Mushing News Round Up (Oct 15)

Another week has passed (and then some) and I am finally done with training at work... at least until March when we do it all again (yeah, don't ask me why I thought scheduling training to start the week after I get back from Nome was a good idea). Once again, I am sure I've missed a bit on the mushing news circuit - especially since there were a lot of races to sign up for - but here are some highlights I snagged while being completely distracted with work.

The Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race - that runs from Kasilof, AK to Homer, AK and back - announced tonight that registration will open on November 1, with the random drawing on November 3. They also announced that they will be posting updated rules soon, suggesting some changes were coming to the official race rules.

Mushers have been excited to announce which mid-distance races they have signed up for. This is especially exciting for teams that are trying to qualify for their first long distance races. One such musher, Eric Kelly, plans to run the Iditarod in 2020, and has signed up for - what he hopes are - his final two qualifiers.


Alaska and the Yukon aren't the only places that are seeing fall training in full swing. Northern Norway has also found cooler temperatures. The Finnmarkslopet race shared this beautiful training photo on their social media pages. The race opened registration earlier this fall, and so far no teams from North America have appeared on the roster. Last year, you may recall, four-time Iditarod Champion Dallas Seavey ran the race and placed third. Seavey stated at the time that he would probably not be back to the race for several years as it was an expensive endeavor and he needed to build up the funds and team - however Seavey has yet to register for any race for next season... and he's been spending an awful lot of time in Europe.


SPKennel - home to Yukon Quest Champions Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore - is in winter prep mode. They shared a blog post a few days ago about how they prepare for freeze up... or, rather, fix the mess the dogs make during the summer months. Moore is once again signed up for the Quest, and Zirkle has signed up for the Iditarod, as well as a few other mid-distance races.

Jeff King's Husky Homestead social media crew are killing it these days with the puppy pic updates. I have to say that Zig's litter is probably the prettiest litter I've seen in a long time coming out of a very competitive Racing Kennel. Sled Dogs that race aren't typically chosen or bred for their looks, but their athleticism. It'll be a few years to see what these pups will do out on the trails, but for now they are breaking the internet.


In a somewhat surprising announcement this past week, the UP 200 race announced that they were increasing the purse winnings for the 11th-15th placed teams. The announcement gave credit to the mushers who suggested the change. Who knew there were races out there with boards willing to listen to the mushers?!


Okay, so, Jeff King doesn't have the monopoly on cute puppy picks. Ryne Olson's photo this week was a huge awwwwwww as well. Who DOESN'T want a basket full of puppies?!


And mushers continue to share photos of their training runs. Iditarod musher Misha Wiljes shared a photo of "on by" training yesterday. This is very important, not so much the head on kind that they were doing in the photo - but just passing in general. Sled Dogs need to be aggressive racers, but also polite. The last thing a musher wants is a tangle (with another team, or just within the team itself). Slower teams MUST give a faster team the right of way - unless they are in the final stretches of the race known as "No Man's Land" which begins one to two miles before the finish line. The slower team slows or even stops to let the other team pass. Typically the command the advancing team gets is "on by". That way the leaders know that they are to continue and not stop with the other team, and the team dogs know that they are to pass and not try to take a chunk out of one of the other team's dogs. This typically works with little incident, but just like with humans sometimes the dogs forget their manners. This is why training is so very important.


Lastly, Wade Marrs is jumping into the arena of winter sled dog tours. Until then he is opening his property up to kennel tours until the snow flies. Marrs is a competitive Iditarod musher who - until recently - served as the Iditarod Official Finishers' Club's (IOFC) spokesperson to the Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC). This summer it was decided that the IOFC representative could not be a current racer, so Wade Marrs was forced to step aside. Marrs found himself in the middle of the Iditarod Doping Scandal last March when it was brought to his attention at the official start of the Iditarod that his dogs had tested positive for the same substance that Dallas Seavey's team had - just in smaller doses. Marrs' fiance took to social media after seeing Wade safely down the trail to call out the inappropriate communication by the ITC's Doping specialist and alleged that he threatened Marrs with outing the findings if Marrs did not stop his support of Dallas Seavey. Like Seavey, Wade Marrs has not signed up for Iditarod as of yet, and has not gone public with any plans he has for this season's biggest race.


And on that note I'm off to bed. Did I miss anything big in the mushing news scene? Let me know in the comments below.

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (Sept 21)

Martin Buser and team at the ReStart of the 46th running of the Iditarod.
March 4, 2018 - Willow, Alaska.

Just going to share a few fun items today as well as some movie news - there is now a website (that I'm not involved with) that is working on "mushing news" and it's run by someone a little more dialed into the politics of the sport than I am. I don't want to step on toes, but I'll continue to do the round up of social media finds and big news.

If you've been around the Iditarod mushing scene for any length of time you know that the mushers all typically get along even when there are fierce rivalries and intense differences of opinion. Dogs, though, bring all of these personalities together and they get along more than they don't. Two old dogs who have rival kennels and tour businesses seem to have a lot of fun at each other's expense. Jeff King and Mitch Seavey shared a good laugh this week.


