Karolyn and her team will start the YQ300 wearing bib 63. Don’t be alarmed – there are not 63 teams! The YQ300 bibs start at 51 to distinguish them easily from the YQ1000 teams, so they will leave the chute as number 13 – at 3:36pm AKST (tbc).
Karolyn shared a great story about why number 63 could be a lucky number for her and have some good karma attached. Shortly after she adopted her Shepherd Rey, the Humane Society called her asking if she wanted to or knew anyone that wanted to adopt a sled dog that was wearing a YQ tag with the number 63. Allen helped her figure out, via the YQ, his original owner who had adopted him out. A short while later she received an email from his original owner saying they were working with the Humane Society to get him home again. Karolyn said “So hopefully that’s good luck 😬 plus lucky 13”. We reckon that earns Karolyn heaps of brownie points and good vibes for the trail.
Earlier in the day Karolyn and Aliy took her squad to have their veterinarian checks by the volunteer vet crew. The YQ300 dogs undergo the same extensive vet exam as the YQ1000 dogs to ensure they are fit and healthy to start the race. As with the 1000 milers, they will also have vet checks throughout the race to make sure they remain fit and healthly. Lisa was there to grab some pictures and you might recognise Karolyn’s Dad there also – family have travelled up here to support her in this race.
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Lisa also captured part of Junior’s vet check – this is the physical exam, heart and lung check. Junior’s weight, temperature and microchip was also checked. You’ll hear the vet giving Junior a “hefty 5” body score – for a dog that came off a COLD CB300 and into a cold YQ300 that is great body condition. She is definitely “Olivia Junior” in that respect as her mum Olivia was often mistaken for being pregnant during races, such was her ability to hold onto body condition.
Tonight was the Start Banquet and Bib Draw for the Yukon Quest. Padee and Bridgett captured some images from the evening for you.
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The first act of the evening was the presentation of colors by UAF US ARMY ROTC followed by Eve Baker who did a stunning job with the national anthems of Canada and USA. David Booher, Youth Director of the First Presbyterian Church did the invocation – blessing the dogs, mushers and the race. Jim Matherly, the Mayor of the City of Fairbanks and Colonel Christopher Ruga, Ft Wainwright Garrison Commander officially welcomed mushers, teams, volunteers and supporters.
Marti and Shayna who are the Executive Directors of the Quest (Alaska and Yukon respectively) reiterated the welcome and told those present a bit about the race and sponsors.
The packed house then got to enjoy a roast chicken dinner (winner, winner, chicken dinner…?), called to the buffet table by checkpoint – each table was designated a checkpoint to stagger the hungry hordes.
After dinner the veternarian team and officials were introduced before each musher took to the stage to draw their bib for the race and determine their start time. Allen was the last to draw a number from the bunny boot as he was the last team to sign up for the race. The other mushers left him bib number 4. He and the Black Team will leave the start chute at 11.09am AKST (tbc). Here is his speech, thanks to Lisa for recording.
You’ll hear Allen tell us that is “Quest Guest” for the first couple of miles of the race will actually be six people – his daughters Bridgett and Jennifer plus their kids Jacob, Timber, Khloe and River! Quite a family celebration.
Earlier in the day the mushers had meetings with the officials, including the vet team, race officials and the trail team. You can read the trail report here. This of course will be updated as the race progresses and mushers are kept abreast of any changes. Mike Reitz, Trail Coordinator for the Alaskan side said the trail is in excellent shape this year, with plenty of snow coverage, very little overflow and virtually no jumble ice. Mushers were cautioned to keep an eye out for wildlife, however, as the trailbreakers reported high levels of moose and caribou activity in several areas. Jodi Bailey was the armchair musher last year and wrote this great article on overflow and jumble ice for those interested to find out more.
Tomorrow is all about YQ300 and we’ll bring you pics and updates on what happens.
As mentioned in our earlier post – the lead up to the YQ is busy! Here’s what we’ve been up to so far.
