Iditarod Trailblazer Dan Seavey dies at age 87

Dan Seavey at the Ceremonial Start
of the Iditarod. March 2010.

The patriarch of the Alaska Seavey family, Dan Seavey, has died at age 87. The Iditarod released a statement Friday morning in tribute to one of the founding mushers of the last great race stating that Seavey's "legacy is woven into the very fabric of this iconic race, from its inception to its enduring spirit."

Dan Seavey grew up in Minnesota dreaming of the Yukon. He listened to radio serials and made plans with his friends on how they would move up to Alaska and run dogs and pan for gold and do all of the adventures they would listen and read about. Seavey shared those plans in his book The First Great Race Alaska's 1973 Iditarod. However in 1956 Dan fell head over heels in love with the "blond Swedish farm girl from Minnesota" Shirley and they would marry two years later. 

Not giving up on his Alaska dream he and Shirley made a pact that as soon as they were able they would head to Alaska to live for a couple of years just to see what it was like. The plan was to return back to the States and settle closer to civilization. Dan entered college soon after their wedding and began his studies to become a teacher.

While Dan studied, their family grew. The couple would have three children, Mitch, Tracie, and Darian. Don't jump ahead because you recognize one of those names, we'll mention that later. And then, in April of 1963 it happened. Dan got the call... well, telegram... he had a teaching job in Seward if he wanted it. They needed to be there by August. They finished the school year (he was teaching by then) packed up the kids and the car and made their way North.

Remember that promise to Shirley that they'd only stay in Alaska a couple of years? That was still the plan, but then in March of 1964 the History buff and his family LIVED history when the little fishing town of Seward was hit (as was much of South Central Alaska) by the "Good Friday Quake". The Earthquake was the second largest quake ever recorded. The 9.2 magnitude shook the state for over five minutes and was felt far down the west coast. On top of the earth shaking Seward violently the town was also innundated by giant Tsunami waves that pummeled their shores and flooded much of the town. Homes and lives were lost.  

The Seavey family had been in their new hometown only a few months and it was in many areas completely gone. Dan, along with his coworkers, managed to reopen the school to give families a reason to stay and the children some sort of return to normalcy. Dan and Shirley rolled up their sleeves and went to work restoring their beloved Seward. And then it happened. They were firmly members of Seward, they couldn't leave. That promise of no more than two years was no longer possible. Both Shirley and Dan knew that after what their little town went through they couldn't leave it.

And, so, as many Sewardians fled the town for parts "safer" land became pretty easy to come by (and dirt cheap). Dan and Shirley purchased land just out of town (now in the Exit Glacier road area) and they settled in Seward. Dan would teach in the Seward school as their history teacher (and wrestling coach) for over twenty years. (And, as I found out recently, he taught one of my absolute favorite teachers I ever had... my fifth grade teacher Mr. Daniel! Small world!) Dan and Shirley became not just familiar faces in Seward, they became an important part of the community.

With the purchase of the land and the building of their beautiful home (seriously, it's like a fairytale over there) they also built a small recreational sled dog kennel. Fifth grade Dan Seavey was no doubt bursting at the dream becoming reality (though slightly different from the original plan). He would soon meet more dog men throughout the state through his need to learn more about mushing and how to do it better. He would attend races in Anchorage (there wasn't much really going on on the Kenai Peninsula with mushing in those days race wise). Those races were just an excuse for mushers to get together, talk shop, and brag about their dogs.

Dan would run into this musher named Joe. Joe had an idea. It was a crazy idea, but it was intriguing to Dan. It was a race that would follow this historic gold rush trail leading to the gold mining town of Iditarod. Sound familiar? That guy named Joe was Joe Redington Sr. The one they call "The Father of the Iditarod". That crazy idea was one Joe shared with anyone who would listen. Dan was interested in the adventure, but even more so the history. Dan signed on with getting the race off the ground. 

Dan was also one of the first mushers to run the first Iditarod. Dan would ultimately win third place (though he was second into Nome, back in that first race they added up the time and there was no differential, so he was just slightly slower than a team that started after him). Dan would be the only one of the top finishers to not have his monetary award paid out to him. Joe had taken him aside and confessed that the purse that was promised was not fully funded. Dan agreed to "wait" for when the money came in, essentially giving it to Joe as a loan so that Joe could pay the champion. Dan wouldn't get paid back for decades. (He always told that story with a laugh.)

Dan would run the Iditarod the following year and then sporadically after that. Dan used his work with the sled dog race to help establish the Iditarod Historic Trail, protecting thousands of miles of historic gold rush trails. When he would run the Iditarod in his later years it was often - if not exclusively - to celebrate and bring attention to thei history of the trail. He also served for many years on the board of directors of the Iditarod helping shape the race into what it has come to be known. 

Dan would watch his eldest son, who helped and encouraged him so much in training for those first Iditarod races, win the Iditarod in 2004. Remember when I said we'd get to Mitch eventually? And in 2012 as Dan was running his final Iditarod, he would have to hear about his grandson Dallas' first win (a win that broke a couple of records). Dan would watch Mitch win two more (2013 and 2017) and would watch Dallas win an historic 6th title (after spending much of the winter running dogs with Dallas).

Okay, time to really get personal.

