March 6 Monday 12 noon Pike’s Landing

Check out the interviews and images on Insider Video 

Luckily, I have an Iditarod security badge which allows passage through the security of the start chute to the Musher staging area.  In a three to four acre clearing, about a quarter mile from the start chute, trucks and trailers are arranged logically in a circle.  Big start numbers are to the front and the early numbers to the rear so trucks can exit immediately after their mushers depart.

Now, once in the inner sanctum I see the Incredible 4x champ Lance Mackey perusing dog teams.  He is very studious as he is a spectator this year and I love his running commentaries.  If you know Lance, you would immediately suggest he start his own radio show.  At that moment, Martin Buser, our number 15 competitor, appears with entourage very professionally restraining his team with ropes the size of anchor lines on a cruise ship. 

“Look at that team.  See how balanced they are?”  Lance looks at me, then adds, “Well, they’re Martin Buser’s Team.”  (The 4x champ Buser is known for his very racy team, often characterized by a shorter coat which enables the dogs to function well in warmer temperatures.)  Lance studies the team. Buser’s is defintely an eye-catcher.

“I am going in a different direction and breeding a dog I got from Russia.”   Compromised by his radiation treatments for cancer, Lance is always looking for a low maintenance sled dog that does not require coats or dog boots at cold temperatures.  He tells me this dog sleeps outdoor on the snow, rarely uses his dog house, and can travel with his race team.   The sport is in constant state of experimentation.

the nicely balanced team of 4x Martin Buser

Following closely in position #16 we see Mitch Seavey.   Iditarod historians remember that father Mitch Seavey and son Dallas Seavey  have dominated the race for this decade.   Lance wants to look at Mitch’s newly designed sled.  In response to some esoteric rule changes, Mitch has constructed a sled with two boxes lined with straw which can be used to rest team members.   Both Mitch and Dallas often rest key dogs in the team, thinking that they might as well lets dogs rest rather than standing on the brake to slow the entire team.    Mitch, for the detail minded, has a unique system, modeled after early freight team harnesses, that theoretically allow his pullers more direct contact pull with the towline.

a view over the shoulder of Mitch Seavey at the start line

As if it could get any better,  the present Iditarod champ Dallas Seavey and team stage out of the dog lot in position #18.   Lance and I take a look at his very unique sled which has a conspicuous storage supersturcture made of carbon fibers.   Dallas tells us briefly that it houses all his necessary trail gear and also incorporates two spaces with straw which can house two resting dogs.  Dallas likes the strategy of alternately resting dogs while running. He may for example, strategically rest two leaders for the next run, while his other 14 chargers pull the load.

WEll, what do we think?  Elegant, brilliant, must have been a little spendy?   I personally like the smooth lines.  Walking beside him on the quarter mile trail to the start, Dallas tells me that his sled resonates like a big base drum.  When he does step on the brake, I hear a subtle low frequency rumble.  Makes you wonder what it’s going to be like on the trail tonight about fifty miles from the nearest human influence.

the carbon fiber sled bag of dallas seavey

Lance and I found the smooth lines of the sled well-crafted, the roomy dog kennels brilliant, and the organizational layout  very useful.  Dallas is the guy to beat.

Later I see Dallas’ mom Jeanine and she tells me that Dallas, who lives in Willow, almost 200 miles from the Sterling kennel of his dad Mitch, developed his sled bag completely independent of his father. Mitch worked on his independently.  “We knew all about the projects, but we never told Mitch, and we never told Dallas.”

After all this excitement I return to the dog yard and find John Baker, number #65, still quite leisurely waiting to exit to the trail.   The 2011 champ has eleven of his best dogs and six he has leased from Lance Mackey.  Its a good team and he believes the extra addition of Mackey power will give him an edge.  So I ask him about training and he reveals that he has kind of settled on an economic physiological speed of travel.  Oh yeah, what’s that? “I know 8 1/2 miles seems a little slow, but I think you can win if you maintain it.”

Looking ahead——early morning negative 30 now moderating to -16f and climbing.   We are departing to Nenana and expect the first musher about 

6pm Alaska.