Meet the mushers
This evening was the Fairbanks Meet the Mushers event and it was hugely popular, with locals and visiting fans filling the function room. The line for signatures, selfies and hand shakes snaked around the room and there were tonnes of youngsters there meeting their mushing heroes. This year’s race poster features a fantastic pic by Whitney McLaren, one of the Quest visual content team.
Padee was there tonight and captured some of the action for you.
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Vet checks
Dr Tamara Rose completed the pre-race veterinarian checks of 16 dogs that were still in the running to make Allen’s team for the 1000 mile race. Every dog in the race must pass the thorough pre-race check before they can leave the start line. Mushers must also sign a medical declaration that the dogs are not on any banned medications.
Dr Rose checked each dogs vitals and completed a full hands-on examination of muscles, joints and skin. Every dog got a body condition score, similar to what your local vet does with your dogs. It is a well known scoring system that enables different vets to keep a track of a dog’s condition throughout the race. The dogs also had their microchips checked and recorded, again so different vets can easily identify a dog through the race. Vaccinations were signed off as up to date as required.
Throughout the race the vet teams stationed at every checkpoint, dog drop and hospitality stop will evaluate the dogs and consult with the musher if they have any questions or concerns. There are four compulsory hands-on vet checks of each dog at mandatory rest checkpoints – the first at either Mile 101 or Central, one at Eagle, one in Dawson during the 36 hour layover and the final one at Braeburn. The vet team also does a finish line exam before they are ‘signed off’ from the race.
Banquet and Bib Draw
Tomorrow is the Start Banquet and Bib Draw – we’ll update you about that on Friday.
We’ve talked about all the Racers at SP Kennel. What about the youngsters? As you might know we have three excited, ready to rock-n-roll Yearlings here at the kennel. While they do not have the large training miles that the Racers do, they have been out and about. All three are natural athletes but all three are unique.
Gravy is now ENORMOUS. Chubby, tall, fluffy, handsome fellah.
Bill is a crazy, drooling, blue-eyed hyper pup.
Wu is a kind and gentle, wanna please, doe-eyed boy.
Here they are helping train Kodiak, Sanka and Nomex only 10 days before the Yukon Quest start. These three adults needed to go on a shorter training run than the longer runs that both Allen and Karolyn went on that day. So Aliy and this team went on a fun, six-dog meander along the Two Rivers trails.
What a great team!
Kodiak and Sanka in lead, Gravy (left) and Nomex, then Wu (left) and Bill.
It is less than a week until our teams will head off down the Yukon Quest trail from Fairbanks. Here’s what’s happening between now and then.
TIMETABLE
Later today Dr T Rose will come out to the kennel to complete veterinarian checks on 16 possible 1000 mile dogs. YQ veteran mushers have the option of getting vet checks done privately and Dr Rose knows us and our dogs well. Every dog that runs in the Yukon Quest must pass a thorough check to ensure they are physically fit and able to start the race. We’ll share some pics and updates from the checks tomorrow.
Here’s some pics from 2018 vet checks to give you the idea.
Wednesday evening is the Fairbanks Meet the Mushers event at the La Quinta Inns and Suites where locals and visiting fans get a chance to get up close and personal with their favourite mushers. It is also the first chance the mushers get to catch up with each other, some having not seen each other since the race last year. It is a fun, social environment and if you are in Fairbanks on Wednesday come along! You can purchase Quest merchandise including T-shirts, race guides and posters and get them signed by the mushers.
On Thursday, Allen is busy with musher meetings where the competitors will hear from the officials, the veterinarian crew and will get a detailed update from the trail crew who have spent weeks putting in the trail from Fairbanks to Whitehorse. They will be listening closely for reports of overflow, hazards, reroutes etc.
Thursday will also be the dogs’ last stretch out run before the race and as tempting as it is to wrap them in cotton wool a week or two out from the race it is not the best idea for the dogs. They’ll enjoy a run on Thursday then be rearing to go on Saturday.
