SPK Dog Log

Right after I posted my second analysis below, the CB300 stats were updated.

Here’s the latest summary of my suggested “Cumulative Run-Time” leader board:

Look at who’s running seventh fastest overall, only 20 minutes behind Allen!… Stay tuned!

There are probably as many run/rest strategies as there are mushers and dog teams. Since all the top teams in a mid-distance race like the CB300 will take the same (minimum required) amount of rest, their run/rest strategies boil down to a question of where/when and how long to rest.

Some teams train to run longer distances with fewer (longer) rests. Others train for shorter stints with shorter rests in between. Routine is very important in the mind of the dog, so it makes sense to keep your racing schedule as similar as possible to your training schedule. Dogs simply perform better when they know what’s going on and what’s expected of them.

Similarly, some teams train to rest more early in a race and push to the finish. Others are more accustomed to pushing out hard and resting up for a sprint at the end. If you ever hang out with mushers you will hear endless debate about which strategy is better, but the bottom line is that it all depends on the dogs, their training, fitness and familiarity.

The various run/rest strategies are the biggest source of confusion about “who is leading” a race like the CB300. For example, Nicolas Petit arrived in Chisto 83 minutes ahead of Allen but left 113 minutes ahead. The difference is the additional 30 minutes that Allen rested his team (i.e. 5 hours vs. 4.5 hours).

Just glancing at the time sheet, it can look like Allen has somehow lost time in the checkpoint and is farther behind! In reality, Allen has simply taken more of his required rest early on, and the “leader” will have to “give back” that time later. Keeping track of all these times requires good data and some experience about how to interpret it.

All this variation and crazy-making about tracking rest times is why I encourage people to focus on run-times instead. For example, you can see in the table below (sorted by run-time) that Allen’s team was fastest overall from Chisto to Meiers, and 16 minutes faster than the “leader” Nicolas Petit in particular.

Was this because Allen’s team benefitted from the extra 30 minutes of rest? Was it because the pack has thinned out and Allen had to pass fewer teams? Was it because the trail firmed up and became faster? Was it because the wind shifted or the Northern Lights came out? Who is John Galt?!?

You are invited to speculate to your heart’s content, because we will probably never know for sure. There are so many factors that mushers must consider and contend with, despite their physical and mental exhaustion. This is just part of why so many of us absolutely love sled dog racing.

The bottom line, however, is clear: Between the Chisto and Meiers checkpoints, Allen’s team has made up 16 minutes of the 39 minute run-time deficit on the first stint. That means he is now only 23 minutes off the fastest cumulative run-time so far, with well over half the race to go.

Still confused? Don’t worry, it’ll all become clear eventually. Meanwhile, here’s what I would suggest you look at as the “leader board” — Cumulative run times between checkpoints so far:

Go Allen!… Go Dogs!… Go SPK!

Here is the video of our three teams arriving into Chistochina. In the first section you can hear the checkers checking that Allen has all his mandatory gear: sleeping bag, cooker, booties, snow shoes and an axe. If you check the rules you will see that dog food is also mandatory but at the end of the run it is likely that it has been used so they don’t check for that as the team arrives.

You’ll see I JUST missed Aliy arriving by about 30 seconds but you can still see how good the team looks. Meghan’s team looks fantastic!

Here’s the video of Allen and the BLACK team, Aliy and the RED team and Meghan and the RED AND BLACK team starting the CB300.

Those of you with eagle-eyes will see that Aliy has a different harness and line system to our normal. We’ll just say for now that it is a “forced evaluation of a different harness system” – it’s another story for another time but we do need to thank Amanda Gecas, Kristin Knight Pace, Christine Roalofs, Ray Reddington Jnr and Brent Sass for helping us get the team to the start line.

All three teams are back on the trail now for the 72 mile run from Chistochina to Meiers Lake. The temperature has dropped to around -10F which is great news for the teams as it will hopefully “set” the trail which up to now has had a soft snow covering.

