Thomas Waerner Wins! It was so fun watching the finish line in Nome via livestream! With 252 people on the chat, I felt like I was at a party!
When one of our guests, Stephen (from Illinois) stayed at Alaska Backcountry Cottages (AKBCC) the night of the restart in Willow my curiosity was ignited!
After the restart, Stephen took the scenic drive to our beautiful stand alone cottages at AKBCC, for a night in the fabulous new Forget-Me-Not Cottage with an amazing view!
Thomas Waerner won the almost 1000 mile race on March 18, 2020 in 9 days, 10 hours and 37 minutes. Thomas is 47 yrs old and lives in Norway and this is his second Iditarod Race. Last time, in 2015, he came in 17th place. His wife, Guro, is a veterinarian who supports him and with her expertise, helps with the dogs.
The Iditarod, “the last great race” began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers through blizzards. The race has started in downtown Anchorage since 1983. The race starts the first Saturday in March and ends when the last musher reaches Nome, The mushers and dogs experience whiteout conditions, sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds which can cause the wind chill to reach −100 °F (−73 °C). There are an average of 65 teams starting the race each year.
I look forward to following the Iditarod every year from the warmth of AKBCC!
