The 2024 Iditarod Dog Sled Race is on! Follow Grand Marais mushers Erin Altemus and Anna Hennessy with updates
Mar 15, 2024 08:01AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: The Iditarod Facebook page
From Boreal Community Media and Jim Boyd - March 15, 2024
Grand Marais community members Erin Altemus and Anna Hennessy are both participating in the 2024 Iditarod Dog Sled Race in Alaska. The mushers, who are both rookies in this event, have been racing for approximately 2.5 days. The race is expected to end sometime this week, with multiple mushers already crossing the finish line.
Learn more about the checkpoints here.
View current musher standings here.
Anna Hennessy is still racing strong with 13 dogs in 23rd place, as the first six mushers finish the race. After the Koyuk checkpoint, Anna and the team will make their way to Elim, which is 852 miles from the start of the race. Only a few more checkpoints will remain between them and the finish!
Update 1: Anna Hennessy made it to the checkpoint Unalakleet, located 714 miles from the start of the race. She is currently racing with 13 dogs. Anna and the team rested for about four hours at Unalakleet, before continuing on to Shaktoolik.
Jim writes: Erin is at mile 386 and has passed Anna who is resting at mile 383.
March 7 updates
Jim writes: If anyone wants to send a musher a mushergram, call 907-248-MUSH and they will write it out, ensure it gets to the musher. I don't believe there is a cost beyond the telephone call.
Approximately 10:45 pm central time
Approximately 5 pm central time
Jim writes: Erin and Anna both are running again after their 24-hour rest. Hope Erin is feeling better.
Early afternoon
Jim writes: Iditarod commentators are saying that this weekend is going to bring temps way below zero, combined with high winds as the race reaches the coast. Sounds serious.
Jim writes: It seems apparent that Erin and Anna are taking their required 24-hour rest, which means they will remain at Takotna until about 6 p.m. Minnesota time this evening.
Approximately 8:15 am central time
Anna and Erin are both resting at Takotna with 15 dogs, in 25th and 26th place, respectively. Their next checkpoint will be Ophir, which is 352 miles from the start of the race.
Jim writes: Let sleeping dogs lie (see video here): The scene at Takitna where both Anna and Erin are resting. Also, Dallas Seavey, the musher who killed the moose will be penalized two hours. So instead of a 24-hour break, his will be 26 hours. Race officials decided he hadn’t sufficiently gutted the moose.
Another update Jim writes: Interview with Erin at McGrath (see video here), where she stopped for an hour before moving on to Takotna, where she is now, for a longer rest. She is clearly very tired and not feeling well. But she’s a tough one.
Approximately 6:00pm central time
Jim writes: Both Erin and Anna are recorded as resting at Takotna, mile 329.
Approximately 4:15 pm central time
Jim writes: It's 1:15 p.m. in Alaska, and both Erin Altemus and Anna Hennessy are on the trail. Anna has passed Erin and is at mile 324. Erin is two miles back at 322. It appears that Anna didn't stop at all in McGrath, and Erin didn't stop for long. They are about 5 miles from the next checkpoint at Takotna.
Approximately 12:45 pm central time
Approximately 8:45 am central time
Anna Hennessy has left Nikoli after spending a little over five hours at the checkpoint. She is currently running in 25th place with 15 dogs.
Altemus is in 23rd place and running with 15 dogs.
Both Grand Marais mushers are heading toward McGrath, a checkpoint 311 miles from the start of the race.
Jim writes: Erin arrives at the Nikolai checkpoint, mile 263. at 6:45 p.m. Alaska time. See video here.
Approximately 8:30 pm central time
Approximately 7:30 pm central time
From Boreal Community Media and Jim Boyd - March 15, 2024
Grand Marais community members Erin Altemus and Anna Hennessy are both participating in the 2024 Iditarod Dog Sled Race in Alaska. The mushers, who are both rookies in this event, have been racing for approximately 2.5 days. The race is expected to end sometime this week, with multiple mushers already crossing the finish line.
Learn more about the checkpoints here.
View current musher standings here.
March 15 updates
March 14 updates
11:00 am central timeAnna Hennessy has gone through the Elim and White Mountain checkpoints and is heading towards Safety, which is the second to last checkpoint before the finish line. Safety is 953 miles from the start of the race.
Hennessy is currently racing with 12 dogs in 24th place.
Hennessy is currently racing with 12 dogs in 24th place.
March 13 updates
8:45 am central timeAnna Hennessy is still racing strong with 13 dogs in 23rd place, as the first six mushers finish the race. After the Koyuk checkpoint, Anna and the team will make their way to Elim, which is 852 miles from the start of the race. Only a few more checkpoints will remain between them and the finish!
