Rookie Iditarod musher Emily Ford of Duluth makes unexpected run

Dog musher Emily Ford just hoped to finish.

Yet, 582 miles and nearly seven days into the 1,000-plus-mile Iditarod across Alaska, the Duluth woman was the top rookie in the standings with her team of 13 huskies Monday morning. She was 14th of 27 mushers overall.

Six mushers had dropped out, including four rookies, according to Iditarod officials.

“The whole team, including Emily, has positive energy,” her partner, Anna Hennessy, wrote in a text to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

After completing one of her mandatory eight-hour breaks Monday afternoon, Ford’s next stop will be in Anvik, the first checkpoint on the Yukon River, the longest river in Alaska.

This year, Iditarod organizers moved the official start farther north, 290 miles from Willow to Fairbanks because of a lack of snow. The ceremonial start was March 1 in Anchorage, and the race ends in Nome.

Ford had to prioritize rest for her dogs early on because of the unusually warm temperatures in the 30s, said Hennessy. Fairbanks had a high of 39 at the start; its average monthly high in March is 25.

Ford has dropped three members from her 16-dog team. Two of the dogs were young and more tired than others, Hennessy added, while the third dog was a planned drop after 300 miles.

Ford and her team also navigated a volatile silt storm near Tanana, Alaska, where “lots of other mushers got turned around,” Hennessy wrote in an Instagram post.

Ford’s mother, Paula, is in Alaska to follow her daughter’s adventure. Paula Ford wrote in a text to the Star Tribune on Monday that Emily and her dogs were in “good spirits.”

She added that her daughter’s winter camping background has likely been an advantage.

“Most rookies get to know mushing first and then figure out the outdoor life,” Paula Ford said. “Emily had the winter outdoor life down before she started mushing.”

Track Ford’s progress through a subscriber service at Iditarod.com or check back to the Minnesota Star Tribune for updates.