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March 15, 2016 by

Bummer about the live video stream being down for the Red Team finish, but they’ve posted the replay and show the team looking great as a large crowd cheers them in!

No matter what, Aliy always has a smile and wave for her fans, especially the young woman in the front row wearing a bright red SPK beanie!

Aliy gave the media their due, with some heartfelt and introspective comments. She said every dog had its ups and downs during the race, but they all came together as a team. After a pause she added, “So did I.”

Just before leaving the burled arch finish line area, Aliy posed with Scout and Mismo, her main lead dogs for this fantastic race.

Now, as promised, all the dogs are in their beds, ready for nice longs sleeps and tender loving care… Good dawgs!!!

That’s all I’ve got to share for now. Moira will post at length once things have settled down. We’re also anxious to see Allen and the Black Team take their turn crossing the finish line… Go SPK!

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  • Yes VERY GOOD DAWGS ! 👏🏻👏🏻🔴❤️🐾🐾 Super effort by Aliy and her team 😍. Denali🐾🐾 And Joanne 🇦🇺

  • Yes VERY GOOD DAWGS ! 👏🏻👏🏻🔴❤️🐾🐾 Super effort by Aliy and her team 😍. Denali🐾🐾 And Joanne 🇦🇺

  • So glad she was able to pull herself and the dogs together to take third place…quite the sportswoman!

  • Awesome finish, Aliy! Such an inspiration, overcoming the challenges along the trail and keeping your smile! Congrats!

  • 1 Great team down; 1 to go! Go SPK.

    Have worried and prayed for both mushers and their 32 awesome teammates the past 11 days; prayers are answered.

  • A fantastic and amazing race. I can't tell you how many nights we lost sleep and upon waking would lie and wonder what the trail was like, how it felt to be out there and how far you had traveled. After each post, after each little glimpse into your snowy four-pawed world we felt like we had been given a treat. As we did last year…we'll hold you in our thoughts until the next big race. Congratulations from our family to yours….you are an amazing woman, musher and leader of the pack.

  • Wonderful finish after overcoming so much along the way. Great new lead dogs showing they are champions. Get a well deserved rest, dogs and Aliy!

  • congratulations, Aliy & the Red Team!! what an amazing recovery you made! so proud of SP Kennel & what you do! now get some rest & be ready to welcome Allen & the fabulous Black Team.

  • Thanks for the post. I love seeing the dogs in their beds after their work is done. I was able to watch the live feed because I had it on since around 5:30 Alaska time (8:30 my time). I think someone said it earlier, but Livestream must have been a little overloaded with people trying to watch the race live. The ID video is a better picture and a little closer to the action, than watching it live. The dogs still look very happy to be running even 975 miles later.

  • Good Dawgs!
    Boy that straw is inspiring at this point.
    Thanks for getting the beautiful pics to us Macgellan.
    🙂 🙂 🙂

  • Ready honest and heartfelt comments from Aliy. What an incredible performance from this young Red Team (plus Aliy!) I could not be any prouder. Now it's time to de-stress, relax, and get ready to see Quito come under the burled arch!

  • You make a great role model! Determination and perseverance pay off in the end!

  • Aily,
    My 10 year old daughter and I have followed you and the entire SPK team for a couple of years now. She even sleeps with two stuffed sled dogs Sissy and Shiner. I want to let you know what a HUGE example you have been to the both of us as well as so many others during the ups and downs of this race. So many times in life unexpected things occur, and it is a true champion who gets back on that horse and powers through. Who doesn't let obstacles stop them from achieving their goal. You and your team and Jeff and his are the champions of the week. Champions that I'm proud to show my daughter. May you and your team get some well deserved rest and love.

    Justin and Delaney 🐕🐕🐕🐕

  • Your dogs did a great job!!! And you raised them and lead the strategy right. I feel you did another great job. I feel the incident changed the outcome for both you and King. Just be yourself! You did great considering and remember you had the honor of completing the Iditarod. Few people can say that. Be the better person as I know you are. Use this as a rally for next year to get your dues for what you deserve. Love you Get ready for next year!!!!

