5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Thunderbirds are Go!
Aliy and the Red Team left the starting chute at 11.16am and are now safely on the trail towards the Red Eagle Lodge in Chistochina.
The KCAM live commentary said that once in the chute Aliy was “smiling and taking selfies with the volunteers” so it sounds like she was nice and relaxed which is a good sign. She lead off with Waylon and Lydia – Dutch is just fine and will likely get a chance to lead the team at some stage during the race.
If you refer back to the post Aliy wrote earlier in the week about each dog she said Lydia “will really drive the speed of your team and can be found in lead often when we want to go really fast” so I guess that’s her strategy for the first leg! The commentators said the team sure were ready to go!
Allen and the Black Team got onto the trail at 11.48am just as the sun came up.
The commentators said “It is said to be a fast trail and Allen does well with fast trails. He’s the one to beat.”
The handler team of Chris, Mark and Wes will now head to the checkpoint to await the teams. There is limited internet and cell coverage so we’ll do what we can to get you some details asap.
In the meantime, keep watching the GPS trackers, the CB300 website and the Copper Basin Facebook page for updates.
Aliy is sure moving. I have 12.1 mph at the 14.2 mile marker.
Thanks for the update. Aliy sure has the team that could win it!
Woof, woof, woof!!!
Go Red Team, Go Black Team!!! Go SP Kennel!!!
It was fun listening to the radio stream and also seeing on the map where everyone was listening from! Now on to GPS Tracking!!!
Both SPK teams are fast Keep pushing the pace SPK.