Iditarod 2019 sled dog race to Nome Alaska

[3Roosters]

Ceremonial start was Saturday March 2nd. Restart was Sunday March 3rd. Current leader is the defending champion but there is a long long long way to go to complete this 1000 mile race. Lots of strategy along the way. Here is a screen shot of current trail leaders. Go to www.iditarod.com for more info. I bought the GPS package to track them throughout the race.

 

[KDM]

It's probably warmer up there than it is here. Wish everyone involved from the mushers and teams all the way to the support staff a safe and enjoyable race. MUSH!!!!!!!

 

[scrotcaster]

Pulling for Lance Mackey this year,,No Dallas this year ?

 

[3Roosters]

Lance is back so that is a good thing..I think he had medical issues the last few years. Dallas is doing the Norway event again this year which starts on March 8th. https://www.finnmarkslopet.no/home/ I think he still had a bad taste in his mouth when he was incorrectly accused of drugging his dogs 2 years ago...a claim that Iditarod officials now say they were in error. I think Dallas will be back next year.

 

[wjschmaltz]

It's probably warmer up there than it is here.

I've only been here 5 years but it's almost always warmer here than back home between December 15th and March 1st! On average I would say maybe 5-10 days below zero at my house and I've never seen colder than -14 at my place. My parents are up to visit to see the race and they can't believe the temps and most of all how the wind almost never blows!

It's almost too warm for the dogs. We have got to know Wade Marrs and root for him. He stopped for a 6 hour break in the mid afternoon sun while others pushed on. The dog allowance is down to 14 this year from 16 in the last several. A lot of guys are pushing their 14 dog teams like they have their 16 dog teams and the temp was over 30 degrees on the trail yesterday. Time will tell if the dogs will hold out! Disappointed that there aren't any North Dakotans in this year's race.

 

[3Roosters]

Dallas Seavey(my wife's 2nd cousin) and Dallas grandfather Dan Seavey(my wife's uncle) stayed at our house in Devils Lake, ND for a few nites this past summer, actually. First time i had met Dallas. Dallas had purchased some new wheeled summer training dog rigs from a guy on the East Coast and the guy said he would deliver them part of the way(turned out the guy had to travel through DL). Dan had stayed with us a number of years back so contacted my wife to see if we could store the rigs for a few days until Dan and Dallas made it down from Alaska and they would spend a couple days at our house before heading back.
Dallas is a multitasker for sure as he made arrangements to sell about 4- 5 of his dogs from his dog yard to people along the way down to ND...couple people in Canada and someone from MN.
His training sleds are NEAT! I will post a pic or 2 if i can find them.
I will be following Dallas' dad Mitch(wife's cousin) again this year as the Iditarod is kinda addicting to follow.
Mush on!

 

[shorthairsrus]

https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/S...d-trail-and-runs-to-Rainy-Pass-506694241.html
https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/S...d-trail-and-runs-to-Rainy-Pass-506694241.html

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You know what america is about ---- still a dog (kid) (GSP) somewhere that wants to be somebody. They try so hard and one day someone gives them a break.

To all the doogs with a greater % of shorthair --- remember your strength training --- the last 1/4 of the race is all yours --- full steam.

 

[Kurtr]

Ya I’m sure the guys who do this professionally don’t really know what they are doing and a group of shorthairs would blow themout of the water. Hear the same shit at the race track then bloomquist shows up.

 

[Up Y'oars]

Never looked at the leader board before yesterday. Interesting! I also looked for any entries from ND. NOPE. I recognized Jessie Holmes' name as he is on the reality tv series Life Below Zero on the Discovery Network. Yesterday he was in 20th position, but this morning he jumped up to the #3 spot.

