THE SIDELINES : Women at Head of Iditarod Pack
Two women led the male-dominated field today one-third of the way through the marathon Iditarod Sled Dog Race, but the men were nipping at their heels.
Dee Dee Jonrowe held a slight edge over three-time champ Susan Butcher when the two women pulled into Nikolai before dawn today.
Nikolai is 367 miles from the Anchorage starting line, where 70 teams set out Saturday across the Alaska wilderness in the 1,161-mile race to Nome.
Once in Nikolai, teams have passed the worst threat from moose and buffalo and have come into the first in a series of Alaska native villages.
Jonrowe reached Nikolai at 4:52 a.m. Alaska time followed by Butcher at 5:22 a.m.
Running an hour behind them was Rick Swenson, the race’s only four-time winner, followed by two other top Alaska mushers Lavon Barve and Jerry Austin.
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