I just got a text from Moira saying that while she and Meghan are back at they Kennel they’re taking advantage of a lull in the action.
If you think that means they’re taking well-deserved naps you are entirely wrong.
Instead, they’ve just taken every dog left at the Kennel out on a 4-hour training run!
After all, the Iditarod is only a few weeks away and everyone needs to stay in shape…
Let them know in the comments how much you are in awe of their commitment to SPK!
Allen and the Black Team pulled in to Mile 101 checkpoint at 2.52am on Sunday morning and stayed just under five hours before heading off down the trail at 7.41am.
Most of his stay was in the dark so there was limited opportunity to get good video but there is some great audio of Schmoe and the team getting ready to leave! You may also be wondering why I just don’t get closer? The Yukon Quest has very strict rules about the number of handlers that can be with the team at one time with the exception of the start, finish and, of course, Dawson. With one handler (Meghan) “catching” the team and leading them to their parking spot or sending them on their way I don’t want to get too close to the team to get pictures or video and risk any sort of penalty for our teams.
Here’s the team arriving and leaving Mile 101.
As Moira just reported, Aliy has left Circle for the last sprint back to the finish line in Central only eight minutes ahead of Chase Tingle. (A perfect name in this situation, no?)
You may have noticed that Aliy arrived in Circle 35 minutes ahead of Chase and wondered why she “lost time” in the checkpoint during her mandatory 6-hour rest. Perhaps you remembered that their “start differential” needed to be made up?
Because Aliy started #56 and Chase started #65 she had to “give back” 27 minutes (3 minutes for each of the 9 starting position delays). That took her “lead” down to only 8 minutes, and I agree with Moira that Aliy will be kicking it the whole way!
Despite Aliy’s focus and effort on the trail, I’d be willing to bet she allowed herself to enjoy a special little moment.
According to the tracker, Aliy just passed Ryne who is going the opposite direction toward her last rest in Circle.
Given their very close relationship, I’d guess a spirited “Howdy!” was probably exchanged.
Since Dingle and Lester are running on Ryne’s team, the dogs almost certainly joined in with a “Woof!” of their own… Stay tuned!
The first two mushers in the YQ300 have left Circle City for the final sprint leg to the finish. Aliy left the checkpoint in first position followed by just eight minutes behind by Chase Tingle. Chase lives just down the road in Two Rivers and we see him and his team out on the trails often! You can bet the Aliy is ski-poling, running and kicking with all her might to help this team go as fast as they possibly can! Word from Bridgett is that she shed all excess weight from her sled and is pumped!
You’ll see that Aliy left with 11 dogs – she left HONDA with Bridgett and Wes to do the final leg in the truck. Word from Bridgett is that there is nothing wrong with Honda and that he is still working 110% as normal but he just was struggling a little to keep up with the fast pace of the team and for 70 miles it might be too much to ask of him. Also, as the run is in the heat of the day, Honda has a tendency to feel the heat more than the other dogs so Aliy has made a decision in Honda’s best interests as much as it will have disappointed her to leave him behind.
He has made an extremely important contribution to this team and he will enjoy riding in the cab with the handlers.
GO TEAM, GO!
Just as Aliy was leaving Mile 101 checkpoint, Ryne Olson from Ryno Kennel pulled her team of youngsters in. They are on a very different run rest schedule so we were happy to be able to catch up with her before we left.
Ryne is running Dingle and Lester in her team and she said that Dingle was a rockstar as he led the team up over “Rosebud”, the BIG hill between Two Rivers and Mile 101 and that Lester is adding some calm and experience to her team of young ones. Her team came in with wagging tails and happy husky grins. Good on you Ryne!
What great overnight updates from Moira! It’s amazing that she has been able to report the YQ races continue to go very well for both SPK teams, especially when you consider the logistics that we have both alluded to. Let me explain a little about them.
The YQ1000 and YQ300 are dog races, and dogs can go just about anywhere, over just about any terrain. The same is most definitely not true about vehicles. Since pictures are worth thousands of words, I’ve put together a pair of graphics for you. On the left is the “Dog” trail and on the right is the “Vehicle” trail:
As Moira mentioned, Allen and the SPK Black Team are just about to leave Circle and make the run to Eagle, then on to Dawson. It’s a long run of about 300 miles, but it’s a fraction of the 1,000+ mile drive the handlers and crew will have to make between those two checkpoints. (The road to Eagle is closed in winter so they can’t drive there!)
I don’t want to belabor the point, so I’ll let you draw your own sense of it: You’ve been up for two days straight, driving all over east-central Alaska supporting the teams. You make a 20-hour non-stop drive from Circle to Dawson, and immediately upon arrival work like a demon to set up a long-stay camp for them. If everything goes perfectly, you might just get it done before the team arrives and you spend the next 36-hours straight pampering them.