  • Aliy I can't tell you enough how much I admire you and your kennel. 5 years in a row in the top five, awesome. Two of those could have been your winning runs if not for external circumstances. I love that you won't win by any means, I know some people will laugh at that comment, however, to me a true winner is one who treats their dogs with out-most love and respect. You and Allen are the true champions in my book! Just a couple of days ago, when you were sitting on the frozen ocean with the wind blowing 30 miles per hour you were smiling and commenting "trust me I'm trying", I know you do, you will get that win I have no doubts. When that happens "good" will have won at last!!! Congratulations to you and your team, I know it must have been really tough after that God-awful day to keep going with a positive attitude, I'm proud of you, you came in third how about that! I hope that schmuck is going to be in jail for a long time and I hope that this incident can be used to educate people about what can happen if you think you can handle drugs of any kind and then be out in public intoxicated. Have a great rest, give the doggies much love and rub-downs, and let them know that we will be watching the champions again in Iditarod 45!

  • Sad the live stream did not work – soooo happy about this awesome team finishing a very eventful and exciting race in 3rd place!!!!!!!!! Congrats to aliy and her red team members. Enjoy your well deserved rest 🙂

  • A well deserved rest is in order. Congratulations to Aliy and her teammates. You are an inspiration to all, and quite a class act.
    Thank-you for keeping us posted with updates. I love following along on the dog log.
    One more team to come in! Cheering for Allen and the black team. ~Meredith

  • Congratulations! So glad you made it safely to Nome after the big scare. We've sure been thinking about you and rooting you on from our home in Anchorage! Go Aliy and dogs!

  • So very proud of those 2, Scout and Mismo!
    Just so very happy for Aliy to have been able to pull off just this fast race ! Again! The Olympics have always 3 winners. So, in that spirit she won again! Best of all with so many dogs!! Superb athletes and brilliant hearts.
    Very happy here to be able to see this .
    Thank you Aliy. Lots of love to each of your dogs
    Ingabritt

  • It's a bird, it's a plane, no, it's the super puppies ! Aliy, we are so proud of you!! Wow, what an amazing finish, especially after what you've been through. God bless and good rest for you and the super puppies of SP, and good luck to the black team!

  • Scout knows that he's the best! What a superstar each one of them. Please give a hug to those young little girls Sandy and Chipper! Ask who is the toughest dog in this team? How about Schmoe? No, Willie! No, … Everyone !!!
    Sweet and happy thoughts for Aliy to think.
    Here, though the sun blasts, I'm wearing my red Skunks hat.
    Cheers Ingabritt

  • Way to go Aily, just watched the insider video of you arriving, fantastic job you and the team of dogs did, just love ya both.
    So proud of you, been watching and getting to know SPK kennel since 2007.
    have a good rest. Amazing Allen in Elim, just checked the GPS Go Allen
    hugs Maureen from Comox, Canada

  • Prayed for Aliy and dogs – God is good and faithful. Awesome attitude, perseverance, and discipline by all – inspirational to all of us sharing the journey from afar❤️�� Keep on mushing…and smiling!������

  • Wonderful dogs and they are each champions. Aliy too of course. I'm so proud to be a Red Team supporter and they did a magnificent job!!!! Now following Allen and the Black Team who do the same. SPK is The Best. Glad to see Aliy smile again; I know it was hard there for a bit but she is strong and so much of an inspiration!! Five top fives in five years–that says a lot.

    BTW I am writing to the Board about a couple of issues I am disturbed by–none about SPK for sure–but it will be an open letter shortly. Anyone wants to know more, email me; I have a link thru gmail. More comments might make a difference.

  • Thanks for the update! What amazing open expression, you took this tough difficulty and kept right on going. So Respectable. Aliy!! This issue tore our hearts up and I know it was not easy !! You continually amaze us.

  • Yes, Aily you had lots of people surrounding you and your team with positive thoughts. And Allen as well. Great run, great dogs, great team! Congratulations!