Thursday evening is the Start Banquet and Bib Draw where Allen will draw his bib number that ascertains the team’s starting order. It’s also a chance for mushers to say a few words to introduce their team and thank their sponsors and supporters. We’ll keep you updated with that.
Friday is all about the Yukon Quest 300. Karolyn and Aliy will take all the possible YQ300 dogs to the Quest-organised vet checks with the vet crew that will be on the trail. They will receive the same thorough checks that the 1000 mile dogs did earlier in the week. Friday afternoon is YQ300 musher and handler meetings and the bib draw will be conducted there. We’ll let you know when Karolyn and her team will be leaving the start chute.
Saturday is ‘go time’. At 11am AKST the 1000 mile teams will leave from downtown Fairbanks at three minute intervals and head towards the first checkpoint at Two Rivers. At 3pm the YQ300 teams will do the same. From there our job is to hit the refresh button a million times until they finish the race (hmm, I wonder if there is some way to record that?).
COVERAGE GUIDE
I say it every time, but just a reminder that we will be giving SPK-centric updates right here. You might be surprised to learn there are other mushers in the race if you only follow us but we can’t possibly update you on everyone so you might like to check out the Yukon Quest website and their social media accounts – Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. Their visual content team is superb and will keep you updated about the race as a whole. You’ll find checkpoint updates, photos and some live feeds there. The official checkpoint times and current standings can also be found on their website here.
Andy Pace is the Quest’s armchair musher this year and he is not only a veteran of the race but also an excellent writer so make sure you catch up with his regular column on the YQ website.
Is is a good idea to bookmark the two GPS trackers – for the 1000 mile race the link will become active closer to the time. Click here for the YQ300 tracker.
Moira is still in NZ and following from the warmth of a southern hemisphere summer – her first in eight years. She is also working her day job during the race so we’ll cover the race a little differently – more like our Iditarod coverage in that we will give you a morning and evening update. We have handlers on the ground who will send through updates, photos and video to Moira but remember that for the most part the race travels through the wilderness of Alaska and Yukon. Reliable cell coverage or wifi might not be available and we might not always get the message through. We’ll keep you updated as quickly as we can of any returned dogs but we appreciate your patience as sometimes that info can take time.
Keep an eye on our social media also – Facebook and Instagram – where we might post some original content (our Twitter is not that active).
We hope you enjoy following along with us. We enjoy bringing you coverage and look forward to travelling the trail with you.
SP Kennel is full of individuals. Dogs and mushers. Even though it would be easier if everyone fit the same mold… they don’t! Our conditioning and training program follows this same theory as well: every one is an individual.
The challenge at this time of the season – for any athlete on any team – is trying to be as fit, healthy and happy that they can possibly be. The most fit and healthy dogs will obviously be the most successful on any race. For the start of the Yukon Quest and the YQ300 we will need 26 race dogs in order to have full teams. We have 30 race dogs in training.
You might be someone who watches ESPN or Sports Stations or maybe just a one-time Super Bowl spectator. Or you might be an avid fan of a certain sports team – whether it be soccer, rugby, football, basketball – you might know the ins and outs of your team and the individual athletes. If you are into football you may have watched the Kansas City Chiefs sit out their All Star quarterback after a knee injury early in the season. But, Patrick Mahomes is back after taking several weeks off and his team is playing in the Super Bowl. Or you may follow the basketball superstar, Steph Curry, who is a three time NBA Champion, but fell on his hand in late October 2019 and is still sitting on the bench for the Golden State Warriors. Even the famous women’s soccer star, Megan Rapinoe, had a hamstring injury just before the Finals game. It’s a bummer that soreness and injuries happen in sports. But if we all sat around on the couch and didn’t ever exercise, we certainly wouldn’t make it up and over Eagle Summit (or to the Super Bowl or NBA Finals or World Cup Finals.) So, in saying all this, our SPK athletes are doing GREAT! We do have a couple of “benched” dogs, but most of the team is sassy and ready to roll. Just remember… every one of these pups are an individual. Even though we plan to work as a team, our canines and humans all have individual issues. We need to remember this and take that fact into account the last week before a big race. Whether it be a simple quirk with a dog’s gait, or a silly mental up & down, or poor eating habit, or hating booties (TAKE THEM OFF!), or disliking those smelly (crispy at -40) wind jackets, or running too slow (I WANNA GO FAST!)