I met Dan Seavey in 2007 just days into starting my job working for Dallas in Anchorage at the newly created Wildride Sled Dog Show. It was a remake of a tourist show that Dan had created many years prior, only - as Dallas often does - Dallas revamped and improved on the model. Dan introduced himself and as many other Seavey employees over the years can attest to said I could call him Bappa because he was "everyone's grandpa". I felt so welcome in those moments and I always looked forward to when Bappa would be at the show. He instantly became one of my favorite people. 

Dan was easy to listen to. He was witty, wise, and warm. I rarely saw him without a smile, and I rarely got away from a conversation without a lecture about drinking soda (or worse that I didn't drink coffee). He had a running joke with my dad after he found out dad drank decaf, Dan suggested that once dad grew up he'd drink real coffee.

I have so many wonderful memories of Dan over the years. I always got a greeting of "Well hello, Toni" when we'd run into each other (often at Iditarod in the hotel lobby while he and my dad were waiting for coffee and... whatever my dad drinks because it wasn't coffee). I had the honor of photographing one of his grandchildren's wedding at his home. I watched him dance with his bride of over fifty years, his eyes danced watching his granddaughter on her wedding day, and how he laughed at all of the great grands and their antics.

It feels so weird to talk about him in the past tense. Some people you just expect to always be there. Dan was a larger than life, legendary figure. Not just in Iditarod, but in Alaska. He is what I picture to be the classic Alaskan sourdough, even though there wasn't much sour about Dan. When I think of Iditarod it's hard not to think of Dan. Yes, others are better known - or more successful - but his legacy is not tied in how many wins he or his family members have. It's in the preservation of the trail and race history. The absolute love for a bygone era of Alaska. When others - including members of his family - were about modernizing the race, Dan held onto what inspired him to come to Alaska in the first place (while also celebrating how far the race has come).

Dan has left a legacy in a family that is successful not just in dog mushing but in many fields. His three children and his countless grandchildren and great grandchildren have all followed their passions, they've adventured, they've inspired. He is a legend, and legends live on through the legacy of those that continue to share their story. 

Dan touched so many in his 87 years and I am so fortunate that I am one of them. I will miss hearing his stories, his jokes... I will miss seeing him under the arch in Nome beaming with pride no matter what placement Mitch or Dallas (or Danny or Tyrell or whichever the next Seavey is that takes it on). Mostly I will just miss talking about him in the present. Rest easy, Dan, they've got it from here. On by.

No one has won it more

Dallas Seavey and his string of ten dogs that are "all heart" rode into Nome at 5:16:08pm Tuesday. The 37 year old musher cheered and pumped his arms as he ran alongside the sled into the chute. With a crowd cheering and speakers blasting the announcer's words to the crowd the little dog team that could hardly seemed phased.

It's been a tough season for Seavey. In November during a training run with Seavey, Isaac Teaford, and handler Josiah Liebe a snow machine drove into the team driven by Liebe. Several dogs were killed while three were injured with life altering injuries. Josiah was driving a team filled with Dallas' core Iditarod team and it was suddenly gone. On top of that were the horrible sounds and visions of the carnage Dallas came upon when he got word that the team behind him had been hit. It wasn't something you just shrug and move on with.

Seavey borrowed dogs from his father, three-time Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey, and rebuilt the team and plan for the race season. He tested them out on the Copper Basin. He tweaked the roster. He tweaked the game plan. Everything was plugging along, but he just wasn't getting the same vibe from the team as in years past. They weren't the machine (or monster as his other teams were called) he was used to.

Iditarod start weekend rolled around and his game face was on. He looked prepared but he hedged his bets in interviews. He wasn't yes we're going to win, it was yes we're going to make damn sure we do everything we can to be in the mix so that if we can get position to win we can. Then a moose ran into the team not even 12 hours later. A dog was critically injured. Dallas had some sort of mental shift and he "lost his head" and didn't do what he thought he did. He didn't communicate properly with officials. He didn't gut the moose properly. He leaves the injured dog that he thinks just has a deep cut in Finger Lake with the race vets and by Rainy Pass he's getting a call asking if he wants them to perform surgery on the dog. What?!

In McGrath he's told that race officials convened and determined he did not gut the moose sufficiently, he was assessed a two-hour penalty that would be tacked onto his mandatory 24hour rest. What was supposed to be a 25 hour rest was now going to be 27 hours. He would be two hours behind. He accepted all of this and moved forward. In Cripple on his 24 he conceded he probably wasn't going to win this year, he was hoping for fifth.

When asked at the finish line how he came back from being five hours behind the leader out of Cripple to winning by three or more hours Dallas explained he has two sides. "There's the side of just taking care of the dogs and getting to the next checkpoing, and then my analytical side where I am analizing and studying everything." He said when he did the numbers and realized he had a chance, he took it.

"I knew that to win six it was going to have to be hard. You can't win six and it be easy. It can't be not special." Dallas spoke after he came into Nome acknowledging that while his first one will always be the most special, number six just may always be the hardest. He spoke of dogs that maybe weren't the cohesive team he was used to but they were all heart. He choked up mentioning the hard season, what he and the team and his kennel have been through. What they are still going through.

Rick Swenson held the record of most wins for 30 years before Dallas matched it in 2021. Rick's last win wasn't a pretty one either. It was hard. And it was in a time when you didn't have an Insider camera watching your every move in a checkpoint or a GPS tracker attached to your sled. There's a reason why Jeff King would tweet out to Tom Brady the year Brady won his fifth - but at the time it didn't look like it as he was down by 25 points or so - "The fifth one's a Bitch!". 

