Rudy Demoski

Sixty-seven-year-old Rudy Demoski Sr., who raced his first Iditarod in 1974, finished at the middle of the pack Sunday as the mushers arrived at the Yentna checkpoint on the first day of the 2013 Iditarod. His placement, however, belies his success. The mushers were sent off every two minutes, and Demoski has already passed several other mushers to get to the fulcrum.

Demoski, a carpenter, hasn’t run Iditarod for 27 years, but picked up a sponsor this year and decided he wasn’t getting any younger. In the 1974 Iditarod, Demoski finished fourth so don’t expect him to stay on the fulcrum long.

Martin Buser, who led out the race, has retained his lead so far, although several behind him are maintaining stronger paces so far. The final sled had not checked in at Yentna as of this post, so the tail of the dog is unknown yet.