EAGLE ISLAND, Alaska (AP) – Robert Sorlie arrived at the Eagle Island checkpoint Saturday comfortably ahead of the competition, much like he did two years ago when he won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

“We just went 14 hours nonstop,” the 47-year-old Norwegian said as he pushed past a small group of greeters and parked his 15 dogs at the checkpoint on the frozen Yukon River, 420 miles from the Nome finish line. Some of the animals were surprisingly frisky, yipping and jumping in place, despite a trail Sorlie described as soft.

As the first to reach the handful of tents that make up the Eagle Island checkpoint at 11:30 a.m. AST, the firefighter from Hurdal, Norway, said he’s pretty sure of another victory.

“I shall try,” Sorlie said, handing his dogs frozen bricks of ground beef. “It’s good to be here. We made no stops, just to check booties and get quick snacks.”

Sorlie dropped two dogs here – one with a sore leg and another that “psyched out,” or didn’t want to run any more. That left him with 13, plenty to make it to Nome, he said. Two years ago, he had 12 at this point.

“This is normal for me,” he said. “They look good. They’re in good shape.”

Four-time Iditarod winner Martin Buser pulled into the checkpoint at 3:25 p.m. AST, almost four hours behind Sorlie.

“At this point, that’s a huge lead,” Buser’s wife, Kathy Chapotone, said. “But things can always change in a heartbeat and you never give up.”

Weather could become a factor as well. Temperatures were in the mid-30s and a freezing-rain advisory had been issued for Kaltag – the next checkpoint 70 miles up the trail and the point where the race swings west to the coast of Norton Sound and on to Nome.

Approaching the home stretch, the competition is heating up. Many of the front-runners, including Sorlie and Buser, have taken their mandatory 24-hour and 8-hour layovers. All are required to take an 8-hour rest at White Mountain, 77 miles from Nome.

As the race was winding up its sixth day Saturday, other leaders were 2003 runner-up Ramy Brooks, Mitch Seavey and DeeDee Jonrowe.

Friday’s front-runner, Paul Gebhardt took his 24-hour layover at Anvik but was still among the top 10 when he clocked out of Grayling at 11:32 a.m. Saturday. While there, he reported that one of his dogs – a 3-year-old named Rita – had died about a half hour out of Anvik.

Two more mushers had dropped out by Saturday evening – Gary McKellar and Scott Smith. That leaves 70 teams in the running, down from 79 at the start.

The total purse for the 33rd running of the Iditarod is $750,107. The winner receives $72,066.67 and a pickup truck.

AP-ES-03-12-05 2127EST