It was said that the record would never be matched or broken. For 30 years that rang true. Then it was, well, you can match it, but you won't break it. And now here we are. Six wins in. Dallas has grown up a lot in the 12 years since his first. He's become even wiser, even more wise in how this all shakes down. 

What hasn't changed is the love for the race and his dogs. It was evident as he made his way to the finish line. His tradition of stopping the dogs on the beach before the hustle and bustle of town to thank each dog. To take in the sights, the sounds, the smells - the quiet before the media storm. 

It was evident as he waved to everyone lining Front Street shouting out thank you for coming! It was evident the way he cheered his 10 dogs up into the chute. The way he immediately went to each dog telling them good job and thank you. The laughter and joking he had with the checker (hi Nicolle!). The smiles, the cheers, everything about it was just so Dallas Seavey that kid all those years ago watching his dad come into Nome. Getting excited for Iditarod every year. Hero worshipping the mushers who came before him.

Now Dallas Seavey has been declared the Greatest Of All Time in the sport of Iditarod. Number six was a bitch, but if anyone could do it with as much grit and determination as it takes, it's Dallas. Dallas Seavey.

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (Sept 7)

Happy September! It's more or less officially fall in Alaska, and that means it's training season. I know, I know, I keep saying it, but it's for realsies now. All kennels on social media have reported their first few runs of the season. It's still getting up into the 60s by midday, but that just means early mornings and late nights for the teams. Then off to work for the humans before back to training when they get home. Mushers. Never. Sleep. The weirdos.

Mary Helwig once again shared a bit of joy from her kennel. If you're familiar at all with the sled dog breeds you know that they're great singers. In my opinion very little else sounds as beautiful as a dog yard coming together in a contented howl after a feeding. And there's very little as sad a sound as the howl of a dog yard where one team of dogs has gone off on adventure and the dogs not hooked to the sled mourn that they were not chosen for the trip.

Mitch Seavey came out of hiding this week posting several photos to facebook before ultimately announcing that he was officially signed up for Iditarod 2019. The three-time Iditarod Champ spoke out repeatedly this summer about how he would not run the 47th Iditarod unless major changes were made to how the Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) ran the program. With the addition of several new board members, and the recent resignation of Andy Baker as Board President, Seavey felt there was enough proof that the ITC was listening to musher concerns that he could run. Still, Seavey has been vocal about some of the rule changes for the race, claiming they were overreaching. While no revisions to the rules have been made public, it seems Seavey is satisfied - for now - that the race is headed in the right direction. Seavey also urged fans and mushers to support the race and keep the sport of mushing strong.




Speaking of Iditarod, they managed to obtain a new sponsor after the loss of Jack Daniels earlier this year. The Anchorage Distillery happily announced their sponsorship of the Last Great Race. Apparently mushing and beer are a happy match. Mush/Drink responsibly.

Laura Allaway plans on running the Yukon Quest this year, and has also come out of social media hiding to share a very nice photo of some fall training.


Squid Acres shared a photo of a recent hike with some of their pups. I share merely for the fact that fall colors in Alaska are beautiful.


Cindy Abbott shared her booty haul.

And some info out of Paul Gebhardt's kennel on fall prep and training from one of his handlers. Paul, you may recall, sat out last season due to being diagnosed with Cancer. After an aggressive treatment and stem cell transplant, Paul is on the road to recovery. While he builds up his immune system again Gebhardt cannot do the day to day chores with the dogs, and has hired help. I - as a non-stalker-stalker - have seen him around town as he runs a very successful construction business in the area and he looks great! Here's hoping his health continues to improve and we see him out on the trails again soon.


And that's this week's round up. If I missed anything big, let me know in the comments or on twitter. I don't share everything I find on social media as that would make this too long. It's a snapshot of what's going on. As soon as the snow flies and the races are in swing there will be more print media news to share.

Conway Seavey Band at Music in the Park

Old habits die hard. I haven't been a "paid stalker" for the Seaveys in four years, but I stopped by Conway's free concert in the Soldotna Creek Park last night. As always, he did well to get the crowd dancing. Much different from when he was that 11 year old kid on the Iditarod Banquet stage belting out Idita-Rock-and-Roll.

Here are a few photos to highlight the evening. I already miss the sun.

Iditarod 46: If Danny Seavey were King of Iditarod

Below is Danny Seavey's latest "blog post" from Facebook about how he would solve the current woes of Iditarod.


He makes some interesting points.

Dallas Seavey to race in Finnmark

I'm at work and can't do a big blog post, so, for now, I'll just let this facebook post do the talking.


What do you think of this latest announcement? Let me know if the comments below!

My experience with Team Seavey

2007 Wildride, retired Iditarod Champions Angus and Zebra
pull Alaskan Malamute rescue Buddy out of the Arena.

Guys, I'm having a hard time remaining silent. For over a month I've watched a friend and former employer go through some pretty crappy things, and for the most part he's handled it with far more grace and dignity than I ever could. But, in the last couple of weeks, a couple of blowhards looking for - I guess - a little more limelight decided to jump on the hate train and come out with some pretty ugly allegations of their own. I won't link to their writings, because I feel that any more hits to their site is exactly what they want... and she who must not be named demanded over two years ago that I not use her name on my blog. So I won't. But if you're reading this blog post, my guess is you know who and what I'm talking about.

