Laura Neese at Nature’s Kennel
Running a marathon sled dog race like the Iditarod or Yukon Quest starts with a dream that eventually comes true with a lot of planning, preparation, practice and perseverance. When I met Laura Neese, she was standing with her dogs at Nature’s Kennel in the UP of Michigan and one might say she was living her dream. A home school graduate, Laura has been focused on running sled dogs since the age of nine. She fulfilled the literature component of her home school course by reading northern adventure books. Among other great stories of peril and excitement Laura has read Shackelton’s Endurance, Libby Riddle’s Race Across Alaska and Pam Flower’s Alone Across the Arctic. Undoubtedly Cruelest Miles written by the Salisbury cousins is in her library as well as Jack London’s Call of the Wild, South Pole by Roald Amundson and Come North with Me by Bernt Balchen.
Laura is 19 years of age and has a passion for sled dogs and a dream to mush long distance. As a youngster, she asked her parents for an Alaskan husky. Not much later two Siberians joined that husky. The trio grew into a larger team when a neighboring musher sold his team. From there Laura began breeding her own dogs. She intends to become a veterinary tech and has already completed some of the anatomy and physiology credits for the degree.
Laura has been working for Ed and Tasha Stielstra at Nature’s Kennel where she’s had the opportunity to learn from professional dog driver and Iditarod finisher, Ed Stielstra. He’s made the trip to Nome with a dog team multiple times.
Working with a professional musher brings her closer to the starting line on 4th and “D” in Anchorage for Iditarod or Fairbanks (Whitehorse) for the Yukon Quest. Laura has completed all qualifying races and has an impressive list of mid-distance races behind her. She’s taken full advantage of learning while doing at the kennel.
Why, has Laura set her sights on racing 1,000 miles over the most beautiful, the most rugged and at times the most unforgiving, forsaken and treacherous land on earth? Her response had nothing to do with the glamorous romantic notions some might entertain. She wants to raise dogs and train herself as well as her huskies to be successful in the challenging environment Iditarod or Yukon Quest delivers. Neese feels the call to race in the country that raised Libby Riddles, Susan Butcher, DeeDee Jonrowe, Jessie Royer, Aliy Zirkle and others to heroine and role model status for girls and women around the world. Laura desires to fashion the deep and incredible connection between musher and canine that the preparation for and participation in an event like Iditarod or Quest creates.
A year into the Dream – it’s happening! Laura says, “It’s amazing how it’s come together. Back in Ohio it was my dream to run Iditarod when I was old enough. Originally I came up to Nature’s Kennel to be a tour guide but then, I’d been here about two weeks and I told Ed how I was looking to go to AK and handle. I figured the UP would be a stepping stone and I’d move north. Ed offered me the opportunity to not only handle for him but to train with him and do qualifiers for the marathon races. Running qualifiers was amazing – an affirmation that this (long distance) is what I really wanted to do, be there with the dogs and experience sleep deprivation. At the end of every race I was always sad it was over.”
Training and racing this past season has provided Laura with many valuable experiences. Specifically she mentioned the Canadian Challenge. It’s a 340 miles race. Neese said the bond between the dogs and me really solidified. It’s hard to say why it felt that way. Maple, a three year old who leads, is Laura’s go to dog. She grew into the position at a young age and by the end of last season was helping to train other leaders. Maple is slated for Neese’s Quest team.
Laura and handlers left the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to head to the Yukon Quest start in Fairbanks on Jan 20th. The plan was to be there two weeks before the start. Laura will run the Quest then return to the kennel. Laura heads to the Can-Am Race and Ed leaves with his team for Iditarod. He’ll take a few of my best dogs to Iditarod. Laura’s Quest bunch will consist of two and three year old dogs..
Laura really appreciates working with Ed as her coach. She says, “We both have a similar work ethic and he’s very efficient in working with the dogs. That makes it easy because we’re sort of the same kind of people. He’s always there for support and to offer ideas. We debrief, talk about what went right, what could have gone better and what I could do to improve and handle situations differently.”
In asking Ed, what Laura brings to Nature’s Kennel and the sport of Mushing he replied, “She’s honest and she has tremendous work ethic. I knew she was something special when I’d get back from an evening training run and there’d be a headlamp in the dog yard. It’d be Laura lovin’ up the dogs or trimming nails. I can ask her to do something and it’ll be done as well as I would do it myself. She sees things to do and takes initiative to do them.” Stielstra also added that Laura is a quick study and naturally bonds with the canine athletes.
On February 17th Laura and her team of 9 healthy happy huskies crossed the Yukon Quest finish line in Whitehorse. She’s referred to by the Yukon Quest reporter as the 19-year-old rookie sensation. In a phone conversation with Laura, she praised her leaders, especially Maple on the ascent of Eagle Summit. She said there were four teams ahead of her and they were moving very slowly. Laura said her dogs would have none of that. They caught one team after the other, weaved around them and led the pack to the top. At the finish line, Laura’s comments about the storm mushers experienced on the way to Dawson clearly indicated that she embraced the challenge, “It was fun.” As for the future, Neese plans to return for the 2017 Quest and possibly making it a distance double with Iditarod.
Laura Neese before the Yukon Quest in Fairbanks
After the Quest, mentor and coach Ed Stielstra said, “I can’t remember a time when I have been more proud of a human than I was seeing the video of how great Laura’s team looked at the finish line of the Quest (Whitehorse). Our goals for the race were for her to learn as much as possible and to feel really good about the condition of her dogs in Whitehorse. She definitely accomplished both. Her love of dogs is admirable, passion for life is contagious and work ethic is second to none.”
In praise of Laura’s first thousand mile race Tasha Stielstra said, “Laura’s performance in the Quest was fantastic. The dogs feed off her positive and upbeat energy. Just compare it to a teacher in a classroom who has great control over the class and does that with positive energy because the students really like what they are do. Kids work really hard for a teacher who respects them, believes in them and maintains that positive attitude even though there may be “storms” brewing around them. Laura has the natural gift of good dog sense. Quitting is not a part of who Laura is. She keeps on going and going no matter what the obstacle and she does it with a positive attitude. Laura has certainly worked hard to make herself into a marathon musher, but she was also born with a gift.”
After departing Whitehorse to return to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Neese said, “Long distance mushing is definitely what I love. Being out there with my dogs is what it’s all about. There are far fewer checkpoints in the Quest than Iditarod so you have to be prepared, having everything with you. I really like the solitude and sharing those places with my dogs.”
Just one last question for Laura, “Who is your role model?” Laura replied, “Ernest Shackleton for his ability to lead and solve problems.” Laura has chosen well and has demonstrated Shackleton’s strengths in her first mushing marathon. At the finish line, Laura knew the bittersweet feeling of triumph for a job well done as well as gloominess for an extraordinary experience coming to an end.