Yukon Quest champion Matt Hall shared some puppy sweetness on facebook today. Who wants to cuddle? I volunteer as tribute!

Squid Acres took to the interwebs to find a handler, interested in working with one of the top female mushers in the sport right now? Head on over and apply. (This is not an endorsement, simply informational.)


The Kusko 300 is doing something right when it comes to filling its purse for the race. They announced their breakdown online for their three race classes, a full breakdown will be available closer to race time. The numbers are impressive considering the Iditarod can't seem to keep the numbers steady... unless you count the steady decline. Iditarod powers that be have blamed loss of sponsors and monies on the animal rights groups, but other races seem to be thriving and get just as much flack from the terror groups. Just an interesting observation.


The Finnmarkslopet has opened up registration for all of its race classes. So far 57 teams total will run the 500, 1200, and junior races. No Americans or Canadians appear on the roster, and of the 57 teams that are signed up, 30 of them are rookies. There's still time to enter, and with Dallas Seavey having had such a good time in this year's race, it wouldn't be surprising to see another team try their luck. Seavey said after the race this year that he would be back, but that they'd probably not be able to make the trek back so soon. Seavey is not signed up for Iditarod which runs during the same time frame, and has not really spoken publicly of his race plans for the coming season. His name has yet to appear on any roster in Alaska.

Dallas Seavey has racked up a few airmiles lately, having made several trips over to Norway to give talks and run dogs over the summer and fall. He finished up an event earlier this month with current Iditarod Champion Joar Liefseth Ulsom that apparently was well received. If you attended, comment below and let me know how it went.


I found out about a neat opportunity for troubled youth in the Fairbanks area. Had no idea that this organization existed. I wish there was a program down on the Peninsula. Our kids could really use something like this.

So I just found out about @noble_paws organization that helps promote confidence and positive mental health to those in need by teaching them how to run a dog team. How cool?! https://t.co/4OI0ofElSu#MusherTwitter pic.twitter.com/3ws4ijCasN

— Toni Reitter (@tonichelleak) September 16, 2018

Lisbet Norris' kennel had a great training run today. Gotta love those happy, muddy faces.


Iditarod rookie (come March) Blair Braverman came up with a brilliant grading system on sled dog softness this week. She graded most of her dogs in her dog yard. It's very scientific. If you have time, read her twitter thread on the subject (or even if you just like pictures of happy sled dogs, she's got lots).

We all know that the sled dogs are super-athletes with a keen sense of adventure, family loyalty, and courage beyond belief.

But did you know they’re also soft? pic.twitter.com/H9V97ZMYg5

— Blair Braverman (@BlairBraverman) September 20, 2018

Last, but not least, Disney is currently in production for a new film about Leonhard Seppala and Togo and the story of the Serum Run. Willem Dafoe stars as Seppala. It's currently filming in Alberta, Canada (cheaper than coming to Alaska now that we no longer have tax incentives for Hollywood big budget movies, don't get me started). Martin Buser announced via facebook this week that he has been called upon to be the expert on set. His race team will be brought to him later this year so that he can continue to train for Iditarod 2019. He does not, at this time, plan to not run the 47th running of the Last Great Race. The movie is set to premiere on Disney's new streaming service they plan to have up and running next year. The movie does not have a release date yet. Here's hoping this is better than Spielberg/Dreamworks' animated film Balto which had so many historical inaccuracies it makes you cry. Then again, Disney did no better around the same time with their version of Pocahontas' history, so... we'll have to wait and see which version of Togo we get.


And that's a basic rundown of what was interesting in the world of mushing this week. Let me know what you think about this and whatever else is on your mind by leaving a comment or two.

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (Aug 24)

I intentionally skipped last week's round up. There wasn't much in the way of new news, and what was new was kind of the same ol' same ol'... plus, I was just not feeling it. I'll admit it, I was lazy... but there were a few shake ups this week (many being released within the last few hours of August 24) so I guess I best get to sharing what's going on.

Breaking today (Friday, August 24) is the news out of the Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) - Board President Andy Baker, brother of 2011 Iditarod Champion John Baker, announced that he has stepped down from the position and has resigned from the board of directors. Baker plans to be a spectator and continued supporter of the Last Great Race (which at this point means just a spectator who may pay dues every year if they want to, but they no longer get a vote... but hey we still get a discount on their merchandise!) Succeeding Baker as president is newly appointed board member Mike Mills. The change comes seven months after an independent study produced by the Foreaker Group recommended an entire overhaul of the ITC board due to mushers and fans alike having no faith in the leadership of the race. To further support that claim, many well known mushers chose not to sign up for the 2019 race, and many still are not on the roster as of today. It will be interesting to see in the coming days and weeks to see if this is the change that will get more mushers to sign up. Currently Wade Marrs, Mitch Seavey, Dallas Seavey, Ray Redington, and Robert Redington are leading the boycott until changes to the race leadership is made.

