Mushing News Weekly Roundup (Oct 8)

Sorry for the lateness of the round up. I've been tied up with work and will be again next weekend so I am working on a little bit of a different schedule than what I've had before. I've also probably missed a lot of news as I haven't been able to be able to keep an eye on news as it breaks like normal. This week did see a lot of excitement as several races opened up registration for their events. A dryland race event took place this weekend as well, and there was (of course) a lot of talk from the different kennels as training continues.


Probably one of my favorite things on social media this week was when Quince Mountain shared a thread on twitter of a Mushers Panel he attended. It was a great play by play of a panel that featured Jake Berkowitz, Mike Ellis, and Laura Neese. Some of their ideas on the state of long distance mushing, kennels, and use of social media was quite interesting.

This mushing panel is about to get HEATED I can feel it. #mushertwitter pic.twitter.com/wfS5T47wQO

— Rugged Art Cowboy (@QuinceMountain) September 29, 2018

Jodi Bailey of Dew Claw Kennel shared this adorable puppy photo. I've taken my share of puppies asleep where they eat, but this one is just too great to pass up.


Fall is a good time for mushers to finish up building projects like dog kennels, fencing... and dog boxes. Sometimes it's more dramatic than you want it to be.


There was a bit of a shake up for Montana's Race to the Sky sled dog race as their race manager of 5 (going on 6) years stepped down earlier this fall. They have already named a replacement, and the previous manager will be at hand to help with the transition and getting the new management up to speed. You can read the official statement below:


Team trading doesn't just happen in professional human sports like Football and Basketball, it also happens in sled dog racing. Sometimes a Kennel needs some "new blood" in the mix - mainly for continuing their kennel's race lines - and so dogs that show their metal on one team are valued by another and when they come up for "trading" other teams jump at the chance.


The premiere mid-distance sled dog race in Western Alaska - the Kuskokwim 300 - opened registration this week. Some top names are in the mix, among them the four-time Kusko Champion Pete Kaiser. Kaiser is a local area musher who seems to dominate the race in an incredibly strong fasion. Also signed up are two Iditarod Champions - Jeff King, and Joar Leifseth Ulsom. The most exciting name for mushing fans, however, is Paul Gebhardt's name on the roster. Gebhardt was sidelined from racing two years ago with a cancer diagnosis. Last year during race season Paul was undergoing stem cell transplant to help in the fight of his life, that transplant was successful and his recovery seems to be going well. Teams sometime sign up but have a handler run the dogs and not the musher the team is registered under, but it seems like Gebhardt is, in fact, planning to run this one. There are currently 10 teams signed up, with the possibility of 20 more teams being added.


Jeff Deeter reported on the never-ending drama most mushers know all too well of ATV repair. If one part isn't breaking it's another...


Jeff King has some very good looking dogs, not just in the athletic department, but the eyes. One of his most popular dogs is a female named Zig. She has piercing ice blue eyes... and now this little pup Otto is giving her a run for her money in the best looking King dog department. Wow. The markings and those eyes. He is going to be a very handsome dog.


Not wanting to jump into the political quagmire that is our Nation right now, but the approaching November election had several mushers in the news this past week. This weekend, President Donald Trump came out in support of Iditarod Finisher Steve Watkins on his run for Kansas Senator. Watkins is a war veteran and adventure enthusiast. Several years ago he made his rookie run to Nome claiming it was a one and done deal as part of his goal to run the Iditarod and climb Everest in the same year. Watkins was an outside chance at winning the Republican Primary in Kansas, but has now been on the fast track of the political scene as it looks like the GOP believes he is one of the seats that could somehow turn from blue to red. Iditarod Champion Jeff King and fellow Iditarod musher Tara Cicatello (who ran last year with a team out of Bacon Acres which is closely linked with Jeff King's kennel) went public this week as well stating that Watkins was a hair shy of being a fraud. King is very outspoken in his political views - and his dislike of President Trump - and so it really came as no surprise to those who pay attention. King has also spoken out about the Supreme Court Justice Nominee (who is now appointed) Brett Kavanaugh, having participated in a rally in front of Senator Lisa Murkowski's office prior to the vote.

Enough politics, let's get back to mushing! The Copper Basin 300 (CB 300) opened up registration Saturday. The CB 300 is probably the most popular mid distance race in Alaska. Its timing and trail seem to be the perfect combination. Unlike other races along the road system, the CB 300 hasn't had to cancel in years of poor winter conditions. The race typically sees a whirlwind of sign ups when registration opens, and a long waiting list. This year mushers took to social media to praise how easy online registration was this year, and were happy to sign up. And, sure enough, over thirty mushers signed up by the end of the day!

The newer Willow 300 race also announced that their race was on again this winter, and registration was open. There are currently 20 teams signed up, and it won't be surprising to see more names pop up as they miss out on registration for other races.

With race registrations in full swing, pups and top athletes alike are preparing... by... napping?


Mushers took to the trails this weekend for some dryland racing. With training seasons starting later and later due to warmer than normal temperatures, mushers are finding other ways to get out and stretch their teams into racing shape. It was a muddy weekend, but it seems to have made that much more fun. The event is growing as more recreational mushers and "professionals" alike come together and the Chugiak Mushers Association are hoping for continued growth and success.


Lance Mackey is on his way to Texas to be the guest speaker of a fundraising event for a drug rehab program. Mackey will be speaking on perseverance and survival as well as his own struggles with addiction. The ticketed event takes place on October 18th beginning at 5:30pm in Belton, TX.