If the dogs could talk, I’d bet they say they have the easier job! Kudos to the crew!
Meanwhile, Aliy and the SPK Red Team have just arrived first into Circle where they will do their last mandatory rest before sprinting back to the finish line in Central. (The tracker shows that Allen left Circle just minutes ago, so they may have been able to see each other for a moment!)
As usual, Aliy is running an excellent race, executing a well-designed strategy with an outstanding team of dogs. Keep in mind that her team is the “second-string” at SP Kennel!
Sadly, with Allen on the run to Dawson and Aliy resting in Circle for most of the day, we can expect little in the way of news to report. We can look forward, however, to more “catch-up” posts from Moira’s visits with the teams yesterday before she hits the road to Dawson as well… Stay tuned!
I just had a quick (and a bit patchy) phone call from Bridgett, the team have arrived in Circle City looking good! Allen himself is doing well and in good spirits, he’s had a meal and is settling down for a nap.
Bridgett said he just cannot stop raving about Scruggs and Quito – he thinks they are AMAZING! Quito has received accolades for the last few years and we all know her kennel MVD (Most Valuable Dog) status but it is fantastic to hear it about Scruggs too! Go buddy go!
Bridgett and Wes are going to get a nap themselves so they can be ready for when Aliy comes in later this morning and for when Allen is ready to leave (at this stage we are not sure which will happen first!).
Circle City is where the handler team says goodbye to Allen until Dawson as he heads to Slaven’s Roadhouse – which is not an official checkpoint but a “hospitality stop and dog drop” – and on to Eagle, both of which are not accessible by the road system. Bridgett and Wes will then trace Aliy back to Central for the conclusion of her race and bring her and the athletes home to the kennel. Remember those complicated logistics Macgellan was talking about…?
PS They also caught up with Ryne at Central and her team managed to negotiate Eagle Summit safely and successfully. Ryne is happy and delighted with how her team is doing!
We finally caught up with Aliy and her Red team; it seems like an age ago we said goodbye at the start line. Like Allen, 101 was the first time she had stopped at a checkpoint to be able to talk to us and update us with how she’s getting on.
As the team pulled in to Mile 101 checkpoint her team looked fantastic. She didn’t realise she was the first YQ300 musher in and she got there just a few minutes after Allen left so we were able to utilise is vacant campsite and even some of his straw so the timing was perfect. Pud was still in lead and she had swapped out Rambler for Honda just a few miles out of the checkpoint as they went through the open water. I guess Rambler just has a little more labrador in him… Aliy herself got frozen boots again and was looking forward to getting in to the mushers cabin to dry them out.
The young-Latinos are all doing well. It was like Mismo couldn’t get enough food in the checkpoint and was eating everything that he was given even though he is a bit picky eater with snacks out on the trail. Aliy was excited to have the youngsters on her team and show them the trail that means so much to her. It was lovely to watch the team as they rested as the sun was out but it was not too warm and the dogs enjoyed basking and stretching out under light fleece blankets and jackets.
The Red team rest at Mile 101
Aliy also got to enjoy a couple of hours of sleep herself as she rested the team five hours. After some eggs and conversation she set her boots to dry and lay down herself in the mushers cabin, which was only about 12 feet from her sleeping team. Even before Aliy came out from her nap the dogs all perked up and started looking round at other dog teams leaving so you could tell they were well rested and ready to go. As the day was warming up Aliy gave them all a dish of plain, cool water before their kibble meal so they left really well hydrated and fed ready for the hike up Eagle Summit.
L-R: Aliy enjoys some hospitality before a rest; Aliy starts her exit chores
Aliy is excited to run this race as she had not been on this part of the Quest trail since she won the Yukon Quest 1000 in 2000. She is carrying her video camera with her and is hoping to capture some of the trail with “Aliy Cam” – we won’t see that until after the race but it is something to look forward to.
We heard from Bridgett at Central, as Aliy went through on her way to Circle City, that everyone is still doing well and that the teams around her were also looking good so she is expecting this to be a tough race to the end! Eagle summit was a challenge but everyone got through unscathed.
And just for fun, here are a couple of pictures from Day 1 – I know they are “sooo yesterday” but as we haven’t seen many pics of the team yet I thought you might enjoy them.
L-R: The team waiting at the dog truck on Second Avenue; the Red team heads under the Nordale Road Bridge near Fairbanks (photo credit Barbara Swenson)
A quick thank you to the team at Mile 101 checkpoint. Meghan and I were there for over 12 hours in the end and special thanks must go to the checkpoint manager Peter and his team of volunteers especially Jeff, Georgann and Kelly for their hospitality, help and organisation! The checkpoint seemed to run like clockwork and that makes a big difference to the teams. Thanks!
