Copyright 2010© Evy Gebhardt
IDITAROD 2010 UPDATE #12 as of 7am Friday, March 19, 2010
HE PULLED OUT A TOP TWENTY FINISH! Paul Gebhardt 9 Days, 20 Hours, 31 Minutes, 1 Second: 19TH place
SHE’S NOT A ROOKIE ANYMORE! Kristy Berington 11 Days, 6 Hours, 44 Minutes, 2 Seconds: 39th Place
I am not sure who was more anxious for Kristy to cross the finish line yesterday – her twin sister Anna, or Paul. Watching Anna, I could completely appreciate the nervous energy she was trying to burn off as she checked the clock repeatedly once we knew that Kristy had left the final Iditarod checkpoint of SAFETY during the dinner hour. As the sun slipped over the horizon, casting long shadows across the windswept surface of the frozen Bering Sea in front of NOME, Kristy and her team of 10 dogs made their final run into the finish line.
Throughout the day, we had watched a few of Kristy’s fellow rookies cross beneath the burled arch, including our neighbor Colleen Robertia who’s husband, Joseph, works with me at the Clarion newspaper. Having seen the dogs on Colleen’s team before, as well as those of another Kasilof neighbor, Bruce Linton, it is kind of like checking up on the neighborhood kids!
 I can tell you that Paul and I are very proud of the race that Kristy ran. The team looked GREAT. As some of the dogs on her team had made this trip with Paul before, we were joking about what the dogs were thinking about this slightly more relaxed pace of travel with Kristy. Paul had been checking the GPS tracker as Kristy made her way over the Topcock Mountains leaving the WHITE MOUNTAIN checkpoint, and he stated.. “yep, she’s on HOUSTON time” – referring to her mature, veteran leader who crossed the finish line looking as fit and happy as could be, but definitely determines the pace of the overall team when he is in lead. While Kristy had some faster dogs in the composition of the team, she trusted HOUSTON and I don’t think there would have been any question in my mind that another dog would be leading the team up Front Street when she finished.
 It was also very cool for me to see the intimate interaction between the dogs and our good friends, Scott and Debbie Janssen, who had travelled to Nome to welcome both Paul and Kristy across the finish line. Scott is preparing for his rookie run with a team out of our kennel next year, and has already spent a significant amount of time in training with the teams while balancing their business, Janssen Funeral Chapels in Anchorage. Their assistance, along with the enthusiastic energy of Anna, have been a joy for me to have here at the finish line.
Kristy and Anna have a lot of catching up to do, but already we have been party to the exchange between Paul and Kristy, as they compare notes about sections of the trail. Both Anna and Scott, who have Iditarod aspirations of their own, were on the edge of their seats to hear about the wilds of Alaska that Paul and Kristy had just crossed. In addition to the normal discussions about how they handled the extreme cold that dominated portions of the race, or challenging sections of trail, it was disturbing for us to hear that Kristy too had one of her primary drop bags that “went missing” at the exact same checkpoint as Paul did – Shaktoolik. She also had no fresh runner plastic, personal food, handwarmers and other valuable gear for the run across the sea ice because of this missing drop bag. It sure sounds fishy to me, and all agreed that they are going to try to get to the bottom of that one.
Paul had asked Kristy if she had checkers at SAFETY when she pulled in. When Paul, who was in the Top Twenty arrived at this final checkpoint on a fast pace to get to NOME, there was not a soul in sight. He had needed to park his team and go banging on the door and had to wake up someone just to register his time and allow him to officially continue. In light of the fact that Paul did post the award winning Fastest Time from Safety to Nome, I wonder how much time was lost with the problem he encountered getting through the checkpoint.
 They talked about the weather through the Alaska Range, where Kristy travelled through a fierce blizzard, as well as the unreal terrain that the trail bumped across going through the Farewell Burn. Kristy’s health is a concern for us now, and Paul made sure that she got onto the highly effective Zpack prescription right away. She, like Paul, had lost weight – but still wore her trademark (ok double trademarked) smile.
It will now be a time of rest and recuperation. The dogs will eat repeatedly every few hours, although Kristy’s team had not come down with the stomach ailment in her team to the degree that Paul’s did, it is still part of the routine for the first few days after they finish.
The dogs that Kristy had on her finishing team were: Leaders HOUSTON & BLACK DOG, JONAH, BODIE, CAT, NICKALUS, WOLF, MARSHALL, RINGER, & ERA.
I felt kind of like “Mom” watching her finish, and as much as he looked forward to seeing the dogs, I know that Paul was happy to see her come into Nome as well. Both of us commented how it felt like something was missing that our own daughter, Kristin, wasn’t here this year – and when I saw this photo of Paul and Kristy on the runners leaving the finish chute – I remember how many times Kristin took this ride on the runners next to Paul. From every indication I have gotten, it sounds like we are in for this again next year… but that might still be the sleep deprivation talking too… Perhaps when they start really thinking about what it felt at -60 below, they may second guess that!
But for now, all the dogs are healthy, they are safe and warm and I have lots of stories to record for your enjoyment in the days ahead. Stay tuned - Evy
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