Alaska- Iditarod- Sled dog race

[3Roosters]

If you are bored the next week check out www.iditarod.com and follow this spectacular sled dog race. It started on sunday and winning musher/dog team will probably arrive in Nome next Tuesday/Wednesday. It is kinda addicting keeping track of the lead changes/ strategy and the how the dogs and mushers are doing on this 1000 mile trek across Alaska. I bought the GPS tracker yearly subscription so I could follow the different dog teams along the route. Yes..I was bored and addicted at the same time!! Plus, my better half has a couple relatives in the race again so am keeping up with their progress as well.:;:thumbsup

 

[Tommyboy]

I love the Iditarod. Utterly amazing to me how those dogs can perform. The musher has to have a set on him as well. 1000 miles of "uncharted" territory. Awesome.

 

[3Roosters]

Awesome to be sure! It looks like some of the faster mushers keep a few of their dogs RIDING on the sled to keep the other dogs from running too fast a pace, in an attempt to keep them fresh for the long haul. It is interesting reading about/ listening to mushers insights of when and where and how long they take their rest periods. Boy do those dogs love to run!;:;bowdown

 

[nxtgeneration]

I have an uncle that lives in Anchorage and was just talking to him last night about the race. It is pretty impressive how they can even finish the race. I couldn't imagine being out in the pitch black night running those dogs. From my understanding the musher usually just has a headlamp to guide them in the dark.

Kudos to those who are continuously running up front year after year as well as those who are brave enough to start the damn race to begin with.

 

[3Roosters]

For sure! 8-10 days straight with little to no sleep. One mandatory 24 hr rest at one of the checkpoints and I think 1 or maybe 2 mandatory 8 hour rests..other than that..i think a lot of the teams have done the 4 hours running, 4 hours resting game plan....but...some deviate to their own game plan on how they are doing and how their dogs are doing. I guess the dogs get vet checked before starting the race and vet checked at each of the checkpoints...if there is something amiss with a dog, they have to drop that dog at that checkpoint and run the rest of the race without that dog.(Of course dropped dogs are picked up by other members of the team for transport back to their home kennel). Most mushers/dog teams start with 16 dogs and finish the race with 8-12. A lot of the times mushers drop a particular dog at a checkpoint that isn't health related at all but rather musher sees something in a dog that he or she feels can travel faster/easier without a particular dog. Fascinating stuff. To heck with high priced football/baseball athletes! I'm much more interested in watching the REAL athletes! The dogs and the mushers!

 

[espringers]

Where are the better half's relatives from?

 

[huffranger]

Mash the dogs....

 

[wildeyes]

I was told by someone that follows this close and if you have a dog that is limping or have a problem you get DQed if that dog isn't on the sled riding when you get to a check point. he told me that Peta is at every check point watching. Don't get me wrong, you should have a dog riding on the sled if its hurting.

 

[3Roosters]

Where are the better half's relatives from?

Her cousin is Mitch Seavey and his son Dallas. Her aunt and uncle live in Seward. We stayed with them a couple years back when we went up there.

 

[Account Deleted]

If you guys get a chance I highly recommend the book "Winterdance" by Gary Paulson. It is about a guy that just decides to start dogsledding and train for the Iditarod.

 

[deleted_account]

If you guys get a chance I highly recommend the book "Winterdance" by Gary Paulson. It is about a guy that just decides to start dogsledding and train for the Iditarod.

I think i did book report or some such on this book. I should buy a couple Gary Paulsen books, good writer

 

[nxtgeneration]

Her cousin is Mitch Seavey and his son Dallas. Her aunt and uncle live in Seward. We stayed with them a couple years back when we went up there.

Well i don't blame you for being a big fan with the Seavey's as relatives! I see Dallas is in 2nd and Mitch is 10th as of now. Good luck to the both of them.

 

[3Roosters]

If you guys get a chance I highly recommend the book "Winterdance" by Gary Paulson. It is about a guy that just decides to start dogsledding and train for the Iditarod.

I think I will take the recommendation and check it out! Thanks!
Another book I would recommend is called "Born to Mush" . Dallas Seavey wrote it. Awesome read!!!Thumbs Up

 

[3Roosters]

An update on this race...it seems some jerk snow- machiner (what they call them up there..snowmobiler,snocat er. whatever term u want to use...prelimnary reports are the some guy was drunk..on a snow machine..i will reserve judgement until all the facts are in on him..but..it sounds like this guy hit one of the dog teams with his snow machine at a high rate of speed. Jeff King's team..killing one dog and injuring another!!!!! Besides the point that this jerk killed one of your dogs...these are oylmpic athletes. The snow machiner also was raising haveck with Aily Zirkle's dog sled team on his snow machine also! I guess they caught the guy..hope they deal with him llike they did in the old days when someone stole a horse. This sucks..and I am not even routing for Alliy or Jeff.. If you can spare 20 bucks..buy the gps package.its fun tracking them..should finish Monday or Tuesday nite.

 

[Account Deleted]

Sad deal.

 

[Zogman]

The dogs are awesome. And the Mushers are tough characters. Enjoy keeping track of them.

 

[Kickemup]

That's a sad deal.

 

[3Roosters]

It looks like winner will finish around 4 am Tuesday morning.. like around 8 days!! nothing short of spectacular for these dogs and mushers!

 

[snow]

Sad deal about the two teams this dickhead took out,turns out he was drunk or so he said.

 

[guywhofishes]

Future teams will need to CC I guess.

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry - just C I guess.