Jeff King was the first musher in the 2014 Iditarod to reach the Ruby checkpoint, arriving there an hour earlier than Sonny Lindner.
Iditarod 2014, standings and results: Jeff King leads, Martin Buser closing in
Jeff King took a risk that not many mushers have been willing to take to get to the top of the 2014 Iditarod on Thursday.
Both mushers had yet to take their 24-hour mandatory layover prior to arriving in Ruby, while most others stopped at Cripple or Ophir. One of those who laid over in Cripple is Martin Buser, who is currently in third place and is on pace to arrive in Ruby at 7 p.m. local time on Thursday.
King and Lindner won’t be able to leave the checkpoint until Friday at around 6:41 a.m. and 7:41 a.m., respectively, assuming they take their layover in Ruby. Lindner’s status in that regard is unknown, but King plans to take his break there, according to Joe Runyan of Iditarod.com (via the Anchorage Daily News). Maybe the gourmet dinner he received for being the first racer to reach the checkpoint has something to do with the decision.
Aliy Zirkle and Robert Sorlie, both of whom have also completed the mandatory layover, round out the top five. Zirkle and King both finished in the top five of the 2013 race, which was won by Mitch Seavey, who is currently in eighth place.
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