I caught video of all three teams as (or just after) they arrived in Chisto, again, as I have a little more time I will upload and share with you. The handler crew is all at Meiers Lake Lodge now waiting our respective teams. As the run is a long one we expect to be able to get a few ours rest ourselves!

Allen’s BLACK team arrived at 4.22pm with a run time of 5 hours 34 minutes. Allen said the trail was “punchy” (soft) which was expected with the amount of fresh snow the area had in the few days leading up to the race. Because the team arrived in 11th position they had some passing manouvers to complete and he said they varied in quality but were mostly good, they just took time (which is exactly what Macgellan described in the previous post). He is running a brand new sled which he built earlier in the season and he said it was fantastic!

After the team arrived Allen snacked them and set about melting some snow (left) to make a kibble meal which he fed about an hour before they left. He carried on his normal routine of setting straw out, removing booties and putting jackets on or blankets over those who wanted it. The temperature was still hovering around 0F at that point, with light snow, which is not cold for these guys but keeping them a little warmer when they sleep helps them to stretch out and also expend less energy as they rest.

I asked him specifically about Felix as he is the most inexperienced dog on his team and he said he was doing really well. He is running next to his Dad and learning the ropes of mid and long distance racing from one of the best! We had a very graphic display of the difference between experience and youth as the team camped. Towards the end of their stay as Allen set about booty-ing and removing jackets Biscuit remained lying down, getting every last moment of rest he could whereas Felix was up and jumping about. As Allen said: there’s a lot of wisdom in those eight year old bones and hopefully Felix will pick up on that during the race.

Aliy and the RED team arrived 7 minutes behind the BLACK team with a run time of 5 hours 41 minutes. I didn’t get to spend as much time with her but she said that her team was looking great and she had no concerns about anyone at this point. She also rested for 5 hours so will need to take another 13 hours rest at checkpoints. The mushers have one mandatory 6 hour lay-over at any checkpoint and they also must make up their start-time differential there so everyone gets on even footing.

Allen had built Aliy her a new sled this season also and she was excited about running it – so far so good. Her team rested and ate really well (right) and she left swiftly with Rambler and Beemer still in lead.

Meghan and the RnB team had a runtime of 6 hours 28 minutes which she was pleased with and put her about on schedule. She was really proud of her team and said they all did so well. Ranger (right) was barking and barking and as they pulled in Lydia was still slamming into her harness to keep going! When I spoke with her everyone in her team was resting, including her inexperienced crew. All three of our teams had great, out-of-the-way parking places and that helps younger dogs rest better if they are not distracted by the comings and goings of other teams. Her brand new sled performed brilliantly!

At the time we left Chisto Meghan was still resting so I am uncertain of how long she stayed but I can see from the tracker she is on here way here. She will have started on the run to Meiers Lake checkpoint expecting to stop and camp for a few hours along the way so please don’t be alarmed if you see her tracker paused.

Thanks to the crew at the Red Eagle Lodge for their hospitality and great cinnamon buns. We’re going to get some sleep!

If you’ve ever gotten frustrated trying to pass a bunch of slower vehicles on a two-lane road, you probably have some idea about how Allen and Aliy are feeling right now.

You might roll right up on the back of the vehicle ahead of you, but that doesn’t mean you can immediately get around it. The same is true with sled dog racing. You can chase down a slower team ahead, but you’re likely to have to wait a while before the trail offers you a place to pass.

I make this point because Allen has passed 14 teams in the first stint from the Start to Chistochina. After starting in 25th position, he was 11th into Chisto. That’s a remarkable accomplishment, but the “passing delays” have definitely affected his run time.

If you multiply 14 passes times a few minutes each, you can easily account for the extra 39 minutes it took him to run the stint than the leader Nicolas Petit. That’s not meant to take anything away from Petit. His time was very fast, almost exactly the same as Allen has run that stint in his previous CB300 victories!