 

[3Roosters]

This mornings update. Notice the leader Nic Petit is at checkpoint Ophir..which is 352 miles into the 1000 mile race. Notice on the right side of the leader boards regarding required layovers. No one has taken a required one as yet. Each musher MUST stop at one of the checkpoints of thier choosing for an 8 hour layover and ALSO MUST stop for a required 24 hr layover at another checkpoint of thier choosing and EVERY musher MUST layover for 8 hrs at White Mountain. Strategy and condition of the dogs play a huge roll in where each musher decides to take thier required layovers.
Couple tidbits of info for you. Sentimental favorite Aily Zirkle is currently in 2nd. She has finished 2nd in the race like 3-4 times so she gets quite the following hoping she breaks through with a win one year. Current leader Nic Petit was leading the race last year and pretty much was on his way to victory when he got lost on the trail and lost like 4 hours finding his way back, thus losing his lead and the race.

 

[shorthairsrus]

Ya I’m sure the guys who do this professionally don’t really know what they are doing and a group of shorthairs would blow themout of the water. Hear the same shit at the race track then bloomquist shows up.

Kurt they are not allowed to run a purebread shorthair ---- i am sure someone would be running a mountain pointers/gsp/english/greyhnd mix if it was allowed and yes they would blow by any shorthair/huskie mix. With the temps that they have been running up in ak lately they would have no issues. Just like a 90 plus day pheasant opener --- you kennel a lab and its just a walk in the park kanzasky for a shorthair. Those mountain pointers they dont even need much O2.

 

[Kurtr]

well looks like they are already ahead of you they are crossing shorthairs

https://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/breed-dog-widely-used-iditarod-race-8004.html

[h=2]Alaskan Huskies[/h]Generally speaking, huskies are the most common dogs seen racing the Iditarod. While some of these dogs are actual purebred Siberian huskies, most of the dogs racing are considered Alaskan huskies. Alaskan huskies are not an American Kennel Club recognized breed, and can be a combination of several breeds including Siberian huskies, greyhounds, Alaskan malamutes and German shorthaired pointers. Known for their strength and athleticism, Alaskan huskies can withstand extreme cold temperatures and frozen conditions, making them excellent Iditarod competitors.

 

[riverview]

they have pretty much bred a hibred husky useing bird dogs for some of the crosses.
Im rooting for jessie holms
just saw a show about the women musher aily in a net flix show. a couple years ago some drunken eskimo ran her down with a snowmobile

 

[3Roosters]

Newsweek ran an interesting article regarding Mitch Seavey and dog sledding. It really is a team sport. Mushers need the dogs and the dogs need their owner.
Wed, Mar 06, 2019
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[h=1]IDITAROD 2019: OLDEST CHAMPION IN HISTORY, MITCH SEAVEY, COULD WIN THE 1,000-MILE RACE[/h]BY [FONT=&quot]JENNI FINK [/FONT]ON 3/2/19 AT 6:00 AM



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What Is The Iditarod? | AK Explained





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[FONT=&quot]U.S.[/FONT]
At 59 years old, Mitch Seavey is on the older side of the musher spectrum, but with three championships and multiple records to his name, Mitch’s age has done next to nothing to dampen his belief that he can win the Iditarod.
On Saturday, 52 registered rookie and veteran mushers and their sled dog teams will embark on a 1,000-mile journey across the Alaskan terrain, traveling from Anchorage to Nome. First competing in 1982, Mitch hasn’t missed a race since 1995 and in 2017, the three-time champion finished in a record-breaking eight days, three hours, 40 minutes and 13 seconds. That same year, at age 57, he set a new bar as the oldest person to ever win the race.
“As far as the race itself, it’s really not very fun. I think of it as the final exam of the year which entitles me to have a lifestyle that I love,” Mitch told Newsweek. “It’s hard, it’s a big competition, it’s sleep deprivation, it’s physical discomfort, but it’s only so long.”
Could he break his own record this year? Mitch said it’s possible, but not likely. He credited the conditions of the 2017 trail and having “the team of a lifetime” for his historic victory, two factors that may not be able to be replicated. Despite the race testing the human body’s physical limits, at 59 years old, Mitch said he has the same shot as anybody else.