I met Dallas Seavey in the spring of 2007. He was starting a new attraction in Downtown Anchorage and was hiring folks to work in his gift shop. I ended up landing a "bigger" role than "just" gift shop girl. I ran the soundboard for his outdoor arena where he and his [then] fiance and a few other mushers showcased the power of the sled dog. I worked for them for four summers straight. It was probably the most fun I have EVER had with a job - and that's including my being a professional photographer. I'm not exaggerating for anyone. You can pretty much ask anyone who knows me - I talk about Wildride, still, after 10 years. I LOVED that job. I LOVED being around dogs and puppies all day. I LOVE the people I got to work with.

After I moved back to the Kenai in 2011, I figured I was done working for the team in any sort of capacity. I didn't even make it up to see the show in its final year, I was so busy trying to make ends meet. It was a very lonely time. I missed being part in some way of a sled dog team. How weird is that? I was never a dog handler. I still can't tell you the more intimate details of training, feeding, etc. But I loved being a part of the bigger picture. It wasn't long, though, before Team Seavey came calling again.

I worked for Mitch Seavey for another three years. Again, not in any dog handling position, but the daily office work that comes with running a touring business as well as social media for an active racing kennel. Again, I had a blast and learned so much and I'll always be grateful. But this was where I became increasingly aware of the ugliness of mushing. Don't think this is going to be a blog post supporting the allegations being lobbied at both Dallas and Mitch, far from it. I'm talking the ugly, untrue, and disgusting thing said by the likes of PeTA and other "Animal Rights" organizations against the Iditarod and the sport itself. One group used to have a "head hunter" list of mushers who needed to be "dealt with". Their photos from the Iditarod Website were placed on wanted posters. It was crazy. But the real kicker was when "fellow mushers" (term used loosely) decided to go after the team that was on top.

My first encounter with Mitch was my first week of work with Dallas back in 2007. That was the year that the Ramy Brooks "incident" happened during Iditarod. The decision had just come down from the Iditarod that Brooks would be banned from the race for 2 years, and following that would have a 3 year probation. As a fan of the sport, I felt the sentence was too light (still do), and for some reason when I met Mitch it was a burning question in my head that I had to ask. What did he think? I woke the bear with that question. Mitch has a way with words. Many find him standoffish with not a lot to say, but I think he just likes to choose his words carefully. One of the many things I admire about Mitch is how he presents himself, and how he speaks. I could listen to him talk shop for hours (which I've been chastised by his wife at different functions where the last thing she wants to hear is more dog talk).

Mitch let it be known than hitting/spanking/beating a dog was the most asinine way to try to get a dog to run. Key word is "try". You cannot beat a dog to run. That was a point he stated repeatedly in his - what felt like eternal - rant. Nothing good comes from losing your temper and taking it out on your team. The dogs' first instinct is to curl up and protect itself by shutting down and hoping it stops. They do  not understand what they are doing "wrong". Sled dogs are out there to have fun. Period. If it isn't fun, they stop. It is a delicate balance of how much you can push and for how long before they pull a Forrest Gump, stop, turn around and say, "I'm pretty tired. I think I'll go home now" in the middle of no where. It's a mantra that Mitch has held on to I'm sure his entire racing career.

It's why his kids and fans sometimes get frustrated with him because he typically plays it a little "too safe" and holds his dogs back and makes the push too late. You don't want the race to ever become a chore for the dogs. When it does, it's not pretty. Most mushers eventually take it in stride and hang their head low knowing they - not the dogs - did something wrong. They forgot for a second about the dogs need to have fun, and they focused on the placement. Or they were just having so much fun themselves going at a nice clip that they didn't see the subtle warning signs.

Please note: this is what I took away from Mitch's statements over the years, I in no way speak for him.

You can see how my first year working for Dallas & Mitch shaped my outlook on the sport. The Seaveys have been a part of the Iditarod since the beginning. Since before the beginning. Dan Seavey (possibly one of the greatest human beings to ever breathe air) was one of the friends helping Joe Redington get his crazy idea of a race started. He's raced it. He's defended it. He's watched a son and a grandson both win it. Iditarod's a big deal in their family. Their involvement is due to Dan following a childhood dream to Alaska and staying here to see it through.

More T200 photos

I apologize to the few readers of this blog who thought I'd have more content by this point in the year. I thought I would, too. I just can't seem to have enough brain power left after an 8 hour work day to sit down and focus on writing blog posts. SO much has happened in different races across the state, and I had all of these plans to at least comment with my own view of happenings. It just hasn't materialized. I was excited about the Quest and then I ended up sick, so I didn't blog (or do anything) last week.

To make up for it, I'm going to share a few more of my photos from the Tustumena 200 run back in January. I shared photos of the Vet Check last time, so this time let's go with the start of the race, shall we? I spent a lot of time photographing the dogs this time around. And, yes, there's once again a LOT of Seavey photos. I can't help myself.

More under the cut!

Wildfire in Sterling - here we go again!

This week has been one of a lot of sun and HOT weather. Unusually hot for our area of Alaska. We rarely get into the 80s and yet we're going to hit them all this week. It's dry, hot, not humid... it's the perfect combination for fire...

... and we have one.

