Running the Percy was such a great way to close the race season! The dogs and I had so much fun on 200 miles of Yukon River running. The weather was sunny and clear, so temps were warm during the day and chilly in the early morning hours. As with most of the races this season, the trail was hard and fast. We finished in a little over 20 hours. The Percy veterans were quick to remind me, however, that there have been years when the winning time was something like 74 hours. That sure puts into perspective how widely race conditions can vary year to year.
This was a totally different kind of race than I’ve run before, being almost entirely on the river. The Yukon has such long, sweeping bends that it feels like you can see forever. I could see other teams from so far away, both in front of and behind us. But the visual expanse plays tricks on your mind… is that team wayyyyyyy up there pulling away from us? Or are we gaining on them? Is that a team coming around the bend behind us? Or is that just a couple of rocks? You end up racing yourself, in a way. In the end, it seemed that the best strategy was just to keep a nice steady clip, keep everyone happy and healthy, and try not to worry too much about what other teams were doing.
I left the starting line with reliable SCRUGGS and confident CLYDE in lead. The Percy volunteers had thoughtfully constructed a snow trail down the center of King Street, but Scruggs and Clyde had more fun running right next to the sidewalk, sending spectators diving out of the way and nearly taking out a camera tripod. I was chuckling at their shenanigans as we dropped down onto the beautiful Yukon and left the crowd behind. Our run to Fortymile was gorgeous. A happy BEEMER and enthusiastic WILLIE (pictured right) ran in swing, followed by vocal VIPER in single behind them. The freight train, MAC (“Mac Daddy,” as we affectionately call him) ran alongside a hard-working OUTLAW, while happy-go-lucky IZZY and her papa, BISCUIT (pictured below left), who loves his job more than any sled dog anywhere, ever, brought up the rear. I ski-poled lightly and enjoyed watching the scenery pass by while the dogs stretched out.
Fortymile cabin was a perfect place to let the dogs lounge around in the sun and rest for a couple of hours. They drank water, nibbled on a meal and snacks, and snoozed while I enjoyed a fresh cinnamon bun and changed my runner plastic. Everyone was perky and wanting to go by the time our two hours were up. I moved a couple of dogs around and we took off toward Eagle.
We crossed from Canada into Alaska before dark, passing between the two countries’ flags that had been placed on the river. The flags were such a cool, and unexpected, touch of civilization to encounter on a long stretch of wilderness. Our run to Eagle was pretty smooth despite the several miles of glare ice that we encountered (and had been warned about). I’d stopped briefly before the border to remove the dogs’ front booties, in hopes that this would reduce the likelihood of anyone slipping and hurting a shoulder. Another unique aspect of the Percy is that there is no opportunity to drop a dog (other than temporarily, at Fortymile, where they would have to be picked up again on the return trip). Injuring a dog would mean having to carry them, so I wanted to be especially careful to avoid this.
We pulled into Eagle shortly after dark, and found friendly volunteers, good food, and a warm place for mushers to nap. I rubbed the dogs down while they munched on snacks, and they quickly settled in to maximize their rest. It was obvious that this team has been racing all season. They knew the drill and rested like the pros that they are. I went inside for a quick nap myself, laying down directly next to the wood stove, as is my habit.
Six hours later, SCRUGGS and VIPER led us out of Eagle and through the bush trail that leads back down to the river. It was windy and pretty cold on the river, so I stopped at the border again to put wind jackets on a few dogs. The team enjoyed the cooler weather, though, and that combined with a six-hour rest put a serious spring in their step all the way back to Fortymile.
As the dogs and I approached Fortymile on the return trip, all ten of us shifted into race mode. The dogs looked fantastic, I felt good, and there was a team stopped briefly at the checkpoint. We decided to blow through and start racing for the finish.
The last 50 miles of the race went by quickly, even though the day was starting to heat up as the sun rose higher. I ski-poled consistently, all ten of us spurred on by the tiny glimpses we caught of the team ahead of us (or was that a distant rock we were chasing?). I don’t know if the tracker picked up on it, but we did take a brief detour about 15 minutes before reaching the finish. Following a set of trail markers (left over from the Quest, and not intended for our race, as it turns out), I called “haw” to SCRUGGS (pictured right) and VIPER. They hesitated for only a split second, giving me that, “Are you sure?!” look, but they obliged because they’re good, honest dogs. Uphill and away from the river we went, running through Moosehide Village and losing probably 10 minutes before dropping back down onto the river, where we should have stayed all along. I laughed at myself and apologized to the team, who had already returned to the main objective of getting to the finish line as quickly as possible. We crossed the finish line in 5th place (luckily, not having lost a position despite my detour) with Josh waiting to lead us back to the truck for a meal and some shade. Later, as I pulled booties and harnesses off, I thought about how these dogs had just come off a grueling Iditarod with Aliy and Allen. Now they’d just taken me on what turned out to be a 200-mile sprint. And I couldn’t help thinking… there is nothing these dogs can’t do.
– Meghan
