Races
February 11, 2018 by

Allen just left Carmacks with 14 team mates after resting six hours. He is pumped to get back on the trail and to “get this thing done”.

This break turned out to be longer than the previous run time which is fairly unheard of at this stage of the race. He has purposely been giving the team lots of rest, all race, so they get to the finish line happy and healthy. It also doesn’t hurt to try to keep their speeds up and keep something in the tank because that Smokin’ Ace and Squid are getting closer.

Nomex and Driver snuggle
Violet and Felix nap together

Allen said they will see a little bit of everything on this leg. Some river, some hills, lots of lakes. 15 miles of the trail is common with the final leg so he will take notice of markings and turn-offs.

Whitney from the Visual Content Team interviewed Allen before he left and, without trying to steal her thunder, I will tell you that he told her his biggest high of the race so far is that the dogs are eating everything. It is a big deal to see them eating all you give them as you know they are feeling good and they are well fuelled for the trail ahead. Compared to last year when the dogs got a bug and weren’t eating well, this year must be such a thrill and relief for him.

Their meal this evening was really watery to help hydrate the dogs in this ‘warmer’ weather. Bridgett was nearby and said she wished she had recorded the sound as they all lapped up the water as it was so loud.

As Allen was getting the team ready he had a few ‘foibles’ to deal with. Rodney and Five are both circlers so kept getting tangled around his legs as he was trying to booty them. He had to leave Dutch’s front booties off until the very last minute as he has a tendency of ripping them off for something fun to do, and as he left he brought the team to the exit chute and let them pee. The boys like to mark things so rather than try to get them moving and have to stop a few yards down the trail, he encouraged them to go before he left.

We’ve cleaned up the team’s camp spot and packed the truck so our work here is done. We’ll grab a few hours sleep here as Carmacks is another very handler friendly checkpoint and we can stretch out on the gymnasium floor plus get good food at the “Golden Harness Cafe”. Thanks to the team of volunteers here at Carmacks, you have all worked very hard to keep everything running throughout the day and night.

 

Recent Posts

14 Responses

  • Love the pictures of the snuggling Team Mates! SO glad they are eating well….no nasty stomach bugs this year…phew! Hope the extra rest pays off down the trail with perky pups and lots of speed! Keep an eye on the tracker….go Allen and the Black Team!

  • Yay Allen! Rest those doggies. Those others are cutting rest time, so we’ll see what that does to endurance huh?
    Happy Trails to Braeburn and sont forget your cinnamon bun!

  • Great News that the dogs are really eating! The master at work. Go Get It Done Allen!
    Wonderful SP Team!

  • GO ALLEN AND THE BLACK TEAM! I’m glad that all the athletes are doing great and hopefully the extra rest will give the team more speed going down the trail.

  • Watching the tracker and waiting for updates. Keeping you and the dogs foremost in thought. Continued prayers through to Whitehorse! Have fun!!
    The Straw Ladies

  • Thanks Moira. The extra rest will surely pay off these last few miles. It is great Allen got some rest also. Trouble putting booties on the dogs must put a smile on Allen( as the team is rested enough to be playfull ).
    Go Allen & Black Team!

  • Fantastic! What a year! What a race to this point. Great work Allen, Black Team!! May the Force with you be for this last segment.

  • So exciting to hear how well Allen and the whole team are doing/feeling! Keep up the great work and bring it home strong! 🙂

  • First time leaving a comment, but a five-year follower of this amazing kennel! Allen is looking really awesome this year and so are the pooches! Hoping he crosses the finish line healthy and in first place.

  • Thank you for the pic of Violet and Felix napping together.
    🙂
    Black team now just 7 miles from Braeburn.
    🙂
    Nice to hear the dogs are eating so well.
    I hope you’re in Braeburn now, cuz it looks like the Black team will be arriving in about an hour. 🙂
    Yukon Quest Facebook posted a video with some beautiful video of Allen and our wonderful SPK pups. <3
    Post:
    Twenty-six teams departed Fairbanks, Alaska on February 3rd, 2018 for the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race….

  • What a wonderfully strong and experienced team Aliy has to chose from for her run at the Iditarod this year!

    Things continue to look great for SPK

Comments are closed.