Iditarod musher Aliy Zirkle, a 20-year veteran of the Iditarod, has reportedly been evacuated to Anchorage and is in stable condition following an injury incurred on the Iditarod trail between the Rainy Pass and Rohn checkpoints.
According to Mark Nordman, race marshall for the Iditarod, “At approximately 8 p.m. today (Monday), Iditarod veteran musher Aliy Zirkle (bib #32) of Two Rivers, Alaska, was injured while coming in to the Rohn checkpoint. Aliy is in stable condition but based on information provided by a volunteer with medical training, I notified the Alaska State Troopers and the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center for assistance. The Alaska RCC is airborne and en route to the checkpoint to pick up Aliy and will transport her to Anchorage for further evaluation.”
According to SP Kennel – Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore facebook posting:
Tonight we’ve heard the devastating news that Aliy has been injured on the trail and is out of the Iditarod. She is in a stable condition and being medevac-ed back to Anchorage from Rohn. The dogs are well and will catch a flight to Anchorage asap. They are being cared for by volunteers at the checkpoint.
We don’t know much else yet, other than it happened on the trail between Rainy Pass and Rohn. Communications out of Rohn are not great at the best of times due to the terrain. We will update you when we know more. We are utterly devastated for Aliy and the dogs. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we process this information and find out more. This may take some time but we’ll keep you in touch.”
Zerkle has announced her retirement following the 2021 Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Zerkle finished as runner-up in the 2012,2013 and 2014 Iditarod races and finished 4th overall in 2019.
Photo courtesy of SP Kennels
