SPK Dog Log

Catch up with the BLACK TEAM leaving Glennallen at 10.08am on Saturday, January 12th.

The BLACK TEAM rolled into Paxson at (unofficially) 3.11am making the run through from Chisto 6 hours, 44 minutes – this time is still to be confirmed but currently is one of the fastest run times so far.

The team looked good as Quito and I.V. led them into the checkpoint. They ate all their snacks upon arrival, settled into their straw beds quickly and are right now enjoying a rest.

It was an advantageous decision to wait a little longer in Chisto, although Allen still had some difficulty finding the trail due to the fresh snow, despite the other mushers going over the trail before him, and he had to run from marker to marker. He did say the trail was very well marked and the Gulkana River crossing was well placed for a dry crossing.

Allen is going to eat and rest himself here also and we’ll let you know what time they head out later this morning.

The BLACK team handler crew have landed in Paxson! We’ve just pulled in to the Lodge awaiting the arrival of the mushers and will try to catch a little sleep so we are on the ball when the team arrives.

By now you might know the stats for the first leg from Glennallen to Chistochina – Allen and team ran it in 4 hours 49 minutes and rested for five and a half hours. The dogs looked fantastic coming in, with Scruggs and Quito in lead. They took some time to settle down, at one point we were standing on the front and back snow hooks (see below left) as they were pretty keen to keep going but once they figured out they were stopping for a while they got a great rest and ate well.

Allen said the trail was hard and fast with lots of tussocky sections to make it challenging but he was happy with how the team looked at this early stage.

They pulled out of the Red Eagle Lodge with Quito and I.V. in lead at 8.27pm ready for the 58 mile run to Paxson checkpoint. Everyone looked fantastic! The warm, wet conditions will start to come into play for everyone during this leg.

Like you, we are trying to do the maths and figure when we can expect Allen into Paxson. As tiredness sets in later in the race I’m sure you will see us counting on our fingers and checking our calculations three or four times, especially as the time differential kicks in to equalise the start times.

Next post as soon as possible! And what great news about the RED and RED AND BLACK teams!!

Congratulations to Aliy and the Red Team on their first place finish of the Two Rivers Solstice race today! Aliy came in after approximately a 3 hour and 22 minute run on the second loop of the race course. The official race run times have not yet been posted, but that is a quick calculation.  The run was about 10 miles an hour which is a good pace in the current weather conditions. Aliy’s comment coming into the finish line was “It’s really warm now (30 degrees). The trail is a little mushy and the dogs are a little hot right now.”

 

After trading out some dogs and adding a few from Meghan’s team, Aliy continued on her way for another 25 mile run.  She will mush her way home around 2:30AM. This will give the dogs a solid 100 mile run for the day. A musher’s work is never done!  

Howdy!… Macgellan here!

Like many of you, I’ve been following the CB300 with great interest all day. The CB300 crew is doing a great job of updating the race stats, especially considering all the challenges they face with communications and internet access in remote Alaska.

From a fan’s perspective, all that data on all those tables can get pretty confusing.
Besides all the in/out times to compare and calculate, the staggered starts cause a “time differential” for each musher that must be made up during their mandatory 8-hour rest. Plus, mushers take their total 18 hours of required rest at all different places. As a result, it doesn’t always matter where the teams are, or when they’re there.

I suggest that if you’re trying to figure out how the race is shaping up — or even just to get a grip on a simple “leader board” — simplicity is the key. By the time the race is over, all the start-time differentials and accumulated rests will work themselves out. In the end, they’re the same for everybody.

The only data that really matters are the run-times between checkpoints, and their overall, accumulated total for a team. Bottom line: Whichever team covers the distances between checkpoints the fastest will win the race. All that other stuff is just, well, stuff.

To analyze races, I build a simple spreadsheet that calculates run times between checkpoints and accumulates those times for the overall race. I then sort the table from shortest to longest time. Whoever is going the fastest is doing the best. So simple, right?

Here is my spreadsheet so far, for the top 20 teams. So far it’s pretty simple and straightforward: Allen’s SPK Black Team was fastest over the first run from the start to Chisto. There’s not much else to say at this point, besides “Go SPK!”

You all know that Allen loves the CB300 and is always a dominant competitor. The first run this year — from Glenallen to Chisto — is pretty straightforward, so it’s not surprising that he’s really cruising. The next leg over the mountains to Paxson is typically much more challenging, an opportunity for him and the Black Team to really power down!

I hope this little “analysis” is helpful to you, and I’ll try to post a couple of updates as the race progresses!

Aliy is leading the race, arriving back at Pleasant Valley Store at 4:00pm.  Jodie Bailey is in second and keeping pace. Aliy will leave after her four hour mandatory rest at about 8:00pm.  She has a 32 mile loop to finish out the race.  Aliy’s comment on coming in,  “The trail is really nice out there. With the fresh snow, it’s really good mushing right now”.  She will probably finish the race around midnight, and we’ll post the results as soon as we can. 

Meghan preparing the puppies

Meghan getting the sled ready

Aliy #5

The kennel crew, joined by veteran race handler Bob Hauer and his dog truck, loaded dogs at 8:00AM and headed off for the long 2 mile drive to Pleasant Valley store where the Two River Solstice Race started at 11:00AM.  Twenty-four excited dogs burst out of their boxes ready to go.  At about 15 degrees, it’s a perfect race day. In a quirky twist, Aliy drew bib #5 (the same as Allen for the CB300) for the start of the 100 mile race, and Meghan drew #1 position for the 50 mile race.  Race officials described the trail as two loops. The first loop is 46 miles, followed by a 4 hour mandatory rest at the Pleasant Valley Store. This is the end of the first race for Meghan and the Yearlings. The second loop is almost the same, but only 32 miles.  For those of you math geniuses, this adds up to a total of 78 miles and not 100 miles. Regardless, it’s a fun race to be a part of, and takes mushers through some of the best trails that Two Rivers has to offer.

Aliy left on her race at about 11:08 AM in 5th position and is expected back at the Store at around 2:30-3:00pm. Meghan will be coming in within 30 minutes after her for the 50 mile finish.  Hopefully, I’ll be able to post the standings shortly after that.  Here are a few photos and video from the start this morning.

Aliy’s Red Team Ready to Run

The BLACK team has set off from Glennallen at 10:08am looking strong and ready to run 300 miles! Scruggs and Quito led the team to the line and Allen looked focussed!

There will be some video of the start to follow once I’ve had a chance to edit it but in the meantime here is a quick chat with Allen this morning.

You may notice Allen’s new sled bag (pictured right).

Super talented Wendy whipped it up in just a few days using an old parachute and as word got around the other mushers one of them commented: “So Allen, if we have to jump out of a plane we find you, right?” It is causing quite a stir and people are keen to find out about it! It is very light and robust so he might have started a new trend.

We will meet the team at the Chistochina checkpoint in a few hours time and will try to update you on how everyone is looking. We’re not certain when and where we will find internet access but we’ll do our best.