Mushing News Round Up (Aug 10)

It was a roller coaster week of weather for South Central Alaska - have to admit the talk of a warm winter again this year makes me nervous for the Alaska Mushing season... we still have several months until the first traditional snow fall, but training is right around the corner, so long as the weather behaves. As of last weekend Alaska's two biggest sled dog races are now open for entries.


The Yukon Quest saw a fantastic turn out for their first day of sign ups on Saturday. 40 teams in all split between the 1,000 and 300 mile races signed up, and as of today two more rookies signed up - one for each race. Both are women. This may mark a turning point in the sport of mushing. The Quest has been in an unofficial competition with Iditarod to be proclaimed the best race in Alaska. With all of the Iditarod upheaval, and the subsequent response by many of the top racing kennels, this just may boost the Quest as the premiere sled dog event for Alaska. The Iditarod still sits with a roster of 30 teams.

After taking last season off from racing, Brent Sass was on hand at Quest sign ups to get back into the swing of things. Sass is a past champion of the Quest, and was thought to be part of the crop of younger up and coming mushers that would dominate the sport. He's had a few bumps along the way, and decided 2017-18 was going to be the season that he took off to regroup.

The Quest changes start and finish every year, they rotate the direction of the race every other year. 2019's Quest begins in Whitehorse and finishes in Fairbanks. Fairbanks based mushers are excited to be racing towards home.

Before sign ups, Mary Helwig posted how her morning was going. Retired sled dogs still keep kennel life interesting.

Cody Strathe posted about his(?) new glasses... in the cutest way imaginable.

And puppy pictures just keep coming, this one from Caribou Crossing Kennel.

Plans seem to be moving forward for the proposed "Mushing District" in downtown Anchorage. Famed Alaskan artist and musher Jon Van Zyle posted on his facebook page that he has been asked to contribute to the project, and he seems very excited. Honestly, I think I'm starting to really like the idea as well. It will be interesting to see what happens.

And more puppy pictures came from Jeff Deeter! Puppies, puppies, puppies! Is it any wonder we love mushers and their sled dogs?! SO MANY PUPPIES!

And for another dose of a different kind of cute, Iditarod's 2019 Teacher on the Trail was featured in the Boston Globe (he's a local boy) for his work with the race. The middle school teacher, you may recall, made quite the splash among fans and teachers alike for being tall and very handsome. I'm just sharing the news, y'all.

And while I'm trying very hard to stay out of politics these days, former Iditarod musher Steve Watkins (also a war hero, and Everest climber, and yadda yadda yadda) is running for congress and just won his state's GOP primary by a narrow margin. I've been somewhat following his campaign, and so it's neat to see him come out on top - whether or not we agree politically.

Did I miss anything? Comment below with your thoughts/news that I maybe skipped over. I had a busy week so I no doubt missed a few things.

Iditarod 43: Bring on the Rookies!

With about 20 (I may have miscounted) rookies in this race, let's take a look at some of the more (in this blogger's opinion) interesting and exciting teams.

Let's start off with the "returning rookies" these are mushers that have run in previous years but scratched before the finish line in Nome. You are a rookie until you complete an Iditarod. So that means you can run 20 Iditarods and still be considered a rookie if you never finish.

Cindy Abbot is one such musher who was only going to run the race once - but a freak crash on the trail left her stiff and sore for days. She finally couldn't handle the pain any longer and was forced to scratch. When flown back to Anchorage she was checked out by doctors and it was noted that she'd broken her pelvis! Last year she tried again, but unfortunately saw trouble on the difficult, snow barren trail, and once again had to scratch. One wonders if she can make it this year with trail conditions being just as bad as last year's (and completely new for the first half of the race) but she's a determined person. I wouldn't count her out.

Lev Shvartz chose last year to be his rookie year, and it didn't go well. Like many teams - veteran and rookie - Lev ended up scratching in Rohn. This year the Gorge and Burn are out, so the trail is relatively safer for sleds and mushers. Lev was my choice of rookie last year, and I have no doubt that Shvartz can make it to Nome this year.

Philip Walters is a middle school band teacher - so right there I think he's pretty awesome. Walters runs dogs out of Snowhook Kennel owned by Justin and Rebecca Savidis (they're the ones with the super cool dogbox with the silhouette of the howling dog on each door). Walters won't really be competitive, but he's using his run to shed light on how important arts are for education. He's helped with the Iditarod curriculum as well.

Heidi Sutter is another teacher turned Iditarod musher this year. She and her hubby run KMA Kennel (and you can guess what KMA stands for). Heidi will be easy to spot as she is BRIGHT PINK hair. Heidi is a great advocate for the sport - she is incredibly active on social media - and brings a positive presence to the races. She says she's using this Iditarod to train her team for the 2016 Yukon Quest. Very excited to see how she does in her rookie year.

Alan Stevens is running a Buser team - most likely puppy team - so that makes his team interesting in and of itself. He's helping train Martin and Rohn's next batch of superstars.

Yuka Honda is a Janitor who lives in the Yukon Territory of Canada - but was born and raised in Japan. After graduating university she moved to Canada where she was a dog handler, then she saw the Iditarod on television and decided she wanted to race. She moved to Alaska to learn the ropes before moving to her home in the Yukon. She has a kennel of 25+ sled dogs. She's not a total stranger to 1000 mile races, she competed in the Quest in 2012.

Ben Harper is one of the more exciting rookies this year - he's running Redington dogs - but in his short time in Alaska he's been a top musher on the "junior circuit" coming in the top 4 of each of his Jr Iditarod runs. This will be a telling rookie year, and just the stepping stone for what looks like a very successful career in the sport.

One week until the Musher's Banquet where the bib numbers will be drawn!