Tuesday, March 12, 2002
Buser finishes 1,100-mile race in record time
Associated Press
NOME, Alaska -- Waving a large American flag as he entered
the finish area, Martin Buser captured his fourth Iditarod on
Tuesday and completed the 1,100-mile race in record time.
Iditarod winner Martin Buser arrives in Nome on Tuesday.
He and his dogs ended their trek from Anchorage in eight days,
22 hours, 46 minutes -- the first musher to do so in less than nine
days.
"It feels pretty good," said Buser, who arrived at 8:46 a.m.
"It's going to be exciting to hold that record for a while."
With temperatures in the low teens, a crowd lined Front Street
to welcome Buser -- and lead dogs Bronson and Kira -- to this Gold
Rush town on the edge of frozen Norton Sound.
Buser will become an American citizen Wednesday in a ceremony
under the burled arch that marks the Iditarod finish line. His
wife, Kathy Chapoton, and sons Rohn and Nikolai were decked out in
red, white and blue and waving small flags at the finish.
The 44-year-old Buser was born in Switzerland but has lived in
Alaska for 23 years. He said he was motivated to become an American
citizen after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
"Until then, I had felt like an Alaskan," Buser said. "I
wanted to be here and stand my ground and prove that this is my
home turf."
Knowing that his family was waiting and that he would soon
become a citizen motivated Buser for the final push to Nome. He won
$62,800 and a new pickup truck.
The musher from Big Lake enjoyed nearly perfect trail conditions
and clear skies most of the way. He traveled near the front of the
pack for the first half of the race and led decisively by the
halfway point at Cripple.
Because the trail was so good, his dogs moved fast, giving him
more time to rest at the checkpoint.
"It's a mathematical equation," he said. "The more you rest,
the faster you go."
Ramy Brooks of Healy tried to close the three-hour gap by
skipping his rest at the Elim checkpoint, 123 miles from Nome.
Brooks left Elim just eight minutes behind Buser but quickly fell
behind.
Brooks reached Nome at 10:49 a.m., finishing in nine days, 49
minutes.
"I pretty much knew that unless Martin made a mistake or
something happened with his dogs there was no way I could overpower
him," he said.
Buser beat the previous race record by 2 hours, 12 minutes. That
record was set by Doug Swingley of Lincoln, Mont., in 2000. Brooks
also finished ahead of the previous record.
Swingley won last year's race and started the Iditarod this
year, but he said early on he would not actively compete. Buser
said Swingley's decision did not affect him.
"He couldn't keep up with me anyway," Buser said.
Buser placed 24th last year, his worst finish in 15 years.
Before the start of the race, Buser said his goal was to go "from
worst to first."
He credited the turnaround to more serious training. Buser said
he cut his public appearances and involvement with civic
organizations to spend more time with his dogs.
His wife's advice at the start was to finish with lots of dogs,
in daylight and with a good attitude, Buser said.
"It's daylight," Buser said. "I've got 10 dogs and I'm pretty
happy with the place I'm in."
Buser, his wife and sons will head back on the course next week,
riding snowmobiles down the trail to their home in Big Lake. Buser
said that on the trail to Nome he stashed some treats along the
way.
"Hopefully the foxes and wolves didn't get to them," he said.
