Jeff and his team had a great time on the Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race. Here’s his dog-by-dog wrap-up of the race.
Daisy – Daisy was my MVD. She led the whole 210 miles, through some jumble ice, overflow, and some glacier sections of the race. Daisy got me into and out of all the check points and never slowed down. She was happy for the whole race and a positive attitude like that is contagious for both the dogs and the musher.
Commando – Commando led the whole way until Eagle. Leaving Eagle he lost some of his pep, Maybe it was due to the warm weather so I moved him back one position to swing. He seemed happy there and pulled hard the rest of the way, assisting and the lead dogs on some of the more technical sections of the trail.
Willie – Willie is “The Man.” He can run anywhere on the team and be happy doing it. He reminds me of a handy man. If theres a dog not doing the job in certain position put him in it and he can fix it. Willie led the second half of the race, and come across the finish line as a leader.
Kodiak – Kodiak ran in swing for the whole race while battling a foot issue since the start. At each check point he was wanting to go on and his line never went slack. Kodiak was an asset in swing since he is a seasoned leader and he assisted Daisy and Willie when the trail got difficult. Kodiak proved to be the toughest dog on my team and I am very proud of him.
Picture by Claus Vogel
Perky – Perky’s name suited him during this race. He was the most vocal and enthusiastic about getting back on the trail after spending time in the check points. Although he always worked hard, he made it very obvious that he was having a fun time on the Yukon River. Coming across the finish line he was still full of energy and wanted to say hi to everyone observing. Good Job Perky!
McCaw – McCaw was the muscle of the team. He worked hard and helped keep the sled on the trail while we traversed some side hills. McCaw never slowed down and never wanted to stop.
Amber – Amber was that one dog who I didn’t have to worry about during the race. She was the constant grinder on the team. I never saw her line go slack once and when come across the finish line she was still jumping to go. She was a great role model for all these younger dogs to look up too.
QT – QT seemed to have a never ending supply of energy and always had a good attitude. She loped the whole time and always wanted to go faster. Being a smaller dog and in the wheel position she would sometimes jump up to look out over the team to see what was ahead of them which made me laugh.
Bruno – Bruno was also the braun of the team. He ran in wheel the whole race and muscled the sled around as we traversed some side hills. Bruno worked hard and never faltered. He was also the best eater on the team and would sometimes try and steal his sisters (QT) snacks on the trail.
What a terrific report – it was so great to see “just one more race” and the marvelous performance by the R&B 2 and 4 legged athletes!!!
The video of the ending of the race posted previously was super!!! I was so happy to see yet one more race…
Thanks ever so much, Jeff and Jeri. Awesome!!!
I absolutely love the team reports at the end of any race that SPK is in.My favorite part as I feel its an introspective look inside the team and I actually feel like I am getting to know the dogs a little better. Thank you and good job Jeff !! ps did Aliy do a team wrap up on Iditarod yet? Not sure as I have been out of touch. Anyway thanks again for all you do.Great job this year Moira!!
Thanks, Jeff, for a great wrap up! It sounds like you and the pups had a wonderful journey! I am so happy that the team had a great experience and am extra happy that Willie seemed to have a blast! I was so tickled to see him cross the finish line in lead looking so happy and proud of himself, as he should be! Great job, Jeff, Jeri and team! Thanks for sharing this with us, Moira!
Nice wrap up, Jeff. A much appreciated insight into the team. I’m going to call Bruno “Brauno” now!
Best wishes for a great off-season to all.
Way to go Daisy and “Fix It” man Willie!!! Sounds like everyone did their portion without issue….what a fun run that must have been! Im looking forward to seeing how the young pups perform next year after this solid year of gaining race experiance! Well done Jeff!
Terrific wrap up! Oh, sweet Willie and Daisy I had the confidence that she could do it! And Perky
he will be a contender for next year for SURE! Stay well doggies and rest up! Thanks to Jeff for
his help in training and the run this year. Well done for sure Jeff!
Daisy and WIllie looks so proud to be in front of the Red and Black team.
It sounds like all the youngster did a fantastic job too.
Thank you for the awesome recap Jeff.
Awww, they all have their strengths and personalities huh? Great to read about each one. Sounds as they all enjoyed this race!
Thank you Jeff for the race re-cap and team highlights and analysis!! It’s great to get an insightful look into each individual dog’s performance and to hear about the strengths of each. It’s also fun to hear about their unique personalities and attitude. Well done R&B Team. Special shout out to Kodiak for “toughing it out” despite the foot issue and Sweet Willie who looked mighty sharp in lead!
Such a fun race to end with. Love the handyman description on Willie! Way to go Daisy! QT, I totally understand…being a short person myself I sometimes have to jump, or stand on my tippy toes to see what’s going on ahead. All the other wrap up dog reports were awesome too. Beautiful photo by Claus Vogel of this awesome team!
Thanks, Jeff, for the information on the athletes! I love hearing about the dogs’ personalities and performances. It sounds like all the dogs did amazing and performed their best in the race. I’m glad you all had a fantastic race! Good dogs, Daisy and Willie, for finishing the race in lead!
Your the best dog sled racer. I’m your Biggest fan ever.my favorite dogs are iron,Olivia, and cloud.🐶