Iditarod's Human, Dog Dramas Play Out In Wild Alaska

[Steve]

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/0...y_out_agai.html

The Iditarod, the great Alaskan dogsled race from Anchorage to Nome, is well underway, with the leaders a little more than halfway through the 1,112 mile course that takes the mushers over some of the most rugged and beautiful landscape in North America.

The lead mushers and their dog teams are into Ruby where they're resting up for the next leg to Galena, which is all along the Yukon River. First place musher Jeff King holds a slim lead over Lance Mackey, the defending champion, who is close behind.

The high temperatures in Ruby will be ten below to zero. The lows tonight are expected to be 15 below to 30 below.

Those frigid temperatures make me wonder how one musher in particular is doing. Of the 62 mushers still in the arduous race, in 53rd position is Newton Marshall who hails from St. Ann Parish, Jamaica, where my mother also came from. Compared to what he must be enduring, the Jamaican bobsled team had it easy.

The story of Newton Marshall is only one of the many dramas playing out in a race that's always filled with them.

One of the most interesting defending champ Mackey's story. Mackey has battled throat cancer.

To help him deal with the pain and boost his appetite, he takes Marinol, a drug whose active ingredient is THC, the substance found in marijuana.

This presents a complication for Mackey. This year's Iditarod is the first in which mushers will be randomly tested along the trail for drugs and alcohol. Mackey has an exemption but has said he would abstain from taking Marinol during the race to keep anyone from claiming it gave him an advantage.

[Steve]

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/sports/1...briefs-dog.html

The four-time winner Jeff King held the lead in the 1,100-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. King pulled into the Nulato checkpoint at 3:13 a.m. Saturday, nearly an hour and a half ahead of his closest competitor, the defending champion Lance Mackey. King was back on the trail a little more than four hours later. Three other leaders reached the checkpoint by about 6 a.m. Saturday: the Iditarod veteran Hugh Neff; the 2004 winner, Mitch Seavey; and Hans Gatt, fresh off his fourth win in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race in February.

[fifi]

One of the lovielest rescue people up here, Neen Brown took here dogs over & did the Iditarod, and she brought them all back again !! imagine the costs !

Not sure if Neen is the only aussie to take dogs over & compete.

fifi

[Steve]

Defending Champion Leads Iditarod<H6 class=byline></H6> Lance Mackey, the defending champion, overtook the four-time winner Jeff King to grab the lead in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, according to global satellite positioning information provided by the race. The GPS tracker map showed Mackey in the lead just outside the Kaltag checkpoint about two-thirds of the way into the 1,100-mile race from Anchorage to Nome.

[SilverHaze]

Mackey made the run from Nullato to Unalakleet in one long run - something thats only been done once before. He's now leading Jeff King by about 40 mins...

This is really amazing to watch (from afar).

One of the best places for information is www.adn.com/iditarod

[idigadog]

Lance needs to get a wiggle on cause Jeff's right on his back this time. Current standings page is here http://www.iditarod.com/race/race/currentstandings.html

In answer to fifi's question about other Aussie's taking dogs to the Iditarod - No they haven't, and they are not likely to either! Aussie dogs are not conditioned to do the miles in a race like this or any other distance race O/S. Maybe if the Aussie dogs lived and trained over there for 3 or 4 years they would have a chance, but just taking dogs from here with little or no training and then expecting them to compete would be insane!!

Meanwhile, we will just continue to dream

[poodlefan]

I think there have been a couple of Aussie mushers do it with other people's dogs.

Of course if PETA has their way, the race will be banned.

[idigadog]

Correct PF, Aussies have run teams for other mushers but usually only after living and training the team for a couple of years.

PETA have been trying to ban it for quite a long time. That and every other dog-related sport It will be a sad day if it ever happens as these dogs LIVE to run. My dogs aren't even anywhere near the athletes that Iditarod dogs are but my guys live for running just as much.

It wouldn't even enter the heads of PETA supporters as to what would happen to these dogs if they couldn't work!

I've posted up some links in the Sibe thread so take a look if you have time

Edited March 15, 2010 by idigadog

[poodlefan]

Correct PF, Aussies have run teams for other mushers but usually only after living and training the team for a couple of years.