Around 1:30 yesterday a fire started basically where the Funny River Fire last year ended. It's threatening the homes and cabins of several friends of mine - as well as an Iditarod Champion's kennel (though the Sterling Highway is so far keeping the fire from them). When I went to bed last night the estimated damage was at 640 acres, I woke up and that number is nearly doubled now at 1,200 acres. Thankfully the winds for us are not as bad as last year (or up in the Mat-Su area where the Sockeye River Fire has consumed over 8,500 acres in the Willow area and destroyed countless homes and kennels).

There are three major fires in the South Central region, and resources were all pointed at the Willow fire until last night. We still don't have the majority of help for our fire as the Willow fire is larger, uncontained, and threatening more residences. Unlike last year - homes have already been destroyed in the Card Street Fire in Sterling. Cabins, too, on the river were damaged or destroyed. Some had to evacuate by boat as the road was impassible at one point.

Two time Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey and his family are on heightened alert as the fire is just across the highway from their Sterling home and kennel. Conway posted photos on his facebook page throughout the night as he and friends helped people in line of the fire evacuate. Team Seavey reported they have plans A, B, and C in place should they need to pack up and get out of there, but so far the fire is moving in the opposite direction of where they are. So far. All it takes is a wind change.

Meanwhile, three time Iditarod Champion Dallas Seavey lives in Willow and is keeping an eye on that fire. The fire is just a few miles south of his home and kennel, and so far is moving in the opposite direction keeping his family and dogs safe. For now. But, again, all it takes is a wind change.

Other mushers in Willow have not been as fortunate, several - including DeeDee Jonrowe - have reported their homes and kennels as a total loss. Many have sought refuge at Martin Buser's Happy Trails Kennel in Big Lake. Nearly 20 years ago Buser was the one watching his livelihood and team threatened by a massive fire, so he's giving back and offering a place for dogs and mushers alike this time around.

There's no end in sight for either fire. Keep the responders in your prayers as well as those whose homes have been lost or are in harms way. Pray for rain. We need it. Just like last year, this is a devastating thing to have happen to our communities.

Smoke billows behind the Soldotna Forestry June 15, 2015.

Smoke column from the Card Street Fire could be seen
all throughout Soldotna, Alaska June 15, 2015.

Sterling Elem. was the site used for evacuees, but no one
opted to stay at the site. At time of photo 640 acres had
been burned. June 15, 2015

Iditarod Day 7 - Morning Update

Good morning world!

The race is on to Unalakleet, the first checkpoint on the coast. Many race fans know that the race kicks into high gear at this checkpoint. Weight is dropped, slowest dogs are dropped. From here to Nome it's all about speed and how best to conserve it while not spending a lot of time stopped.

Aliy was first out of Kaltag, and is now camped out on the trail. Jeff King and Aaron Burmeister were next out (in that order) and are running very close together judging by the GPS pings. Dallas Seavey has the fastest time into Kaltag of the front runners, taking basically an hour LESS to get there than Burmeister did. He rested his team for 4.75 hours and is back on the trail as well.

Mitch Seavey came into Kaltag sounding very happy with his team, said he let them pick their speed. He wanted to be a little faster, but the trail was great. His team seemed eager and still cohesive, so all positive in the video for Mitch. He is still in the checkpoint, and nearing 5 hours of rest.

Jessie Royer has been "silently" creeping in on the front runners fun and is looking like a contender. She is also out of Kaltag. Jessie trains her dogs in Montana, where they had snow and good trail all winter. It seems that gave her an advantage as some mushers in Alaska who did (or could) not get to good trails for training have said that their dogs weren't ready for this type of trail base. Royer learned from 4 time Champion Doug Swingley, so those of us who've paid attention to the race have been waiting for her to make a move. It looks like this is the year for her to do it.

Kaltag is getting busy this morning with more teams filing in. Fast trail, fast race... still on track for a Tuesday night finish.

It's time to take your 24!

Jodi Bailey's team run through Anchorage
for the Ceremonial Start of Iditarod 43.
March 7, 2015

The leaders have made their way into Galena and Huslia. Most are taking their 24+start differential hour mandatory rest in one of the two checkpoints. Of the front of the pack, only Jeff King has taken both his 24 and his 8 hour rests. He is currently on the trail to Huslia. I expect King to take a bit of a rest in the checkpoint before continuing on. The trail report says the run into the checkpoint is extremely cold (like -40 below and colder) which causes more friction on the sled and slower going. In other words, it zaps the energy of the dogs faster. Can't blame them, no matter what you're used to THAT'S COLD.

Mitch Seavey took his 24 in Ruby after noticing some of his team was dealing with soreness. He had thought Ruby would be his stop, but that sealed the deal. He's passed through Galena and is on the trail to Huslia. He still needs to take his 8 hour somewhere on the Yukon (he has till Kaltag). According to his Insider interview last night, he plans to break up the run from Galena to Huslia. My guess is he'll take his 8 in Huslia.

Aaron Burmeister was first to the halfway point and collected the prize. He told Insider that his team was finally coming together - sharing he's had his fair share of problems with one of his main dogs coming into heat so all of his male lead dogs were "more interested in making puppies than running down the trail." He's declared his 24 and will have 24 hours and 32 minutes until he can leave... don't ask me to do the Idita-math as I can barely figure out how to get the answer for 1+1 apparently. It will be late tonight (sometime after 11pm).