As a team of individuals, we will endure the good with the bad and keep a positive outlook. For the next week, SPK dogs and mushers will continue to train, looking down the trail, towards the Yukon Quest 1000/300 start.
On race day, we will need to 26 canines and 2 mushers in order to fill out the two teams!
Here are our racers’ current status:
Allen. Feeling good and positive. As competitive as he has ever been. Fit and mentally prepared. As someone described him this fall “Allen is Teflon.” (Gez. I guess that means that he is able to withstand anything.)
Karolyn. Is ready with the perfect amount of nervous excitement. She will be racing on a conservative race plan that still includes enormous mountains to climb and frigid creeks to travel.
Decaf and Perky at the CB300 finish.
Many of the main racers are happy, kinda chubby and in ‘pretty good shape’. Dutch, Sparky, Rodney, Five, Bruno are solid, healthy and can be counted as Top Notch right now. None of these five dogs raced the Copper Basin with Aliy so they do not have those 300 race miles under their belt, but they are race veterans and know the Yukon Quest schedule. Rodney, Five and Bruno might be considered a bit pudgy. Sparky and Dutch are both almost ‘cocky’ right now. Commando, Violet, Amber and Junior are Quest veterans and also crossed the finish line on the Copper Basin two weeks ago. This recent 300 mile race might give them a leg up as far as their physical fitness, but a notch down as far as minor racing bumps and bruises (Violet has lost some fur on her fore arm,  Amber stepped in a hole, tweaking her wrist slightly during the last 50 miles of the CB. Junior is a little thin compared to her pre-race weight. Commando came thru with flying colors so, apparently, he is Teflon like his musher.) Chipper is really good and is her typical; happy-go-lucky hyper self. She really needs to go run at least 300 miles or she might drive us all crazy here at home. Jefe, Perky, Decaf and QT are incredibly talented and look fit. These dogs raced and finished the Copper Basin as well. They are ready to roll for the Yukon Quest. QT is the only dog who has a wrist issue and we think it is minor. (Paws crossed.) These four dogs would be rookies for the YQ 1,000 mile race. Cayenne is solid this season but hasn’t traveled much so she has done all of her training miles on the local trails around SP Kennel. It’s time for her to get out of Two Rivers and race with Karolyn. Iron has been doing the bigger mile training runs with Allen and the Questers. He will be a last minute decision as an alternate for the 1,000 mile team or a shoe-in for the 300. Clyde has been steady and so has Scooby. This father and son duo has been paired together on many training runs – an awesome combo to watch. Both dogs are a little chunky at this point. They will have a spot in either the 1,000 or the 300 teams. Sanka was tired on the second to last leg of the Copper Basin. She has since, rested up and run several times. She seems a little bummed still so we will run her on some short, fun runs this weekend and see how she feels. Gold and Bronze are nice solid three-year old dogs who will perform best on a 300 team before attempting a 1,000 mile race. Gold pulls very hard and sometimes wears himself out, so we’d like to see him succeed in a 300 mile race before attempting 1,000. This might be a stepping stone for him to accompany Aliy on the Iditarod. Bronze was in heat last month and missed just a couple training runs. She is up to speed now.
Mismo appreciates his day off.
Cloud and Peach would be rookies on a 1,000 mile race squad. These two pups have a small chance of making Allen’s 1,000 team. Cloud is one of the few thin dogs at the kennel. She has become a finicky eater. Peach is still having fun so she will run anywhere with a smile. Karolyn’s squad would benefit greatly from either of these youngsters.
