Snowmobile Iditarod, Mushers Attacked

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Snowmobile strikes Iditarod teams, kills dog, injures others - Race officials say the attacker targeted mushers Ally Zirkle and Jeff King in separate incidents near Nulato on Saturday. Banjo was knocked unconscious and did not regain consciousness until he reached the checkpoint early Saturday.
"It did not seem like an accident", King said, adding that the driver never stopped or returned to the scene.
She said she thought the man on the snowmobile was trying to kill her. I told him I'd do whatever they want me to do.
King's dog Nash was killed in the incident. The water was more than 2 feet deep indoors when they.
A dog on the team of Aliy Zirkle (AL-ee ZUR-cul) also received what was described as a non-life-threatening injury.

A dog on the team of four-time champion Jeff King was killed. "His brother, Crosby, was his best friend in the kennel & they would play like puppies for hours!", Skinner wrote.

Skinner remembered Nash as "a leader, a strong puller, and a dog that just really loved people".

Two veteran mushers in Alaska's Iditarod told race officials on Saturday that a person driving a snowmobile tried to drive the machine into their sled teams in apparent attacks that resulted in the death of one dog and injuries to three others. One of Zirkle's dogs was hurt in the attack.

The 2012 Iditarod official "restart" in Willow, AK took place Sunday afternoon under crystal clear conditions and blue skies.

"She actually used one of the trail markers to defend herself".

Zirkle was making her way towards the Nulato checkpoint when a snowmobiler attempted to harm her and her team.

King, a four-time Iditarod champion, was behind Zirkle and fared worse when his team was struck from behind by the snowmobile.

King was behind Zirkle - 12 miles from Nulato - and said the snowmobile almost missed him before smashing into several of his dogs at high speed from behind. One of his dogs was killed and at least three others were injured. "It was so incredibly close - my team was well lit, with lights and reflectors - that it felt very intentional", King said.

Two other dogs on King's team were injured.

King himself requested medical attention at Nulato.

Husky Homestead Tours, King's kennel, wrote in a message to Channel 2 that their crew at home was sad about what happened but were thankful that it was not worse.

"The suspect has been identified by the village police officer in Nulato, and authorities are conducting an investigation", according to a statement from the Iditarod Trail Committee.

The tribe has a deep respect and admiration for the "Last Great Race on Earth" and the dedicated dog mushers and their beloved dogs.