Dallas Seavey is also in Huslia taking his 24. Dallas' dogs came in from a long cold run looking VERY good. They were happy, still stretching out in the line, and actually pulling at the line wanting to keep going. That's a good sign that they have a lot of juice left in them. After a 24+ hour rest? Yeah, good luck holding back that "monster" of a team. Dallas' wife Jen has reported that this team has been a joy to train, and that with how well they're doing Dallas has changed up his race strategy to best match their potential. We may be watching Dallas' run to a third victory... but there's a lot of trail left and another 20 or so teams that are just as good and deserving.

Aliy Zirkle is still in the mix, and while she's considered further down in the standings - she also took her 24 in Galena. Zirkle has been working hard on the back of her sled by ski-poling, pedaling, and running with her team. This makes for a very tired musher, and it's showing in the videos Insider has interviewing her. However, she got a nice long rest in Galena and with the hopefully warmer temps of the day as she runs to Huslia her energy may be boosted. Don't count her out. She'll kick into another gear in the second half.

Martin Buser is still in the mix, but had a very interesting chat yesterday with the Iditarod Insider saying he was going to take it slow and not worry about placement. With the news about Lance Mackey's team yesterday - Lance's 3 year old dog, Wyatt, passed away suddenly on the run from Tanana to Ruby - I have to assume part of his decision was based on that event. He talked about running for the dogs, not for his fifth win. I don't think this was a slight at Lance, but more just a "I need to stop pushing them beyond what they're capable of just because of placement/human ego." Which maybe he felt that's what he himself was doing. Martin is currently in Huslia, has taken his 8 and I assume he's declared his 24.


So while most are resting for 24+ hours, it's time for the fans to step away from the computer, stretch their legs and go take a look outside. The next 3-4 days we'll be glued to the screen non stop with little rest. So get in some YOU time while you still can. We'll see ya on the flip side.

Iditarod 43 - My Top 10

The 43rd running of the Iditarod is set to take place in just two weeks. Lack of snow has forced the race to run further north than ever before, with the ReStart moving for only the second time in race history to Fairbanks. This levels the playing field in a way as none of the teams have any real experience on the new trail (which visits several villages/checkpoints for the very first time) so their run-rest strategies are at best educated guesses.

This may be one of the races where it truly is more about the dogs and their abilities and not the mushers. Who knows? It's all anyone's guess.

So This year I'm going with 10 names that I think are just on the upswing, or at least have that experience needed to keep the dogs from over doing it before that final push. They're not in any particular order - I'm not that good at predicting (in fact this list is probably going to just jinx them all).

Tonichelle's Top 10 

Brent Sass - Brent just won the Yukon Quest with his team of amazing dogs. His only real issue that was reported on the trail was when he overslept (you'd think he'd learn not to do that after Jeff King lost the Iditarod to Lance Mackey back in 2008 doing the exact same thing). He had to run down Allen Moore running the A team out of his kennel. The same team that Aliy Zirkle will run in the Iditarod. Moore's team kicked it up a notch in the final stretch, but seemed to tire through most of the race. Sass's team seemed to "feed the monster" (as the Seavey's say) at all the right times. After the bad fall last season that ended his Quest and Iditarod runs, Brent finally delivered on his potential. I have no doubt this will BOOST his confidence going into the Iditarod.

Dallas Seavey - Dallas came seemingly out of nowhere last March to win the race. Jeff King was supposed to have the win in the bag, but his team refused to run in the horrible winds as they made their way to Safety. Jeff had to flag down some snow-machiners to help him and his dogs get to the checkpoint. At that point he scratched as teams cannot have outside help. That meant that Aliy seemed to have the race in the bag as Dallas was a long ways behind her - but with the winds being what they were and the news from all weather reports saying it was only going to get worse, she decided to hunker down and wait them out. Dallas was unaware of any of it and ended up continuing (better to just run in the wind than sit in it, afterall) which put him in the lead and gave him just enough time to win the darn thing. He's just that lucky - and he's also just that good. I don't know what his team looks like this year, but his goal is to stay consistently in the top 5. He's young, confident, and a two time champion. There's no way in Hades you should count him out.

Jeff King - Jeff is a wildcard in a lot of ways. He had to scratch on the Quest due to the extreme cold and the fact that he didn't have enough food for the dogs to compensate at the checkpoint he was at. It was a difficult decision, but it was the RIGHT ONE. That a certain kennel that "will be running the Iditarod" (I bet they scratch before the halfway point) called him out for that should not even factor into one's mindset when discussing King's racing skills. Jeff is one of the most experienced mushers out on the trail - it's his dogs that don't seem to have the experience to finish a thousand mile race. They don't like running when the going gets tough in the last stretch. However, that was one of the reasons King ran the Quest. He wanted to train them up. I expect King to finish this year, and I wouldn't bet against him coming in first. He was set to do it last year. He can do it again. Just pray for no wind gusts in the last 77 miles to Nome.

Aliy Zirkle - This is her year. It has to be. Her team has come in second the last three years in the Iditarod, and just came in another close second on the Yukon Quest (husband Allen Moore ran that team). Quito will no doubt still be lead dog over the 1000 mile race, and with that knowledge the team can't fail. So long as those dang Seavey's don't take control of the race in the last leg... as long as she doesn't slow her team down... as long as this isn't another one of those insane races that is completely unpredictable. If there's a team in this race that I desperately want to see win this year - it's Aliy's. She more than deserves it, but she has to be able to take it.

