I’ve got a new forum for my race blog, with my take on what’s happening in the Yukon Quest and Iditarod, and maybe even Denali Doubles. Here’s the link…
I just posted a blog about the art of racing young dogs in this year’s Tustumena 200 sled dog race. Here’s the link.
I guess I’m saying that to myself as well as the rest. There’s some great, competitive teams here for arguably the most arduous (if not toughest) 200 mile race in distance sled dog racing.
I’ll be running 11 yearlings and three old leaders, so my race will have a personality all its own. It will be a little like my Knik 200, where I ran 10 yearlings and two adults.
Needless to say, I’m packing straw again for this race. I’ll run about 50 miles, pull over and put straw down, heave out my cooler with two gallons of water and a sack of dog food, and feed those youngsters. They’ll nap for about an hour before I put fresh booties on them all, and we take off for another five hours. There’s a mandatory eight-hour break at the halfway point. My aim is to have them run the 100 mile return leg without stopping except for snacks. The point is to teach these young dogs what it is like to race, even though they are not physically capable of keeping up with older dogs.
Yearlings go out with tons of power and gusto, but they don’t have the stamina of older dogs. Hence, I pull over at 50 miles and make them rest.
The five or six teams that are gunning for first place should do 100 miles in nine to 10 hours. If I’m doing well, we’ll make the first 100 miles in 12 hours (which includes my two hour mini campout.)
Trails are excellent to near perfect in the places I’ve been. It’s sunny with highs about 10 to 15 above lows in the zero range. That’s ideal for the dogs and mushers. It’s a hilly race.
As of 9 p.m. Sunday…
Updated, real (and corrected) Copper Basin standings, FACTORING IN TIME DIFFERENTIALS OF MANDATORY REST: Jeff King was still first out of Paxson. Allan Moore is 22 mins behind King, factoring in mandatory rest that needs to be taken.
Then Dan Kaduce, 55 mins behind Moore; Jay Cadzow, 7 mins behind Kaduce; Sven Haltmann, 6 mins behind Cadzow; then Aliy Zirkle, Sonny Lindner, Ray Redington, and then a three way tie with Sass, Steer and Neff. Only 10 mins separate those six. Then Josh Cadzow, Normand Cassavant, Mike Ellis, Gerry Willomitzer, and Darrin Lee. That’s all I’ve got so far (and there could be mistakes).
Leaders expected into Chistochina any time.
On Halloween, I tested the waters as a dog “driving instructor,” giving a one-on-one seminar on how to camp with a dog team. The class went so well that I’m considering opening it up to anyone interested in becoming more efficient or just gaining confidence in taking a trail break, whether inside or outside of checkpoints.
I sat down with the musher for two hours on the night of the 30th, going over what she knew and what she needed to learn. And the next day, she was on her own to pack her supplies (cooker, straw, booties, etc.), and head out on a training run to a spot where I could meet her. She set about doing all the routine dog duties while I watched and we talked about her routine. After a two-hour pitstop, she turned her team around and drove them back to her dog truck.
I had to post a link to this article about sled dog psychology, and specifically recognizing burnout and fostering a happy attitude in your kennel. Even if this is nothing new to you, it’s a good reminder as the fall training grinds on and the miles get longer as we wait for decent snowfall. It’s probably a good read for non-mushers and non-pet owners as well. Works with people as well as dogs. Here’s the link…
Heads up: I have a new article posted on the Momentum dog food web site, \Dr. Tim’s Pet Food Company – Champions’ Corner, or short url: http://bit.ly/3SwTsk. There should be more articles coming over the course of the winter. Parts of them may be posted right here as well.
The article is part of a mini class I may be teaching here in Kasilof, talking with newer distance mushers about camping on the trail and then giving them an opportunity to practice while I am with them. The whole point is to go over the fundamentals of caring for dogs when you are by yourself, being efficient, and gaining confidence so you can pull over whenever it is right for the dogs to have a big meal and take a nap.
Mushers who’ve gained skills in running long distance often come from backgrounds where winter camping is foreign and a little intimidating.
There isn’t a lot of excitement, usually, during the slog days of fall training, and it has been a fairly typical year so far. We’re running a little longer than when we started, but the temperatures have remained stubbornly high, so water breaks are a major plus for the dogs. I’ve started running the team on the beach between Cohoe and Clam Gulch, and there’s at least one creek that really helps cool them off. They look vastly smoother in gait and more peppy once they’ve left the water. Here’s some images from our last water break…
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- running up the creek
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- Thirst quenched, ready to go
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- Two sets of nine dogs
I’ve added a page showing some images of the guys and gals I’m working with this winter. It’s under the heading of “The Crew.” The page is not comprehensive yet. It will include the adults and maybe a few puppy shots.
Also, yes, some of the images are blurry, so I will work on improving some of them.
The 2010 season is officially under way here, in Kasilof, despite the lingering warm weather we’ve enjoyed lately.
I’ve been taking the dogs on runs in the evenings, which wouldn’t be possible if our trail didn’t cross a wetland between two lakes.
