CB300: Day 0 – Final Preparation

The team made it safely down to Glennallen ready for the start of the CB300 Saturday morning at 10am. It is cold. It’s really cold, and forecast to stay cold for the duration of the race. All mushers and handlers will be well prepared for the weather and you can keep an eye on the weather in Glennallen with this link here.

First stop for the team was to hand-in Aliy’s drop bags that the volunteer crew will take ahead of the mushers to the checkpoints. It is always a very well organised procedure and the crew were in and out in no time. Because of the forecast, Aliy will have packed more fatty snacks for the dogs as they prefer poultry skins and fat balls in the colder weather than, for example, fish which they prefer when it is warmer. She will also have extra fleece blankets for checkpoint sleeping, fresh insulated coats to ensure the dogs have dry coats to change into if needed as well as extra gear for herself.

After that Aliy checked in to race HQ and the dogs all received a pre-race veterinarian check. Every dog that starts the race will have been thoroughly checked over by the volunteer race vets to ensure they are in good condition, are carrying enough body fat and are fit and healthy to start. There will be vets on hand at every checkpoint to ensure dogs stay healthy throughout the race also. All our athletes passed their pre-race check and are rearing to go.

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After a hefty dinner for both humans and dogs, the crew went up to the musher/handler meeting where they heard from the race officials to update on the trail, checkpoint procedures and other critical information. Mushers also drew their bib numbers and Aliy and team have drawn bib lucky number 13 so will be leaving the start line at 10:24am on Saturday. With 27 mushers starting, Aliy and team will need to take an extra 28 minutes to make up as time differential (to even out the staggered start) when they take their six-hour mandatory break, wherever she chooses to take it.

Last thing tonight the dogs will get to stretch their legs and do their ablutions, Karolyn and crew will apply the triple-antibiotic foot ointment to every paw (that’s 48 paws at -40F!) and give them a few snacks before leaving them to sleep the night, ready to go in the morning. The crew will also try to get a good night of sleep as they won’t get much for the next few days!

Remember to book mark the GPS tracker to watch progress, this website for SPK updates and KCAM for live race updates over the weekend!

Final team roster in the morning!