Four-time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion Martin Buser breezed through the tiny town of Takotna, spending less than a minute Wednesday before jumping on his sled runners and snatching the lead. Buser wasted no time as he headed out of the checkpoint, a town of a few dozen people known for giving Iditarod mushers the biggest welcome, and tempting them off the 1,100-mile trail with homemade pies and the soothing sounds of Merle Haggard playing on the stereo in the community center. Buser chose to push on but other mushers -- many of them the superstars of the sport -- were pausing in Takotna, giving their teams a long rest at the checkpoint about 700 miles from the finish line in Nome. There was a method to their madness, they said. Better to wait and let the trail set up and become less soft and punchy. Four-time champion Jeff King said there is so much snow this year, and the snow banks are so high, he can't even see his leaders going around corners. At this point in the Iditarod, the actual leader is hard to figure. That's because mushers are required to rest their teams for 24 hours. Many choose to meet the requirement in Takotna, but not Buser. He may be ahead on the trail but in actuality is hours behind Burmeister and the other leaders once the 24-hour break is factored in. (15 images)
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Matt Hayashida of Willow, Alaska drives his team alone the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race trail near the Takotna, Alaska checkpoint Wednesday, March 11. AP / Al Grillo
Mushers Kim Darst, front, and Rob Loveman pause to redirect their teams as they leave the Rainy Pass Iditarod checkpoint on Puntilla Lake, Alaska, late Tuesday, March 10. MCT / Anchorage Daily News / Marc Lester
Gerald Sousa gets some rest as the snow falls on Puntilla Lake at the Iditarod's Rainy Pass checkpoint Monday, March 9. MCT / Anchorage Daily News / Marc Lester
Mitch Seavey's dog team watches Jessie Royer drive her team along the Kuskokwim River and into the Nicolai, Alaska, checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Tuesday, March 10. AP / Al Grillo
Nancy Yoshida of Thompson, North Dakota, hugs some team members before the start of the Iditarod on Saturday, March 7, in Anchorage, Alaska. MCT / Anchorage Daily News / Marc Lester
Norwegian musher Bjornar Andersen massages one of his sled dogs during a rest at the Nicolai, Alaska, checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Tuesday, March 10. AP / Al Grillo
Nancy Yoshida's team rests in the otherwise empty dog lot at the Rainy Pass Iditarod checkpoint on Puntilla Lake in Alaska, Tuesday, March 10. MCT / Anchorage Daily News / Marc Lester
Iditarod rookie Kim Darst from Blairstown, N.J., drives her team down the starting chute of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Sunday, March 8, in Willow, Alaska. Darst has worked for 10 years to achieve her Iditarod dream, a dream she said will costing her $50,000. AP / Al Grillo
Four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser drives his team off of the Takotna River and into the Takotna, Alaska checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Wednesday, March 11. AP / Al Grillo
Volunteer veterinarian Ron Svec, from Vermont, checks Iditarod musher one of John Baker's sled dogs after he arrived at the Nicolai, Alaska, checkpoint on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Tuesday, March 10, 2009. Volunteer veterinarians check each dog to see if they are able to continue the 1,100-mile race. AP / Al Grillo
Mushers take care of their dog teams as they rest at the Rainy Pass, Alaska, checkpoint of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Monday, March 9. AP / Al Grillo
Blake Matray's team crosses the footbridge over Northern Lights Boulevard while approaching Goose Lake during the Iditarod's ceremonial on Saturday, March 7, in Anchorage, Alaska. MCT / Anchorage Daily News / Erik Hill
DeeDee Jonrowe gives a team member a rub-down before they depart from the Rainy Pass Iditarod checkpoint Monday, March 9. MCT / Anchorage Daily News / Marc Lester
Clientele of the Rainy Pass Lodge converse while an Iditarod musher passes by outside on Puntilla Lake in Alaska Monday, March 9. MCT / Anchorage Daily News / Marc Lester
Matt Hayashida gives his dogs a snack during a rest at Rainy Pass in Alaska on Monday, March 9. MCT / Anchorage Daily News / Marc Lester
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