded like it was a lot of fun! I just feel the excitement and anticipation mounting.

    My wish for you is two-fold: safe travels for you and all the dogs on both Red and Black Teams; a first place finish for the Red Team.

    Now…go for it !!!

  • Bib draw bingo–you did not say if any of you got close to the final bib numbers.. Sounds like a great experience. The countdown is on. Some day I hope to experience all the starting festivities. Go Aliy, Allen, red & black teams. We are cheering you on.

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