Michael Williams Jr: The End of the Race

After a grueling 9 days, 11 hours, 50 minutes, and 2 seconds, Michael Williams Jr. has finally finished the Iditarod in eleventh place.  The conditions on the last stretch were severe--the wind was blowing over 45 miles per hour, which blew the dogs off course.  Even veteran musher Jeff King had a whole lot of trouble.  He scratched with less than 20 miles to the end of the race.
Aliy Zirkle and Dallas Seavey battled for first, with Dallas Seavey arriving at Nome only 2 minutes before Aliy blew in.  This is her third second-place-finish.
Mike Williams said before the race that he was going to be conservative at the first part of the race.  This strategy might've worked, but the harsh weather conditions around the second half of the race stopped him from speeding up, and he was never able to pass up the top ten pack.  This is most likely why he finished much farther from first than he expected (he had hoped to finish in the top five).
Still, eleventh place is very respectable.  This year's Iditarod was the harshest in years, and anyone who even finished the race is someone to admire.

A picture of Mike Williams as he nears the finish line.

Michael Williams Jr: Day 9

It's the ninth day of the Iditarod, and Mike Willliams is completing the last leg of the race.  He is currently in 20th place, which means since day seven he's dropped back two places.  He's lost yet another dog and is down to only eight.  Compared to Jeff King's twelve, this could really be hurting his time.
It isn't looking hopeful that Mike will make it into the top ten this year.  Aliy Zirkle and Jeff King, the two leaders of this year's race, are both feeling great.  In an interview, Jeff King remarked “I feel really, really great.  I feel like I’m as loose as a cucumber right now.”  And coming up behind the leading duo are several other veteran mushers like Martin Buser and Aaron Burmeister.  It's very unlikely Mike will be able to move up ten places with the finish coming so quickly.
Mike has completed both his 24-hour rest and his 12-hour rest and will soon arrive in Koyuk.

Michael Williams Jr. sledding

Michael Williams Jr: Day Seven

Two days ago, Mike Williams was in forty-third place.  Now he's in eighteenth.  Over the course of two days he's managed to pass twenty-five mushers!  His drop back in the ranks was probably due to the mandatory twenty-four hour rest he took in Nikolai.  Another possible factor is his number of dogs.  He only has nine out of the sixteen dogs he started out with, but that doesn't seem to be hurting his time--he's going about six-and-a-half miles per hour.  He has yet to take his 12-hour rest and is heading towards Cripple.

The Cripple Checkpoint

Michael Williams Jr: The Dawn of Day Five

Michael Williams Jr. has not left Nikolai and has dropped back from fourth place to forty-first place thanks to the Farewell Burn, a stretch of almost snowless terrain filled with dangerous rocks, tussocks, and trees.   More than ten teams have dropped out after accidents and injuries along the Burn.  Jeff King, a four-time winner, says the terrain is the worst he's ever seen.  Aliy Zirkle's sled broke twice.  And Nicolas Petit is concerned about the rookies, rattling off a list of names that he hopes will scratch for their own good.  Veteran Martin Buser describes the terrain:
"I rolled over quite a few times there.  It's just bare ground. And unforgiving terrain. I mean, tussocks and stumps and rough, rough. Super rough. Normally snow filters down into those extreme low spots, kind of fills it in a little bit and makes it somewhat passable. There was nothing on it this time."
Mike Williams is now resting in Nikolai and it is unclear when he will leave.  He is down to ten dogs.  Hopefully he'll be able to get back on his feet and regain a spot in the top ten.


A picture of the Farewell Burn

 

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2014/03/04/3356553/snowless-bumpy-farewell-burn-reportedly.html#storylink=cpy

Michael Williams Jr. Bio

Michael Williams, Jr

Michael Williams Jr. was born and raised in the remote village of Akiak, Alaska, where he was taught to mush by his father.  Michael Williams Sr. was a musher too, although his son has now surpassed him with an 8th place finish in the 2012 Iditarod.  He was married this summer to his girlfriend Phyllis, and they now have twin boys Kohle and Daniel along with a stepson named Paeton.  This is his fifth Iditarod, and he's doing very well--he is currently in fourth place.