it’s 2pm. Feeling: So unbelievably proud I could burst. I might yet.
Aliy and all 11 team mates are through Safety and are headed this way. Run like the wind! We can’t wait to see you! Was it just me or did you all hit the refresh button 10,000 times also while her tracker said she was stopped in Safety? That was an excruciating few minutes.
Watching the tracker speeds through the blow hole we have to assume it was breezy out there. The weather forecast predicted gusts up to 25 mph during the day and with the amount of snow getting blown around, visibility could have been extremely limited. Aliy knows this area well and knows where she is but it will still have been a battle to get to Safety. But they ‘kept on keeping on’. As Allen says “it’s always something” but the weather gods have not really been on her side this race.
We are all so very proud of what they have achieved in this race, regardless of their final placing. Aliy made bold choices in her race plan and, although it didn’t lead to a win, it showed that audacious and brave decisions can be worth taking. We’re so proud of her that she stuck to her guns and ran THEIR race – the race that best suited her and her team. We are proud of all the dogs, including Commando, Driver and Amber who were benched – their contribution was important. The dogs followed their human leader and did what Aliy asked without question or falter. They trust her not to ask more than they are capable of. It was not only exciting for us to watch, it was awesome and inspiring.
The dogs at home had a message for their mates:
Here is a video Aliy took last year when they were 15 miles from Nome.
We will all head down to the finish line shortly to welcome them home. We will set up the dog yard, laying out sleeping kennels, lining them with fresh straw and readying fleece coats and blankets to tuck them in. Karolyn will make a meal for them to enjoy and we have the finish line steaks thawing. Once they cross the line we will take some time to get everyone situated. We’ll whisk Aliy home for a bath, change of clothes, bowl of chicken and corn chowder lovingly prepared by her sister Kaz, then sleep. The dogs will have a final vet exam, get undressed of racing gear and into their pyjamas, enjoy their meal and a massage before they settle in for a sleep. The wonderful volunteers down at the Nome Dog Lot will keep watch over them when we can’t be there so they are safe and cared for.
I will post when I can but in the meantime keep an eye on the Insider Live Feed, recorded videos and our Facebook and/or Instagram pages.
Returned dog update
Amber and Driver are still out on the trail due to weather. With a few scratched teams out there now also it could take some time to get them home but they will be fine and well take care of. Linda reports about Commando: “I have a new condition to deal with today. I think it’s called huskyitis. It involves having a husky push its head into your chest demanding constant scratches, ysing puppy eyes when I busy myself with other things, and as a last resort, farting“. Good boy Commando – you milk it!
Go Aliy! I am so happy for you and your team! What an amazing journey across the frozen Alaska wilderness with a dog team! And to do so well is wonderful! Go Aliy, you’re almost in Nome!
You are my favorite musher- and I am so happy for you!
YES……OMG…refresh, refresh, refresh…and then she started to move!!! The audio of the dogs with this post put Outlaw into a howl too!!! Go Aliy and the Red Team GO! We are SO proud of you…keep on doing what you do….you got this! SAFETY first as always….Nome will be there when you get there!
Aliy,
Way to go y’all 👏👏👏.
Yes! I hit the refresh button several times when she was in Safety! I was so relieved to see her moving again. Love, love, love the message from the dogs at home! One of my female dogs was sitting on my lap when I was listening to the howl and she gave me a disgusted look, jumped down and left the room 😂. Commando you are freakin awesome and too funny!
Yay, go Aliy!! I, too, refreshed about 10,000 times while she was stopped. Five minutes was way too long to wait. Facebook is down but I’m glued to the tracker and will pull up the live feed in a while so I don’t miss a thing. Great race, Red Team! And keep milking it, Commando!
I have a dog that is very adept at “suggesting” I pay attention in the exact same way – minus the farts (better boy!).
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And I already posted I refreshed the entire time she was in Safety.
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I love the choices she made. I really, really do. I think the cards did not fall her way on timing and position once she reached Ophir, but she showed her grit and skill at over-coming that trail breaking enterprise. Personally, I don’t think it was a mistake to try.
What a post!! Funny about Commando but he needs to milk it for all he can. Will be spoiled when he
gets picked up to go home to Two Rivers. Yes, I refreshed this computer to death almost. Say, her stop and Travis was coming. Will be glad to see them in the chute and see the family there to greet her. Proud of Aliy and all
14 SP Dogs! It takes a team and we fans are happy for all. A big Thanks to the Handling Crew and Moira for the
info in the race. Couldn’t have made it without you all! Hugs and Kisses to all the dogs! Job Well Done!!!!!
I am not sure what we fans would do without your wonderful, timely, joyful reports. You really do capture what’s going on and help us understand it better. I agree with you; bold moves and a great result no matter the place. Poor Linda, maybe you will get some relief if Amber and Driver make it home soon. I am glued to this computer until they cross under the arch (work is done, dinner is ready, and now we watch). Love the Howl.
Yes, I hope Spark enjoyed his visit with sponsor Deb, while we were all refreshing 10,000 times. 🙂
I’m so excited Aliy, Violet, Mismo, Spark, Dutch, Bruno, Decaf, Five, Jefe, Nomex, QT and Rodney are ALL headed to NOME! Soon they will be celebrating with Commando, and hopefully Amber and Driver.
! agree, I couldn’t be more proud of Aliy. She ran an amazing race with CHUTZPAH, without sacrificing her teammates. Aliy is phenomenal!
I see Teacher on the Trail is a “follower” of Aliy too. I can hardly wait to see what he posts.
For now, glued to a tracker and the Live Broadcast.
Thank you Allen, Moira, and even Aliy for adding so much content to all these amazing updates during Iditarod 2019.
We SPK fans are so spoiled!
SO SO PROUD of Aliy and her team! What a fantastic race yet again! Love all of SP Kennel team, how you love your dogs, love what you do and love how you exude “genuine”! Thank you for taking me on a great ride to Nome!!
Go like the wind Aliy. So very proud of you. Go SPK.
Watched live – so wonderful!!! Looking forward to more interviews, online etc. plus Moira’s Magic!!!
Thank you to everyone one, 2 and 4 leggeds who made these last 10 days so exciting!!!
So proud of everyone at SP Kennel, and grateful to have been along with you for the ride!!!
It was thrilling to watch you all reunite under the arch! Congratulations on a race ran well, smart, safe and most of all healthy
11:00 PM, Paige and Matt are in. I am happy Aliy has finished and all the dogs are safe and sad it is over – both. With the exception of Jessica Klejka and Martin Apayauq Reitan, I am not as interested in what happens at the back of the pack as I once was. This is when I really feel Allen’s absence from the race, but – not complaining.
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Thank goodness for March Madness!
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Salut