Tom Roig, from Ohio, is running his first Iditarod dog sled race. This is unusual, because Ohio isn't known as a hotbed of dog sled racing. (As a matter of fact, he had to train for the race in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.) There aren't too many American mushers who run this race from outside Alaska and Montana so, to me, an Ohioan is a big deal. At my house, we've been monitoring his progress and rooting him on this week.
Yesterday morning he withdrew from the race. He cited a broken sled, and the welfare of his team, in his decision to scratch. He made it to Rainy Pass, the fourth checkpoint after the restart. Hopefully, this will just fuel his desire to run it again, and we can root for him next year. I guess we'll shift our allegiances to Jeff King, the defending (and 4-time) champion. Although we usually root for the underdog - maybe we can find a new one.
Nice run, Tom! Better luck next year.
Yesterday morning he withdrew from the race. He cited a broken sled, and the welfare of his team, in his decision to scratch. He made it to Rainy Pass, the fourth checkpoint after the restart. Hopefully, this will just fuel his desire to run it again, and we can root for him next year. I guess we'll shift our allegiances to Jeff King, the defending (and 4-time) champion. Although we usually root for the underdog - maybe we can find a new one.
Nice run, Tom! Better luck next year.
