Teams 19 and 40 scratch in McGrath as the 2024 Iron Dog wraps up second day
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - After some home-cooked meals, showers and a good night’s rest, early Sunday morning Iron Dog teams revved their engines and continued their journey to Nome.
Squads started pulling out of the Innoko Lodge parking lot in McGrath just past 7:45 a.m. Team 14 was the first out the door, with Teams 6 and 9 hot on their tail.
Not everyone was as lucky though.
Tim Gossett and Joseph Gugel from Team 26 were the first group to punch in on Saturday, but sled maintenance stalled their departure.
Other teams around the lot also ran into sled problems. including the Wisconsin duo Cole Sabin and Trent Johnson comprising Team 22. They moved to a local garage to fix a list of issues that included the suspension and fuel system.
As of Sunday night, many of the two-man teams have reached or are nearing the Unalakleet checkpoint. Some notable absences include former race leader Team 6, who will be staying in Kaltag for the night.
Team 19 and 40 have officially scratched from the 2,500-mile race.
The former’s sled showed signs of damage on the front and back ends after what was described as a wreck occurred on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Team 40 had to be towed approximately 70 miles back to McGrath after a suspension bolt hit the heat exchanger on Daniel Thomas’s machine, causing the sled to leak its coolant.
The full up-to-date race tracker can be found here.
Stay tuned in to Alaska’s Sports Source for race updates.
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