Mismo is large (as in fat) and in charge (as in a main Lead Dog.) He has done everything in his 8 1/2 years of life. He will be a key player for leading one of the two teams. He trains hard and rests even harder.
Chevie, QT and Ziptie run along the driveway.
We do have a few issues. (Who doesn’t?) Razz and Chevie both came off the Copper Basin with minor ailments. Razz ran in harness this week and although she looks great while trotting down the trail, her hind leg was stiff the morning after. Perhaps she is not ready yet to gallop 300 more miles. Chevie has not been in harness since the race. The Vet Crew at Copper Basin thought that she had strained her triceps, so we have given her a precautionary two weeks off. Chevie has enjoyed romping up and down the driveway with her sister, QT, and Ziptie. Driver tweaked his triceps muscle three weeks ago and the big lug still is sore. Poor boy is still the first dog to bark when we begin harnessing. He runs around a lot, but we can tell that he misses being in harness.
Champ didn’t appreciate the extreme cold temperatures during the Copper Basin (NOTE: neither did Aliy.) In order to protect his somewhat hairless underside privates, he is now running in a full body jacket or an enormous wolf ruff. If we can keep him protected from the breeze down under (so to speak) he will be on one of the teams.
Champ’s new protective ruff.
Nomex was looking 100% solid earlier this week. Allen and the Questers went on a glorious 8 1/2 hour run in the mountains and he came home with a cramp. He has run around and loosened up but we will need to run him in harness to see if it has fully gone away before pencilling him in for either team.
In December, Kodiak was is serious contention for leading the Copper Basin 300. Then on December 30, after a fast training run, he came home with a sore hip. He had two weeks off and has been slowly coming back into training. He did several 30 minute and 45 minute stretch out runs. These were followed by slower, longer runs. Yesterday, Karolyn ran a 50 mile training run. Kodiak wasn’t quite up to 50 miles, so we put the inReach Tracker on Karolyn’s sled and watched as she and her team looped around Two Rivers trails. When we saw that she was nearing Wes & Wendy’s house, which is very close to the trail, we were able to drive him via car to their house, park and walk Kodiak out to meet her for the last few hours of her training run. This way we are cautiously bringing Kodiak back into training and not stressing him by overdoing it.
Here is a short clip from meeting Karolyn and her team on the trail with Kodiak. The team is: Mismo, Junior, Amber, Razz, Peach, Kodiak, Cloud, Champ, Bronze, Cayenne and Goldie!
As you can see, it takes effort to train every dog as an individual. But it is worth it!
Allen signed up for the 1,000 mile Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on the last day to enter with the hope that “everything would work out” and he could in fact run the race. After invasive shoulder surgery and months of intensive rehab… of course, add in a few set backs… Allen will definitely be at the Starting Line in Fairbanks on February 1st.
The race field seems to be shrinking as the start date nears. This is not uncommon for the Yukon Quest. The enormous amount of preparation that goes into just starting a 1,000 mile international adventure wilderness race is overwhelming. It can not be understated. Mushers who have raced it year after year might make the preparation look easy… but it is not. As the race start looms, it sometimes seems easier or even necessary to withdraw. We are fortunate that Allen and the SP Kennel Crew will be part of the always daunting, sometimes scary, surely eventful Yukon Quest 2020!
The final hurdle to start the 2020 Yukon Quest was to pack 1,000 pounds of prepackaged dog food, snacks, vet kits, dog clothing, blankets, booties, people snacks, meals, gloves, clothing, etc. Then bag it all in an organized fashion so that Allen can sort through the food and gear efficiently during the race.
Padee ties up the last bag.
The fact that the Food Drop due date is a full 2 weeks prior to the race start is necessary for race logistics, yet challenging to pack for exact weather or temperatures. With the frigid Copper Basin 300 race temperatures on our minds we may have over packed dog jackets, pee pee warmers, gloves and chemical heat warmers but… better more than less.
