Race Crowd Swell in early Afternoon

As the 2PM start time nears, the crowds swell to the border fences on the starting chute.  Luckily I had a press pass to get through the security gates into the mushers parking lot.  Sun was intense, and I found myself absolutely sweltering in parka and insulated pants.

All this does not escape the attention of mushers who plan to husband the dogs through the afternoon heat, notwithstanding the wild exuberance of the team, at a reasonable speed.   

 

 

In photo on left, note a team with attendant handlers preparing to transfer the team from the lot to the start chute.   The handler crews man radios and I can hear,”Clear the way please, we are getting ready to release team number 6,” while another group waves and gestures the kodakers, which include me, to get out of the way.  Many of these handlers, which are connected to the towline with long leashes are surprised by the power of the dogs.  A few neophytes are pulled off their feet.  Some try to hang in there by dragging on the snow, but most let loose, jog, and catch the team where it is finally stopped by another group of volunteers.   The musher riding on the sled stands on the brake tines with body weight.   A team rolling buy to the start chute has a distinctive sound, the brake tines producing a steady rumble like an avalanche, and the runners on snow with a singing reverbration.

 

Sigrid Ekran, from Norway, helps guide her team to the staging area.  She now lives and trains in Norway, but she also has lived in alaska.  Her team was flown from Norway (at great expense, incidentally because of an onerous set of entry laws in Norway) but many of her dogs originally came from Alaska.   Sigrid is a trim athletic musher,gaining an advantage on the heavier mushers.

I remember Sigrid as a really gritty competitor.  I saw her come into Rainy Pass in a previous race, with black eyes and a broken nose.   Seizing the moment, she defined herself by scarcely mentioning the collision with a tree, and continued racing.

A tutorial on harnesses

The mushers are now on the trail.  Our first indication of musher dominance when we collect times at the first checkpoint of Yetna.   Until then, we have some time for a tutorial on harnesses.     Just for a little mental exercise, I took photos of a few of the adaptions used by different mushers.

The harness is always a topic of discussion with mushers since its obviously the tool by which the power of the dog is transferred to the towline.   Iditarod dogs are universally harnessed and attached to the towline in tandem, which means each set of two dogs is to the right and left of the towline.   That means, a dog is obviously pulling on the left or right side,   This is a physics problem, approached by mushers with a number of strategies.   Note photo one, which displays the classic harness which pull off the hip and the rear of the dog.  Many mushers use this time tested design, but some, including top contenders have designed some interesting variations.

 

 

These dogs can be easily switched from one side to the other, but they are always going to be pulling on their tugs with a slight angle to the towline.  some dogs, interestingly, prefer to pull from one side, possiblly a result of which foot they lead with in their gate.   There are many theories, none of which I would claim to be an expert.   Other dogs can easily work on either side, but it does seem that mushers and dogs often settle on which side of the towline will be their assignment.

 

 

 

In the photo below, you can see another idea in motion.    Here , Snickers and Velvet are wearing harnesses that pull of the middle of the back.  This is John Bakers solution to the physics of power transfer.

Also, while we’re at it, note the calm settled demeanor of these two leaders, and asset that is no accident.  John just had time to tell me that this a trained calmness.  In everything he does, he tries to tell the leaders that its OK to relax.  “I dont know how I do it, but I think they know I want them to just take it easy today. They have been here, they know exactly where they are going and how far it is.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the photo above, note the harness design of Jodi Bailer.  The disadvantage of this unique harness is that she has decide on which side her dogs will work.  If she wants to change sides of the tow line, she’ll have to switch harnesses, an extra piece of work in a busy schedule.

 

Further in the dog yard I notice a dramatic adaption, seen in above photo.  Here, the concession to the towline is dramatic, and of course, the musher is committed to keeping each dog on a designated side of the towline.   Well, its esoteric, but it may help the reader appreciate the finer points of the sport.

 

Dee Dee Jonrow, veteran, and fashion conscious, is shown with her matching outfits for musher and team.  Dee is a perenial favorite and top finisher.  Dimunitive, but skillful on the back of her sled, she does have a challenge with this very fired up team.  A comment on the boots.  Despite warm temperatures, which is generally an indicator its safe to run without boots, mushers are conservatively putting boots on every dog, not taking the chance of an abrasion on their dogs paws.   The strategy is generally to boot every dog, for every mile, of the trail.

 

I included this photo to show Mike just closing the lid on his cooler, which also doubles as his seat.  Moments before, he dumped hot water into a thick plastic bag container kibble and frozen meat chunks.   T
The water will slosh around, eventually forming a hot thick snack.  Three hours, possibly, from the start, Mike will dollop the snack of the snow for a quick husky snack.   The reason he puts the feed in a plastic bag in order to keep the cooler clean.  otherwise, he could risk contaminating the cooking for the race.

 

 

Paul Gebhardt and Hugh Neff, long time friends and competitors with similar strategies exchange regards moment before the start of the race.  I rank both these guys as top ten contenders.   For your information, Hugh Neff is on a role this year, just having won the Yukon Quest , a thousand mile race, this February.

 

 

 

 

Finally, below, note the exquisite artistry in Gebhardts sled.  Paul is a wood worker supreme.  Note the sophisticated seat.

 

One would think, at first, that this sled is dangerous since the musher seats in the middle of the sled.  In a wreck, you can imagine sliding under the sled.  However, the proponents like Mitch Seavey, Jeff King, John Baker, tell me the key is to never stand up in a dicey situation.  “In a bad place, you can usually survive if you keep the center of gravity low—-and just hang on.”   One thing for sure, the sit down sled is marked departure from the classic sled, but it is widely used.  EVen traditionalist Lance Mackey is using one, which is a big endorsement.   Three years ago he might have told you a tail dragger sled like paul Gebhardts was suicidal on a downhill descent.

Finally, a photographic tribute to Dan Seavey, age 74, father of Champ Mitch Seavey, grandfather to race favorite Dallas Seavey, is running the 40th Iditarod to put a star on his race resume.  He also ran the first Iditarod in 1973.  Dan told me his plan is to make it in thirteen days, not an idle statement, since he has been at the mushing game for an adult lifetime.   He was going to take a more manageable twelve dogs, but decided on fourteen, two less than the maximum allowed.

 

Final Thoughts

Check out times later tonight, especially the ones to Yetna.  That will indicate the condition of the trail.  as I mentioned, a 3.5 hour run is fast trail, 5 hours is slow trail.  That will affect strategy.

Secondly, times into Finger Lake will suggest our pack of contenders.