Martin Buser - Buser and son got themselves in a bit of trouble in one of the season's earlier races. They "took the wrong turn" and ended up on a shortcut. Both of them did. Hmmm. Makes the spectators go hmmm. It ticked a certain other musher off who was lower in the standings because of it. It had people discussing issues of the Buser racing "strategies" over the year. Still - Martin is a 4 time Iditarod champion, and a crowd favorite. He made some pretty bold pushes in last year's race, but his team couldn't keep the pace they'd set. After their 24 hour layover they lost speed and ended up in a lower position than they'd planned. Martin's son Rohn is also running this year - and I'm  not sure they aren't splitting the A team in two again. Still, I wouldn't count Martin out. Especially on a trail that no one is familiar with.

Peter Kaiser - Another musher riding high after winning the Kusko in his hometown, Pete is looking good to make a move this year. The last couple of years he's been just outside of the top ten (13th both in 2014 and 2013), but those were warm weather years. While Alaska has been VERY warm this winter, with the race running further north this might help this Coastal team keep from overheating. And it COULD drop in temps like the Yukon Quest for the early part of the race, which should also help teams like Pete's.

Mitch Seavey - I'll be honest, I am completely out of the loop these days with Team Seavey. Last year was my last year with them, so I am not current on training reports, dog reports, etc... but this is Mitch. He's consistent, he knows how to drive dogs. I've no doubt he's got a solid schedule set for the new trail, and I expect his team to run well. He came in 3rd last year... and, oh yeah, his team WON the thing (second time for the musher) in 2013. I think leaving his team off this year would be a very stupid idea. And it's not just because I'm a biased fangirl.

Richie Diehl - I'm gonna give this guy some props, in just his second year he came in 14th, not too shabby. I don't expect him to win the darn thing, but I expect him to break the top 10 if all goes well. Basically he's my dark horse in this whole thing.

Aaron Burmeister - It was said that Dallas Seavey won his first Iditarod title thanks to Aaron Burmeister because Dallas's team consisted of many of Burmeister's A team. Aaron had decided to retire and sold off many of his dogs - Dallas snatched them up and the rest is history. Then Aaron decided to come back to the sport (shocking. most can't stay retired) and it's like he never left.He's stayed consistently in the top 10, coming very close to winning several times. With the trail being new to everyone for the first half, he may have the advantage on the coast - his home base. The dogs know where home is and know how to get there.

Ray Redington Jr - Ray's having a great year, even with his scratch from his rookie run on the Yukon Quest. He's another musher who's had a run of top 10 finishes, and his team seems to be really clicking this season. He's poised for a great race, and should be able to adapt to the new trail with the rest of the best. I'd love to see a Redington finally win the race. They're a strong mushing dynasty - and of course the Iditarod wouldn't even exist had Joe Redington Sr not gotten the crazy idea in his head. Look for Ray to make a move again this year, and don't be surprised if he goes all the way.




So there's my top 10. What's yours? Comment on this blog post and let me know if we agree, disagree, or what you'd like to see happen during Iditarod 43.

Iditarod 2011 BBQ

Every year the Iditarod puts on a feast for their volunteers, and they hold it the last Saturday in June. This ties in with their first meeting of the minds for the next year's race, and the mushers are on hand to sign up. But, even with all of the excitement of the future, the main focus is to celebrate the people who are helping NOW.

I had never attended previous BBQs, something either always came up - or I wasn't aware of it - and so I made it a point not to miss out on it this year (I flaked last year at the last minute because the weather looked icky). I got up super early because the BBQ is in Wasilla (yeah, you know, it's pretty well  known thanks to a certain former Governor of ours) and being in Soldotna I was about 3.5 hours away. My vehicle has issues right now so I had mom take it the night before to have dad check it out. He was unable to due to some technical difficulties, so I drove my mom's car back to their house, dropped my dog off, took my iffy exploder and headed out (parents live in Kenai so it's 4 hours to Wasilla).

The trip was uneventful - aside from rain and my running out of windshield wiper fluid - nothing really happened to warrant a whole lot of time on it. I was running later than I wanted to be, but still made it to Wasilla well before picnic time.

Holding little "Tusty".

I planned on meeting up and snatching Haille to come with. I figured she'd enjoy the games and puppies I knew would be there. The puppies were the saving grace, she never did go play the games, as she was in love with the seven week old and two week old pups that were out there for HQ guests and BBQers alike. I think if she could take them all home, she would! She was in love with getting to hold them and play with them. She asked questions of the musher and handlers that were there, and at one point Jeff King went over to look at the pups and she talked to him too! How crazy is that?! Little miss shy thing!

My first goal was to find my wonderful friend, Lilian. I met her two years ago volunteering at the Iditarod gift shop table there at the Millennium hotel (which is the official headquarters during the race). She comes every year from Switzerland and is a big favorite of all of us. And not just because she brings us swiss chocolate! Ha ha! She normally doesn't make it over here in teh summer (she takes her vacation around the Iditarod every year! She is my hero!) but she made the exception this year and I'm so glad she did! Haille really liked her, and took a ton of photos of her with my $3000 camera ha ha! She got a couple of good ones of the two of us!