I’m confident making this assessment because several other top-level competitors (e.g. Brent, Hans and Aliy) who started right around Allen also reached the checkpoint in virtually the same order as they started. Bottom line: It’s a bummer “luck of the draw” to start in the middle of the pack and have to lose time passing!

If we re-sort the data so far for speed, you can see that Allen’s 11th place arrival is the result of having the 8th fastest run-time.

I’ve spotlighted run-times because, quite frankly, in the CB300 run-times are everything! Crossing the finish line first requires that you run the course in the shortest time. There are 18 hours of mandatory rest during the race, but all the competitive teams will take only that amount of time. So, whoever runs the stints fastest in between the same amount of required rests will win.

I’ll write more about run-rest strategies in my next post, but for now I’ll leave you with what I hope is a reasonable understanding of what’s happened so far: Mid-pack starts require a lot of passing which slows you down, and run-times suffer accordingly. Allen and Aliy are keeping pace with other top teams, but they’ve got some ground to make up over the next few stints… Stay tuned!

The handler team is at the Red Eagle Lodge in Chistochina awaiting our teams. We do have some internet so I will quickly update you on the start in Glennallen. I have video but will upload when I have more time.

An early start in Glennallen saw the teams fed and watered and put back in the truck for a final nap. The temperature was about 10F – pretty comfortable for both mushers and dogs (oh, and handlers!) with some light snow falling.

The start was executed beautifully with everyone getting out on time and with minimal fuss. We got Allen and his BLACK team mates out safely and happily. At the truck most of the team was cool and calm; they are seasoned professionals. The only ones to get a little hyped were Felix and I.V. who have less experience with the bedlam of a start line but Felix’s hype manifested in singing “hooowwwwwllll” and I.V. was shaking with excitement. I asked Allen how he felt, his reply: “fantastic!” in his Arkansas accent. The team was more than ready to go and looked fantastic as they left.

L-R: Allen booties Willie while Scout watches on; Aliy unloads Beemer

Aliy and her RED team mates took of just two minutes behind and Beemer and Rambler were lunging ready to go. Aliy was “ready to do this” and she and her team left the starting chute quickly and looking smart. Izzy is the least experienced of her team and you’d never know it! Mac yodelled a little and Beemer looked relaxed yet alert.

Meghan left a little later and her team of varying experience looked to be coping with all the other teams around them brilliantly. I saw Lydia lunging and yelling as they were led to the start and Ranger was barking, as usual! Meghan had packed her parka in her sled so that gives you an idea that the temperatures were comfortable for the first leg.

L-R: Meghan readies herself; the handler team waits at the Red Eagle Lodge in Chistochina

As I write this the first couple teams are into Chistochina checkpoint with Allen and Aliy around 10 miles out. Keep an eye on the Copper Basin 300 website and facebook for updates and watch their live tracker to keep up with the teams.

– Moira

Moira will be working non-stop over the next 48 hours to bring you “live” race coverage from the CB300. I will be doing what I can to help her remotely with that monumental task. Whatever photos or video she sends me via iPhone, I will post as soon as possible!

In addition to what we post here, there are some excellent coverage sources elsewhere:

Probably the most fun to watch is the GPS SpotTracker.

This coverage is getting better all the time, enhanced this year with mushers’ initials in the identifying pins.

In this partial screen shot, it looks like Aliy has (momentarily) pulled her Red Team ahead of Allen’s Black Team, just a few minutes out from the start.

Let the speculation begin! (Note: It’s probably just because Allen’s GPS missed a report or maybe he made a quick stop to tend to his team.)

(If so, wouldn’t you love to know what they said in passing?)

Another good source for coverage is the CB300 Facebook page. The CB300 crew has done a great job so far keeping it fresh, and other folks from far and wide have started adding their comments. This should provide some great “drama” during the race!

For those of you who are “statistically inclined” I can recommend the Google Drive Spreadsheet. It will provide you with all the stats that are available about the race.

For those of you who are not so spreadsheet friendly, I will try to provide some recaps and analysis during the race. It gets pretty crazy out there, but I’ll do my best… Stay tuned!