Editor’s note: Richland Source is posting daily updates on Mansfield native Matthew Failor’s efforts at the 2025 Iditarod Sled Dog Race, which began March 3. Updates post daily at 7 a.m. and may be updated during the day. This exclusive coverage is made possible through the support of St. Peter’s School.
(UPDATE: Mansfield native and Iditarod musher Matthew Failor arrived at the Eagle Island checkpoint on Sunday at about 7:44 a.m. (AKDT), 526 miles into the 1,128-mile race from Fairbanks to Nome.
He arrived in the pre-dawn darkness still running in 13th place.
Failor checked in, picked up supplies, gave his 11 dogs in harness a snack and then continued on, headed toward the next checkpoint in Grayling, 56 miles away.
Failor made the 70-mile trip from Kaltag to Eagle Island in two sections, stopping to camp and rest his team about 25 miles from Eagle Island.
He left Kaltag Saturday at 5:49 p.m. to traverse what has been described as a difficult trail between the two checkpoints.
Next up is the Grayling checkpoint, considered to be halfway on this year’s Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
Richland Source is providing exclusive local coverage, including daily stories at 7 a.m., supported by our friends at St. Peter’s School, his alma mater and with the cooperation of Iditarod.Com Insider.
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ON THE IDITAROD TRAIL — Iditarod veteran musher and then race judge Jim Davis once gave Matthew Failor wise counsel during a previous version of “The Last Great Race.”
It’s proven wise once again for Failor as he climbs the leader board during the 2025 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.
“I had mishandled my pocket knife and had stabbed my right thigh above my knee,” Failor said of his old friend before the 2025 race began.
“Jim was the race judge there and he gave really sound advice. I thought I was going to be withdrawn from the race. He said, ‘No, I am not going to withdraw you. That’s your choice. You can continue on if you want to.’
“I finished that year because of him … or one of the reasons why … I just went checkpoint to checkpoint. He just said. ‘Take it easy … go one run at a time. You don’t need to just end your race right now,’” the 42-year-old Failor said.
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Davis died of a sudden cardiac event in August 2024 and Failor is carrying his ashes to spread along the trail this year.
Failor may have been thinking about his friend on Day 2 of the 2025 race during the 85-mile run from Manley to Tanana, including a period of nearly an hour when he was lost in the snow blizzard that reduced visibility and flattened trail markers on a trail that was glare ice in places.
That storm, coupled with “sugary snow” conditions that Failor and his Alaskan Husky Adventures 17th-Dog Team had not been able to train much on during the mild winter, took a sore-muscle toll on even his experienced team.
That grueling slog left Failor in 30th place near the back of the then-33-team pack, choosing to take his 24-hour mandatory stop far sooner than expected at Tanana, just 202 miles into the 1,128-mile race from Fairbanks to Nome.
The impact of the conditions were enough to cause a few other mushers to scratch from the race, including veteran Jeff Deeter, who finished fourth in last year’s Iditarod, who chose to withdraw Friday afternoon at the Galena checkpoint, 369 miles into the event.
“Ultimately, my decision was made for the longevity of my team’s career. I could continue and risk physical damage to core, prime age team members, and possible mental ‘damage’ to young team members like Stannis and Louie. But by pulling out of the race now, I can ensure that we have all had a positive experience to this point, and have a group of dogs that will be strong for many seasons to come,” Deeter said in a Facebook post.
‘Take it easy … go one run at a time’
There was only way for Failor to go after leaving Tanana — forward.
And forward he has gone — with clarity and speed — on an Iditarod trail revised this year to avoid low-snow areas in southeast Alaska.
In his 14th Iditarod race, the St. Peter’s High School graduate began to chase down teams in front of him, either by passing them on the trail or as they took their own 24-hour mandatory rest periods farther down the trail.
— Failor left the Ruby checkpoint Friday at 7:30 a.m. (AKST), 319 miles into the race, in 27th place.
— He pulled out of the Galena checkpoint Friday at 7:21 p.m. (AKST), 369 miles into the race, in 20th place.
— Failor mushed away from the Nulato checkpoint Saturday at 8:22 a.m. (AKST), 420 miles into the race, in 15th place.
— He departed the Kaltag checkpoint Saturday at 5:49 p.m. (AKST), 456 miles into the race, in 13th place.
One run at a time, just as Davis once counseled him.
As of Sunday morning at 2 a.m. (AKST), Failor and his remaining 11 dogs (after dropping two at Kaltag) were resting along the trail, 25 miles away from the Eagle Island checkpoint.
He was 102 miles behind leader Jessie Holmes, but only 25 miles behind 10th-place musher Travis Beals.
With more than 600 miles still to go for Failor on the trail, it’s not clear if he will end up with his second Top-10 finish, his goal coming into the race.
There are experienced, talented teams in front of him, including veterans like Beals, Riley Dyche (11th), and Gabe Dunham (12th), who were already resting Sunday morning at Eagle Island.
Hard-charging rookie Emily Ford was on Failor’s heels, as was 2024 Iditarod finisher Lauro Ekland.
But as the sun prepared to rise central Alaska on Sunday morning and Alaskan Daylight Time begins on the day before Failor’s 43rd birthday, he and his dogs had given themselves an early gift.
A shot at a Top-10 finish in the 2025 Iditarod.
Jessie Holmes wins GCI Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award
Veteran musher Jessie Holmes of Odenville, Ala., was the first musher to reach the Grayling checkpoint, which is the halfway point of the 2025 Iditarod.
Holmes arrived Saturday at 9:53 p.m. with 14 dogs to earn the award named in honor of Dorothy Page.
GCI became the sponsor of this award in 1994, given in honor of the late “Mother
of the Iditarod” and presented at the Iditarod checkpoint when following the Southern route in odd years, and the Cripple checkpoint when following the Northern route in even years.
This year, given the route change, the halfway point is the Grayling 1 checkpoint.
By reaching this checkpoint first, Holmes received a trophy and his choice of $3,000 in gold nuggets, symbolic of the history of this interior area of the Iditarod Mining District or a brand-new smartphone with a year of free service from GCI.
A perpetual trophy made of Alaskan birch and marble, which features a photograph of the late Dorothy G. Page, remains year-round at Iditarod headquarters.
“As the official technology partner of the Iditarod, we are proud to power one of the most historic sporting events in Alaska,” said Tiffany Vassar, GCI’s senior program manager of contributions and events.
“This race travels through some of the most remote terrain in our state, which we understand very well as GCI works to close the digital divide in rural Alaska. Through our partnership with the Iditarod, we understand how much fans and our neighbors around Alaska really rely on GCI’s statewide network. Congratulations, Jessie!”
This award will be re-presented to Holmes at the finishers’ banquet in Nome.
Our exclusive local coverage of Matthew Failor in the 2025 Iditarod is made possible with the cooperation of the Iditarod Trail Committee. To learn more about the non-profit organization, visit www.iditarod.com. You can also learn how to become an Iditarod Insider and access all of the live streams, GPS tracking system and video interviews with Failor and other mushers.
