Following are Martin's notes concerning each of this year's finishing dogs.

Bronson The unlikely hero and Iditarod record holder from last year came into Nome in grand style once again. I observed that Bronson, like last year, seemed tireless, had a tendency to veer left and maintained his body weight perfectly. If one would clone a dog, Bronson might be the mold.

Inca What a difference a year can make. He was the first dog dropped from the record setting team because of a sore shoulder last year. This year however Inca not only stayed healthy, but set the pace in the Kusko 300, the junior Iditarod and was a major leader in my Iditarod team.

Luna always happy, small and portly does not look much like the great leader that she is. No matter how difficult the trail, she seems to glide over it with ease. All the team members get along with her great. Luna also led Nikolai's junior Iditarod team.

Stealth finishes strong once again! He worked just about every position in the team. From lead to wheel, Stealth knows how to perform. He was getting a little grumpy towards the end and started arguing with Wato whenever he could.

Lucillia is one of the newcomers to the team. At 2 1/2 years she and her brother Wolfy are the youngest in the team. Lucillia worked through a sore shoulder, some sore feet and a lot of diarrhea but prevailed in harness. I have great hopes for her future races. Nikolai had Lucillia in his team.

Wolfy this young, self-proclaimed studly dog is very temperamental. He growls at his team mates and barks at other teams. He does however back up all this boisterous behavior with great performance. He is a Kusko 300 as well as a Junior Iditarod finisher. Though he is small and slender, Wolfy will be a force to be reckoned with when he is fully mature next year.

Wato made it! Last year Wato broke a toe during the Iditarod and was the second dog dropped but healed up just fine and made the final selection to the team for his fluent motion and gentle disposition.

Ranger finishes strong! He was recognized by some of the veterinarians as a Blondie pup by the constantly wagging tale and his happy go lucky disposition. Ranger led some but worked real well in the team as well and found himself in the swing position (right behind the leaders) most of the time.

Logan the future superstar. Leader in training and super well gaited, Logan glides over the trail with effortless ease and grace. This Kira/ Calvin son will set the standard in our team how the dogs will look and act in the future.

Snake really had to work hard to get to the finish line. This poor fellow was the first dog to get ill this year. He had the first bout of diarrhea even before the start in Fairbanks. It took Snake about 700 miles to get over his illness but he performed unhindered. This sure shows how much potential he has for the next year..... when we all are going to stay healthy!

Happy Trails!