In less dramatic news, Jodi Bailey of Dew Claw Kennel announced the arrival of six new pups! Mama dog and babies are doing well.

Iditarod veteran Cindy Abbott posted about a recent showing at the Founders Day Parade in the MatSu Valley. She and dogs were supporting another musher from Dream a Dream kennel, and a legendary musher in his own right Vern Halter. Vern is mayor of the MatSu and so it's fitting his two passions pull together to better the community.


Iditarod Champions Dallas Seavey and Joar Leifseth Ulsom are headlining a symposium over in Norway in September. I wish I could tell you more about it - but I can't read the language. Still, if you're over on the other side of the Atlantic, look it up. Norway knows how to celebrate the sport of mushing and its stars (dogs and humans alike). It's almost like a rock concert at the start of some of these races. I can only guess that this is a mushing equivalent to ComicCon. (There should BE a MusherCon in Alaska! Let's make that happen!)


ACE Race (Alpine Creek Excursion) is happening again this year and have announced the date. It's a race out of Cantwell. 64 miles round trip, so not a qualifier, but fun none-the-less.


Pedigree Stage Stop Race announced this week that their roster had been set for the 2019 race (seems so early to me!). Only one Alaskan team is participating, but the roster looks to be very strong and should be a very exciting race to follow.


The end of August typically marks the end of Glacier dog sled tours, Glaciers deteriorate over summer and it become dangerous to be on them, plus weather is worse and it's harder to transport to and from the glaciers. So that means a lot of dogs are returning back to their kennels to begin the fall training. September is so close, and the weather has cooled some in Alaska, so training has begun for a lot of team.


Squid Acres is looking for a short term part time handler to help with the fall training season - contact them if you're interested. They're a competitive kennel for both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod.

Don't be surprised if the next couple of weeks if there's a lot of training related posts from different teams. And keep fingers and paws crossed that Iditarod's changes move the race in a positive direction.

It's an Upside Down World

Bradley Farquhar's lead dogs at the Ceremonial Start
of the 46th annual Iditarod Sled Dog Race.
March 3, 2018 Anchorage, Alaska

2018 will definitely go into the record books as one of the more exciting Iditarod races. Equally as exciting is the new found interest in the Norwegian long distance sled dog race the Finnmarkslopet. As standings currently sit, a Norwegian is set to take the top prize in the Iditarod and an American is leading the race in Norway.

Times they may be changing.

While the race in Norway has seemingly gone off without a hitch, the Iditarod has had a tumultuous run. And we're not just talking politics. This year's Iditarod is giving long time fans all the feelings of a good ol' fashioned dog race in the 90s. We've had blizzard like conditions for most of the week. Just when teams think the worst is over another storm would blow in slowing them down once again. The Norton Sound proved to be the breaking point for Nicolas Petit's team as they were blown off course and ended up an hour and a half down the wrong trail only to find, once they backtracked, Joar Leifseth Ulsom's team in command of the race.

Joar entered the White Mountain Checkpoint at 7:52am, and so far no other team has joined him (though at 11:15am Nic is coming up on White Mountain and should be in fairly soon). He will have a substantial lead out of White Mountain (he can leave the checkpoint at 3:52pm). It's 77 miles to Nome from there. At the average speed he's going it may be a long night of mushing. Danny Seavey has him in at 1:30 or 2:00am. I'm going more conservative and saying closer to 4am. Until he starts running we won't really know what to expect.

Should Joar win he will be only the second Norwegian to win the Iditarod. Robert Sorlie is out on the trail via snow machine and cheered on his friend from the sidelines as he came into Koyuk yesterday. Sorlie won the race in 2003 and 2005.

And while all that unfolds, Dallas Seavey is showing that he's not just a force to be reckoned with on the Iditarod, the rookie in the Finnmarkslopet is so far commanding the race in Norway. Not that he wasn't expected to do well, but even he came out and said in the days leading up to the race that he had no idea what to expect but that "it's still dogs, and mushing, right?" And you'd be hard pressed to find an argument to suggest Dallas isn't one of the best (if not the best) mushers in the world right now. Yes I said it, please don't tell him I said it though!

When Dallas does get to the next checkpoint he will rest and then prepare to turn around and head back. Unlike the Iditarod and Quest where they start in one place and end in another, the Finnemarkslopet follows a loop. They will not take the exact same course, but some of the trail will be very familiar to the teams. This is not a foreign concept on a sled dog race. The Junior Iditarod runs similarly to this style, as do many of the mid-distance races in Alaska (for example the Tustumena 200 is also a loop, and this year was two shorter loops). This does not have the same effect on a team as does a course correction resulting in backtracking. There the dogs can sense that the musher "made a mistake" and they begin to second guess the musher.


So while the world of dog mushing seems to be on its head both in who's winning what and just the state of mushing politics in Alaska, one thing remains constant: the dogs. It doesn't matter where they are, or what the trails are like, it's just dogs and it's just mushing, and you can do that from anywhere.