March 12 updates
Update 2: Anna and the team arrived at Shaktoolik around 12:30pm central time, and rested for approximately seven hours. The next checkpoint is Koyuk.Update 1: Anna Hennessy made it to the checkpoint Unalakleet, located 714 miles from the start of the race. She is currently racing with 13 dogs. Anna and the team rested for about four hours at Unalakleet, before continuing on to Shaktoolik.
March 11 updates
Grand Marais musher Erin Altemus scratched from the 2024 Iditarod
Approximately 11:15 am central time
Anna Hennessy is running with 13 dogs and left the Kaltag checkpoint a few hours ago. Her next checkpoint will be Unalakleet, which is 714 miles from the start of the race. After reaching Unalakleet, Hennessy will have six checkpoints left before the finish line.
Approximately 11:15 am central time
Anna Hennessy is running with 13 dogs and left the Kaltag checkpoint a few hours ago. Her next checkpoint will be Unalakleet, which is 714 miles from the start of the race. After reaching Unalakleet, Hennessy will have six checkpoints left before the finish line.
March 8 updates
Approximately 7:45 am central timeJim writes: Erin is at mile 386 and has passed Anna who is resting at mile 383.
March 7 updates
Jim writes: If anyone wants to send a musher a mushergram, call 907-248-MUSH and they will write it out, ensure it gets to the musher. I don't believe there is a cost beyond the telephone call.Approximately 10:45 pm central time
Jim writes: Erin has stopped at mile 359 for what I assume will be a short rest, and I notice that the number of dogs in her team has dropped from 15 to 14. Yup, she's back on the trail.
Approximately 5 pm central time
Jim writes: Erin and Anna both are running again after their 24-hour rest. Hope Erin is feeling better.
Early afternoon
Jim writes: Iditarod commentators are saying that this weekend is going to bring temps way below zero, combined with high winds as the race reaches the coast. Sounds serious.
Jim writes: It seems apparent that Erin and Anna are taking their required 24-hour rest, which means they will remain at Takotna until about 6 p.m. Minnesota time this evening.
Approximately 8:15 am central time
Anna and Erin are both resting at Takotna with 15 dogs, in 25th and 26th place, respectively. Their next checkpoint will be Ophir, which is 352 miles from the start of the race.
March 6 updates
Approximately 9:00 pm central timeJim writes: Let sleeping dogs lie (see video here): The scene at Takitna where both Anna and Erin are resting. Also, Dallas Seavey, the musher who killed the moose will be penalized two hours. So instead of a 24-hour break, his will be 26 hours. Race officials decided he hadn’t sufficiently gutted the moose.
Another update Jim writes: Interview with Erin at McGrath (see video here), where she stopped for an hour before moving on to Takotna, where she is now, for a longer rest. She is clearly very tired and not feeling well. But she’s a tough one.
Approximately 6:00pm central time
Jim writes: Both Erin and Anna are recorded as resting at Takotna, mile 329.
Approximately 4:15 pm central time
Jim writes: It's 1:15 p.m. in Alaska, and both Erin Altemus and Anna Hennessy are on the trail. Anna has passed Erin and is at mile 324. Erin is two miles back at 322. It appears that Anna didn't stop at all in McGrath, and Erin didn't stop for long. They are about 5 miles from the next checkpoint at Takotna.
Approximately 12:45 pm central time
Jim writes: 9:45 am in Alaska, and by miles, Erin Altemus has arrived at the McGrath checkpoint, mile 311. Anna Hennessy is about 13 miles behind at mile 298.
Approximately 8:45 am central time
Anna Hennessy has left Nikoli after spending a little over five hours at the checkpoint. She is currently running in 25th place with 15 dogs.
Altemus is in 23rd place and running with 15 dogs.
Both Grand Marais mushers are heading toward McGrath, a checkpoint 311 miles from the start of the race.
Approximately 6:30 am central time
Jim writes: 3:40 a.m. in Alaska, and it appears Erin left Nikolai about an hour ago. That stop is at mile 263, and she is at 270, running at 6.6 mph, so roughly 8 hours of rest.
March 5 updates
Approximately 10 pm central timeJim writes: Erin arrives at the Nikolai checkpoint, mile 263. at 6:45 p.m. Alaska time. See video here.
Approximately 8:30 pm central time
Jim writes: Right in the thick of it at mile 250. Screenshot via the Iditarod website, Jim Boyd.
Approximately 7:30 pm central time
Jim writes: 4:20 p.m. in Alaska, and Erin is at mile 244, lower right in the photo, 19 miles from the checkpoint at Nikolai. On the leaderboard she is 26th. I can only imagine how tough this day was over very difficult territory. Looks like she sent one dog home, listed as now running 15. Screenshot via the Iditarod website, Jim Boyd.
