Dogs | Races
March 18, 2020 by

Congratulations Aliy, Dutch Junior, QT, Spark, Decaf, Five, Rodney, Jefe, Cloud, Violet and Amber with important contributions from Chevie, Kodiak and Bruno. They have crossed the line in 18th position at 9.28pm this evening in Nome with a total time of 10 days, 7 hours, 28 minutes, 30 seconds.

They almost missed the chute as Jefe, in swing, spotted some people and dragged everyone onto the sidewalk to greet them. Poor Dutch and Spark in lead could do nothing to combat that!

Behind them was QT and Decaf, Five and Rodney, Cloud and Junior, Amber and Violet. Thanks to Karolyn for her excellent multi-tasking to catch the team, run backwards and video at the same time!

In the Insider Live Feed interview Aliy said that Cape Nome was challenging and she could hardly stand up due to the wind. When asked what she learned during the race she said she “learned that no matter what you just have to stay positive in life, things don’t always go your way – most of the time they don’t go your way – but that’s no reason to just get down and out about it. Stay positive, you’re still out here, you’re still alive, you’re doing what you want to do and put a smile on your face. Suck it up, Buttercup”

While she was talking to reporters you could hear the dogs yelling in the background to get moving again. A wonderful sound and sight at the end of 1000 miles. She was also greeted at the line by Jeff Deeter and Kelly Maixner, who finished ahead of her, which really shows the camaraderie amongst mushers.

This visual coverage from the live feed was a bit of a disappointment due to the blizzard blowing straight at the static camera but between those of us watching we got a few screenshots. Keep an eye out for the Insider Video later tonight.

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Karoyn sent a couple of snaps from the dog yard – more soon but here’s Jefe and little Cloudy at rest.

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Padee is back at the kennel looking after everyone and she went out side to tell them all that the team had crossed the line. They responded…

There are still a bunch of great teams out on the trail so there’s plenty more tracker watching to do to divert attention from all the other stuff going on.

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25 Responses

  • Thanks Padee for the Howl from the homestead!!! Pictures were great! So glad they are all in Nome and can now begin the logistics of making the trek HOME! You done good Aliy and the Red Team!!!

  • Congratulalations Aliy and teammates!!❤️ Neither musher nor dog even looked or sounded tired in the chute. Way to “suck it up buttercup”!! The dog yard howl was a fitting salute. Thanks Padee.

  • Love the howl! Thanks Padee. Congratulations Aliy and the awesome SP Kennel canine team. Great video Karolyn! So glad to know all are safe in Nome and Anchorage. And yes, the sportsmanship among mushers is awesome! Be safe folks. It’s a crazy world we live in right now.

  • Thank you for sharing the pictures, video, and audio clips!!
    Congratulations Aliy!! Great job!!

  • Grateful that champion Aliy has a champ team who provided us all this great coverage!
    A snowstorm blowing our beloved Aliy and pups to the burled arch is an appropriate end to a tough race – she made it!
    The dogs looks great. The celebration howls back home were a perfect ending to this post.
    Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  • You “guys” are an inspiration for all us. Even after 10 days Jefe way laid the team to check things out..LOL. Thanks to the SPKENNEL team for keeping us updated and taking care of everyone, on and off, the trail. Sitting here watching with Beemer and Viper wishing we were there. Well, me anyway. Another journey well done.

  • Way to go Aliy and team!!! Always love seeing you make it to Nome!!! I wasn’t able to watch too much of your journey this year…that thing called “work” got in my way…but I was with you and the team in heart!

    SP Kennel Rocks!!!!
    Crystal Windgassen

  • SUPER run Aliy and RED Team.!!!! We’re glad to see you in Nome. Babe Ruth once said….” Baseball is ment to be fun..If you have a bad day, don’t worry about it…You can’t expect to get a hit in every game. .There will be other days” .

  • There’s that Aliy smile and the only thing left to say is “Good dogs!”

  • Well done and always with such a great attitude. Thanks for being such a great example of a great sport

  • WOOO!! Great job Aliy and the entire team of Dutch,Spark,Junior,QT,Bruno, Five,Rodney,Cloud,Jefe,Kodiak,Amber,Violet,Decaf, and Chevie!

  • WOOO!! Great job Aliy and the entire team of Dutch,Spark,Junior,QT,Bruno, Five,Rodney,Cloud,Jefe,Kodiak,Amber,Violet,Decaf, and Chevie!

  • THAT was an outstanding journey! Thank you so much for sharing. I’ve always been a fan of interest, but when March Madness was cancelled I turned to the race and became a member, a dog sponsor and a fan for life. Watching all the mushers throughout the journey made it feel like you were there in the sled with them. My fav is Jefe. What a guy!!!

  • The screenshots I have are horrible! They kept wiping the camera but he couldn’t keep up. So proud of the team and hearing them bark and jump to get back moving (or was it because they wanted another round of snacks?) was a sight to see. Congrats team! All of you.

  • Love the video and pictures! Thanks Padee for the howl! Congrats to Aliy and Red Team Dogs!

  • Congrats Aliy and team – another incredible adventure. Relax, rest, eat and get ready for the next adventure. High five to my buddy Decaf – well done big guy!

  • Thank you SO MUCH for the captures, photos, audio and video.
    BEST coverage ever right here at SPK Dog Log.
    THANK YOU!
    LOVE YOU!
    Congratulations Aliy and thank you for being YOU!

  • Now l no why l chose Jefe to follow he is just like my Denali 😂Well done Aliy and all her doggie team mates . Sending you a howl from Melbourne ,Australia

  • Hahahahaha! Isn’t that the truth? The ‘things don’t usually go the way we want’? Aliy you are SPOT ON with “you’re still alive, you’re still out here and you’re still doing what you want to do so suck it up, buttercup” omg I laughed and laughed. We have to laugh or else life would just be boring. Sad and boring. The fact that you are saying ‘be positive, look at what you have to be grateful for’ speaks volumes. We all can’t win. It’s a hard lesson. But we can continue showing up, continue smiling and continue trying. SP Kennel keeps showing up and keeps doing great. The 4-legged team members are well cared for and happy. You may not think 18th is great because you were shooting for first or at least top ten. But If long distance racing was easy then there’d be a LOT more people living that lifestyle. It’s not easy. None of it is. It’s 355 days of unending work for 10 days of racing. And because of (insert huge list of things that can and do go wrong in a long race including dogs that may not go as fast as you want), we don’t always finish where we want. But you and Allen can hold your heads high because you’re both still out there doing your best with smiles on your faces and darn it, your dogs are smiling, too.

  • CONGRATULATIONS ALIY as this years Winner of the Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award !!! What an honor !!! We thank you for taking the time to upload all of the awesome pictures and videos of the Greatest Race on Earth. Thank you also for posting all of the many POST Cards from (well sort of), NOME. We once had a card mailed to us from N.Y., and it arrived over three years later. Don’t worry, they will get mailed when `THINGS’ settle down. Take care of those magnificent four legged haulers out there, and REST ! Best wishes to you, Alan, and all of the TEAM members up there. Keep safe.

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