Ken Anderson of Fox, Alaska is just 9 minutes behind Cim Smyth, of Big Lake, AK, into the Yentna checkpoint. Following Anderson is Rick Casillo, Matt Hayashida, Sigrid Ekran, Michelle Phillips and Jim Lanier. With Just minutes between Casillo, Hayashida and Ekran, there is a race within a race.The 2007 race, starting with 23 mushers from four countries, left from The Tug Bar in Wasilla traveling to Deshka Landing and back to the Tug Bar via Flathorn Lake, on the Iditarod trail.With heavy snow before the race, the race was going to be tough. Fourteen teams have scratched, leaving a field of 9 to battle out the rest of the trail.