“I’m 60 going on 42. I say that only a little tongue and cheek because I’m in really damn good shape," Mitch said. "I have enough experience that I automatically seem to know what to do in situations and I think it’s that age-old tradeoff of experience as opposed to youth.”
[h=3]Mushing, A Family Affair[/h]Getting into peak physical shape has been a family affair for Mitch. As the son of Dan Seavey, who competed in the inaugural Iditarod race, the 59-year-old continued the tradition and passed the love of mushing onto his own three sons. Years after laying the familial foundation of sled dog racing, the time came when Mitch was competing head-to-head with his son, Dallas, and crossing the finish line one right after another.
Admittedly, the fierce competition between father and son created a “strange dynamic” in that they discussed their shared love of dog sledding, but evaded vital questions about strategy. While they weren't combining forces, simply knowing the other was vying for the top spot was enough to make them better competitors.
“As much as we compete with each other I think a lot of our success in the last few years has simply been pushing each other,” Mitch explained. “You can’t rest because Dallas isn’t resting. You can’t slack off on training because dad’s not gonna be sitting at home. We push each other that way even though we try to hide our most important information from each other.”

[FONT=&quot]2004 Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey's sled dog team mushes over frozen Willow Lake as Iditarod XXXV officially begins 04 March 4, 2007 in Willow, Alaska.JIM WATSON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES[/FONT][h=3]The 2019 Iditarod Race[/h]This year’s Iditarod will only have one Seavey competing, though. In 2017, Dallas, a four-time Iditarod champion, was accused of being involved in events that led to a positive drug test in his dog team. The Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) later cleared Dallas of any wrongdoing and board president, Mike Mills, offered an apology to the champion musher.
Instead of the Iditarod, Dallas will compete in Norway, albeit as he’s previously said with no hard feelings. Setting aside his lack of faith in the ITC leadership at the time, Mitch continued to race through the “dark days” of his son being falsely accused because the Iditarod is bigger than any official.
“The race is part of the fabric of Alaska. The race is thousands of volunteers and donors. The race is thousands of fans,” Mitch said. “Those people are the Iditarod and just because somebody in the office in Anchorage did something nefarious or unwise, that shouldn’t mean that we boycott the people.”
People living in villages largely unpronounceable to the average person wait year after year for mushers to arrive. They heat water and bring out food bags. Pilots volunteer their time to deliver necessary gear. And that’s, from Mitch’s perspective, what the race is truly about.

[FONT=&quot]A sled dog team heads down the trail outside of Anchorage, Alaska, towards their first checkpoint in Eagle River on March 3, 2007 at the beginning of Iditarod XXXV.JIM WATSON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES[/FONT][h=3]The Iditarod Over the Years[/h]Having observed the race from its inception and participated in it 25 times, Mitch has noticed changes in the annual event. Some, such as putting spot trackers on mushers, made the race safer, while others, including improved training methods for canine athletes and sled materials, almost doubled the speed of the race, thereby increasing the danger.
Few people hear about a 1,000-mile journey across Alaska on a dog sled and think, "That's something I'd like to do." Through the years, even Mitch has questioned, “What on Earth am I doing?” but, he's never doubted if he’d reach the finish line. Although, sometimes coming to the end of the race meant doing so without a full team.
Iditarod rules for the 2019 race dictate each team can have a maximum of 14 dogs, but they only need to finish with five on the towline. Reasons a dog may be returned at any one of the checkpoints range and can be as simple as a pulled muscle or a sore toenail.
“People criticize the fact that some of the dogs don’t finish but they don’t need to finish. The idea is to send them home when they’re not having fun anymore,” Mitch said.