Still have NO idea what we were going for here! LOL

Even though the weather threatened rain, the day was pretty much perfect. A lot of mushers were on hand to sign up for the race (so far the roster is at 47), and some old favorites also came to talk shop (it also helps that they are on the Trail Committee so they were on hand for a meeting before the picnic). Team Seavey was out in full force with Dan, Mitch and Dallas all there. Dallas and Mitch are both in next year's line up. Mitch is still sporting a brace of some sort on his finger (which he sliced off in Ophir causing the Race Marshal to scratch the musher from the race and send him back to Anchorage for surgery. Mitch was back on the trail as a special Iditarod Insider commentator that same week.). Mitch spent a lot of time talking with 2011 Champion John Baker and they seemed to be having a great time talking about what ever it was that they were talking about!

Lance Mackey was "late" to the party, but he strolled right up without much notice from the crowd and signed his name. He'll once again be after #5, trying to tie Rick Swenson (who was absent from the picnic and - so far - the roster!) for most wins. It wasn't long before people realized the head of "Last Chance Kennel" was on the green and soon they flocked to where he stood.

If you read my blog at all you know I'm not a big follower of Mackey's kennel. I prefer others to his style. However, friends of mine from MO were huge fans. They lived in Joplin, MO, and lost their lives in the huge tornado last month. It still seems unreal that Lorie and Glenn will not be around to chat about the Iditarod next year. Lorie was looking forward to see my pictures of the BBQ and had dared me to take a picture with Lance if I got the opportunity. I just laughed at the time. But, when I went into the line with my friend Lilian so she could get her pic with him, I figured I should honor their memory. One thing I have always said about Lance is that he knows how to treat the fans/volunteers.

Me, Lance, Lilian. This is for you, Lorie!

I also had to fan girl over Hugh Neff. He's just such a great personality on the trail, and I love his overall look. He's pretty much fantastic when it comes to dog care and racing in general too, so that's always a plus! Ha ha! I went over and got my picture. He tried to put me at ease by asking if I was a musher and he laughed at my "WHAT?! no." reaction. Ha ha, Hugh. You're *so* funny. goober. I think I just have a "mushers please make fun of me" sign somewhere on me. But the pic came out great, I love it, totally going in my next collage frame!

*FANGIRL SQUEE!*

The last mission of the day was getting our picture with Jeff King. That's right Mr. "I'm Retired" was there. He had most of us buzzing wondering why he was there. He'd posted about the BBQ on his facebook earlier in teh week and when fans asked if he was coming back he pretty much denied it. Well, he lied online because he announced at the end of the BBQ that he was - in fact - on the roster for Iditarod 40. This is a huge boost for so many reasons. Jeff was a face of the Iditarod during the same time as Susan Butcher (he really came into his own as she was on her way out of the sport, but his name was on everyone's lips before then). He's considered the winningest musher. He's a huge celebrity type in Alaska/the sport. And, he pushes Lance to excell. Who knows what will happen now. It's a huge roster already, all the main players (save for, as I said earlier, Rick Swenson) have thrown their name in the pool.

We waited quite a while while Jeff talked with Jim Lanier (another fabulous musher, I was totally geeking out by the end of the day), and Dallas Seavey finally figured out what it was we were waiting for (it wasn't hard Haille was wanting to go home and made a bit of a scene) so he interrupted Jeff and he hopped over to mug for the cameras. Then we were stuck trying to find someone to take the picture. We finally had no choice but to allow Dallas handle the repsponsibility. He lit up when I handed him mine and immediately tried to freak me out by pretending to drop it. Bubba would have been in a world of hurt. Told him that was a 3000 dollar camera. That made him even more of a pain. Why do I like this guy again? LOL Cuz his kid is cute, that's why! LOL

Thanks, I guess, Dallas! (Me, Jeff!!!, Lilian)

Overall it was a fantastic day and I'm glad I made the trip up and back in one day! (8 hours round trip! Long day, well worth it!)

To see all the pics from yesterday go here - http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150282512010664.374461.733500663&l=b1d33efa08

Cannot wait for March!

Is this 2009? 2008? 2007?

It's Mackey and King one and two... this is starting to get pretty predictable. King is an hour behind Mackey running out of Shaktoolik. You would think that King would remember how he lost the race the last three years. Running behind Mackey is not going to win you the championship here, buddy!

According to the GPS tracker, King is running 6 miles behind Mackey at this point, and his team is also running slower - how is that possible? King's team is always faster. Oh well, if Mackey wins his fourth and King once again comes in second at least we'll have a legendary rivalry in this decade.

Seavey's seem to be losing a little bit of steam. Mitch is now sixth after running steadily in 4th up to now, and Dallas is in 14th and I don't see them moving too much further up (but hey if I'm wrong I will gladly eat my words). Still they've raced extremely well again this year (Dallas was absolutely fantastic getting first to Cripple), but it's a little diappointing when they're the ones I consistantly cheer for. Seeing Gebhardt as far down as he is, is also disappointing. Come on Peninsula Mushers! lol

Can't believe the race will be over by midweek for the front runners. It's exciting - if they keep up the speeds and times that they are, they could possibly rival or beat Martin Buser's record time - but depressing. All this build up and they're just zooming through this year.

Great Time

Photos and 'review' to come later, but tonight I leave you with a shot of Dan & Conway Seavey - and team! I feel very fortunate to know the Seavey family.



Visit Team Seavey's website by clicking here, and make sure to cheer on both Mitch and Dallas during Race 38!