Allen sorted and packed for the last two weeks. Padee was his ‘right hand’ and never hesitated to sort booties, bag snacks and even comb out our new wolf ruff pee pee protectors. Thanks gal!
Wendy showed up back in our frozen Two Rivers neighborhood (to a frozen house) just in time to sew dog gear and babysit dogs. Aliy took primarily indoors jobs this past week and cooked many pounds of bacon and made Allen’s oatmeal bars.
Karolyn is also R-E-A-D-Y for her Yukon Quest 300 race as well.
She was able to return from a super handling job at the CB300, although a little knackered and get packing. Literally!
Karolyn purchased more over boots and clothing options in preparation for staying warm (she hopes that it’s not -54 on Birch Creek… but she’s ready!)
Karolyn’s 300 mile race will be an adventure and we are all excited. She has packed enough supplies to make every mile special. She was worried about not eating herself during the race, so she packed creatively.
She most definitely wins the award for ‘Most Colourful Snacks’.
There are always 1000 thank yous to be made after a race so we’re going to try to remember everyone.
Firstly, thanks to Commando, Junior, Amber, Violet, Chevie, Sanka, QT, Champ, Jefe, Razz, Decaf and Perky. They all worked so hard always with a smile and wagging tail. At the end of the day, as long as the dogs are enjoying themselves then we can put up with anything!
Thanks to the handler crew Karolyn, Ryan and Lisa. Karolyn for keeping her finger on the pulse for the entire race – she didn’t miss a beat whether it be choosing a great parking spot, calculating run times and check-out times on very little sleep or keeping an enthusiastic and upbeat attitude despite challenging handling conditions. Ryan, thanks for keeping the team safe in the truck on the way down, throughout the race and home again. Your quiet and confident attitude put everyone at ease. Lisa, your capture of picture and video was so very much appreciated by all those of us that couldn’t be there and to give Moira such great content to include in the posts! Thanks for helping rake straw and clear camp spots and watching over the team. You were a huge help.
Here’s Aliy’s speech from the prizegiving:
So so many volunteers are required to run a race and we can’t hope to know everything you all did. Please know you are all appreciated, whether you were helping at the start, keeping the fire going in Sourdough, taking phenomenal photos, checking teams in and out of checkpoints, manning road crossings, selling merchandise, updating the website and social media… to you all we thank you.
The trail team. Oh my goodness, the trail team. It’s certainly not just a case of jumping on a snowmachine and riding ahead of the teams on the day. You spent countless hours putting in the trail in the lead-up to the race and climbed up over The Hump in the middle of the night and ensured the passage was safe for our teams. No race can happen without a great trail team. Thank you.
Nina and her volunteer vet team were, as always, amazing. Your dedication to the canine athletes is evident and appreciated. To know you are right there if mushers or handlers had any issues and knowing you have the best interests of the dogs foremost in your mind is reassuring. You had a difficult job in trying conditions but were always willing to help. Thank you.
Thanks to Greg, Donna, Zack, Peter and all of the team of race officials. To have such experience and knowledge guiding the ship is of great reassurance to us all. Thanks for giving up your time.
To the CB300 Board – obviously without your hard work throughout the year we wouldn’t have a race. The sponsorship you secure, the logistics you manage and planning you do. Thanks for continuing to make this race on of our favourites.
To our competitors and friends – phew! Thanks for being awesome out there.
Finally, thanks to all of you – our supporters. Knowing so many of you are willing the team on, watching them in the middle of the night helps when Aliy and the dogs are on their own in the wee small hours. Thanks for every view, comment, like and share. Thanks to all our individual dog sponsors, Dog Fan Club members, Red and Black Team members (even though our Black Team wasn’t in this race), VIPs, Champions and other supporters. I was pleased to be able to bring you coverage. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
She was able to return from a super handling job at the CB300, although a little knackered and get packing. Literally!