[FONT=&quot]Paul Gebhardt mushes his dogs through the snow during the Iditarod Trail Race in Alaska. In 2019's race, musher Mitch Seavey, 59, thinks he has a good chance at winning.EZRA O. SHAW/ALLSPORT[/FONT]A dog being sent home early isn’t the only criticism the Iditarod has faced and some have even called for an end to the “Last Great Race” because of what the competition entails. Having grown up with sled dogs and raised hundreds that are eager to pull Mitch related the canine athletes to marathon runners.
Similarly to asking a person who isn’t trained to run 26 miles, it would be cruel to ask a dog who's been treated like a pampered pet to trek 1,000 miles through the Alaskan terrain. However, the dogs competing in the Iditarod, Mitch said, are being properly conditioned as long-distance athletes, just as marathon runners prepare for a big race.
[h=3]His Favorite Dog[/h]Mitch likened his dogs to little kids, who look to him to provide both the necessities and a constant in a world full of distractions. He was hesitant to name a favorite dog, just as a first-grade teacher wouldn’t name a favorite student, but given that the dogs won’t be reading the article, the musher acquiesced.
Pilot, played a pivotal role on the record-breaking 2017 team and Mitch commented he was likely the best sled dog the musher has had, but the dog began his career as a project. During his early years, Pilot could be classified as neurotic and high strung, but as the two bonded, an intimate level of comfortability developed.
“He comes right to me and I’m his safety zone,” Mitch said. “Everything else in the world is this big stimulus that creates these adrenaline rushes for him.”
[h=3]The Finish Line[/h]After dogs are finished with their Iditarod days, they can still pull tourists across the less-harsh Alaskan terrain through the Seavey family’s tour company. When it comes to his own life on the Iditarod course, Mitch takes a similar approach.
“For now, the working hypothesis is that I will run it as long as I can be competitive doing it. If I run the Iditarod and give it my very best and find I’m falling out of the top of the pack, then I don’t need to do it just for the experience.”






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[3Roosters]

March 7th update.
Aily Zirkle is currently in the front...not necessarily leading as you can see her and 2nd place Martin Buser still have not completed thier required 24hr layover. It appears Aily is taking hers now though in checkpoint Iditarod. Checkpoint Iditarod is mile 432 of the 1000 mile race Martin will probably do the same when he gets there. I am thinking they both are in need of their 24 hr layover. On the gps tracker screen...green means they are moving..brown means they are resting/stopped. Defending champ Ulsom is leading and Jessie Royer looks to have a fast team as well. Kaiser and Petit behind them. Each have thier own game plans so will be interesting to see how this plays out in the hours and days ahead. How are the dogs doing? Are they keeping speed or do i need to rest more? Do i need to drop a dog at a checkpoint-(only as fast as the slowest dog theory) How is the weather/trail ahead? Sleep deprivation shouldnt be a CURRENT issue if just off thier 24hr layover...YET!


- - - Updated - - -

March 7th update.
Aily Zirkle is currently in the front...not necessarily leading as you can see her and 2nd place Martin Buser still have not completed thier required 24hr layover. It appears Aily is taking hers now though in checkpoint Iditarod. Checkpoint Iditarod is mile 432 of the 1000 mile race Martin will probably do the same when he gets there. I am thinking they both are in need of their 24 hr layover. On the gps tracker screen...green means they are moving..brown means they are resting/stopped. Defending champ Ulsom is leading and Jessie Royer looks to have a fast team as well. Kaiser and Petit behind them. Each have thier own game plans so will be interesting to see how this plays out in the hours and days ahead. How are the dogs doing? Are they keeping speed or do i need to rest more? Do i need to drop a dog at a checkpoint-(only as fast as the slowest dog theory) How is the weather/trail ahead? Sleep deprivation shouldnt be a CURRENT issue if just off thier 24hr layover...YET!

 

[3Roosters]

50th annual starts tommorrow. 47-49 racers/mushers and their dog teams,1000ish miles. My hope on the winning team is with either Mitch Seavey, my wife's cousin, or his son Dallas, both multiple winners.

 

[scrotcaster]

Iam pulling for Dallas for some redemption !

 

[3Roosters]

Race is a little over 1/2 way for the leaders this year. 1100 miles.wow. www.iditarod.com