PETA have been trying to ban it for quite a long time. That and every other dog-related sport It will be a sad day if it ever happens as these dogs LIVE to run. My dogs aren't even anywhere near the athletes that Iditarod dogs are but my guys live for running just as much.

It wouldn't even enter the heads of PETA supporters as to what would happen to these dogs if they couldn't work!

I've posted up some links in the Sibe thread so take a look if you have time

I think you're wrong there Idigadog.. as far as Peta is concerned these dogs are being "exploited".

[idigadog]

I think you're wrong there Idigadog.. as far as Peta is concerned these dogs are being "exploited".

Ahh, yes, of course. What was I thinking???

I can remember the RSPCA coming out to our first ever race here in Canberra because they had been told that we 'made' the dogs run and that it was cruel and inhumane. They took one look at how happy the dogs were and never bothered us again!

[WoofnHoof]

I think you're wrong there Idigadog.. as far as Peta is concerned these dogs are being "exploited".

Ahh, yes, of course. What was I thinking???

I can remember the RSPCA coming out to our first ever race here in Canberra because they had been told that we 'made' the dogs run and that it was cruel and inhumane. They took one look at how happy the dogs were and never bothered us again!

Lol might be a bit different if it was OH&S people though, I remember watching a video someone put up in the sibe thread showing the dogs waiting to be allowed to run - serious chance of eardrum damage for the humans there!

[idigadog]

Sorry, what? I can't hear you Yeah, it's pretty loud and I think my dog's make most of the noise too! When I'm handling for Andrew's 4 dog team, I actually have to watch for signals during the countdown because I can't hear a bloody thing!

That video was probably of my boy Cooper. Our Mallie girl taught him how to scream at the line and now his pups do exactly the same thing

- here he is from last year's SHCNSW race at Grabine. Edited March 15, 2010 by idigadog

[WoofnHoof]

I'll have to watch it tonight, I better not watch it at work I'd have a hard time explaining Nothing like a sibe or mal in full voice it cracks me up every time although I'm sure my neighbours think someone is getting strangled

[idigadog]

Just turn the sound down. No-one will know! It's not too bad really, he's just standing waiting to go at the start line and it's just "bark, bark, bark, bark, bark............". The dogs don't tend to howl when they are being count down, it's more likely they will yelp, bark or scream or some just stand in silence!!

The chorus of howls is usually saved until they are all back together again on the stake-out line. Or for a 3am wake up call which some dogs tend to do at races - not mine I tell 'ya, they wouldn't dare

[WoofnHoof]

Wow he's pretty darn good! What sort of distance would that race have been over? He looks very fit

[fifi]

You'd have to be pretty brave !! I did a few runs here with some sibes, behind only two dogs on a trike thingy, on dirt roads and I thought I was going to die !!! These guys were powerful and it was all I could do to steer & hang on.

so much faster than you imagine its going to be.

fifi

Edited March 15, 2010 by fifi

[idigadog]

Wow he's pretty darn good! What sort of distance would that race have been over? He looks very fit

That was only a short track. I think about 2.5 km's? Cooper usually sits on around 29/30km average speed and his top speed is close to 40.

I'm hoping we can get some footage of all our guys racing this year including our bigger team. Then you'll see some power and speed!

You'd have to be pretty brave !! I did a few runs here with some sibes, behind only two dogs on a trike thingy, on dirt roads and I thought I was going to die !!! These guys were powerful and it was all I could do to steer & hang on.

so much faster than you imagine its going to be.

fifi

It's an adrenaline rush - even when you're crapping yourself!! Even after doing this for 13 years, I still have my moments of hesitation and feeling worried but you just have to trust that all the training you have put into the dogs will get you around the trail.

[SilverHaze]

But it does hurt when you fall off!

[idigadog]

But it does hurt when you fall off!

Oh crap yeah!! Especially when you break your shoulder in the process

[SilverHaze]

or land on really hard ice on evil s bends!

and never ever think that it's a good idea to belly slide down a dirt track holding onto a rig - coz it's not!