  • Fantastic to see Aliy finish so well. We heard her and Allen talk on a Princess train in August and have followed all the ups and downs of the Iditarod with much interest this year. What a brave lady and a brilliant team. Enjoy the well deserved rest and we shall follow Allen's progress too. Best wishes from the UK.

  • That trademark smile firmly on your face behind those beautiful, happy looking dogs. What a wonderful finish despite the setbacks! You are admirable and I was so glad to see you cross under that arch so triumphantly. Now you can kick back and process it all. Stay up, Aliy. It looks good on you! Wooohooooo from Rochester, NY !!!

  • Met you on the train to Denali and have followed you ever since, even from the UK. What a great achievement! Well done for overcoming such adversity with such great courage. This year's third place demonstrates your ability to breakthrough the most challenging of circumstances and overcome against the odds. You're the outright star of the race. Looking forward to next year. Well done all of you!

  • I'm glad the Team "all came through at different times" for you when you needed it the most….is was a difficult race…like you said, "physically and emotionally"….us Fans felt that too….even through the distance.

    But look at what you accomplished….a 3rd place finish….my goodness that is something to be proud of given the complexities of this race. You AND your Team had to face an adversity that 99% of the other Teams didn't have to face…and you came through!!! I'd be willing to guess your Team had your back the whole time…and felt the ups and downs just like you did…but you stood together as a team. After all, isn't that the point…to be one with your Team? You did that, and you can bet Alaska and ALL members of the Dog Log are in awe of what you and your Team accomplished in the past 8 days!! You all came into Nome in a VERY respectable placement…we could not have asked for more.

    On a lighter note…..is Chemo always so surprised to see and hear people cheering?? LOL..he was looking around like "what are all these people doing here?!! We are SO proud of him…..in fact his entire Sponsor Family including Grandma Linda and Uncle Mugs Chemo Fans) are extremely proud of his accomplishment…way to go Chemo!! We love you Buddy……each and every day…but today more than ever!!

  • Aliy~
    You are an amazing, inspirational, strong woman. Thanks for letting us follow you on your journey. I was fresh off the boat (one month!) in Alaska when I bundled up to watch the start of the 2000 Yukon Quest. I remember watching you leave the starting chute and thinking. That woman is amazing. Maybe if she can make it here, I can too. I have quietly (and not so quietly) followed you since. If I can be half as strong and determined as you, I will feel I have succeeded.
    Wishing you and all the pups many hugs, good food, and lots of rest.
    Much love,
    Teresa & IV

  • way to go Aliy and team fantastic congratulations go and have a well deserved heat and rest all of you a great race apart from the snowmachine thug look forward to lots of pics n vids all the very best from Scotland

  • Aliy, you are amazing. That says it all.
    Congratulations and wishing you all the best.
    Ingrid

  • I do believe the whole world knows Aliy Zirkle now! Lots of people
    have come up to me about the happenings of this journey. She has
    shown real grace in her actions and words. Great Job Aliy!
    The dogs look so good! A team to remember!

  • I truely love these dogs….they did so well from a spectator standpoint. We really were not expecting such a difficult race of course….and the Red Team took up the challang and then some! The up and coming leaders got some good time in lead….hopefully they learned a thing or two from Scout!!

    Sleepy Sled Dogs…..nothing better! Thanks so much for posting all the pictures…makes me smile!

  • Scout and Mismo confidently lead Red team under the burled arch. What a great smile Aliy. A extremely amazing race for you, the dogs, the kennel, the crew. Thank you so much. Thanks for all the posts & pictures. Now let's get Allen and Black team in to Nome!

  • Scout and Mismo confidently lead Red team under the burled arch. What a great smile Aliy. A extremely amazing race for you, the dogs, the kennel, the crew. Thank you so much. Thanks for all the posts & pictures. Now let's get Allen and Black team in to Nome!

  • Amazing and Awesome race for Aliy and the Red Team!! Thank you for sharing with your fans! Go Allen and Black Team! It is so much fun following SPK! ❤❤❤

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