SPK Dog Log

I’ve been looking at the Google Analytics stats for this DogLog, which shows that the number of “page views” is running just about double what it was this time last year. That number coincides with the ratio of “New Visitors” to “Old Visitors” which is running about 50/50, meaning that about half our DogLog visitors are new to the site… and maybe new to the Iditarod, sled dog racing, etc.

I’ve also been reviewing the comments, and I see some really good questions that deserve at least decent answers. So, I’m going to use a bit of our “mandatory 24” to volunteer a few thoughts, observations — even “musings” — that I hope will explain a few things. Most of you “veteran fans” probably already know this stuff, but maybe there will be a nugget or two that’s useful to you, too.

First of all, Aliy is in a really excellent position. Her dog team is obviously “long and strong”, which means they are making long runs between (significant) rests, at good speeds, and finishing their “work day” with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Apparently they are eating well, eating everything, and doing what Alaskan Huskies are famous for: Converting 10,000 calories per day from raw meat into pure energy. There is nothing better a musher can hope for than a long, strong, happy, healthy, eating machine of a team.

Aliy will NEVER do anything that will put her dogs at risk. If anything, it can be argued that she has at times been overly conservative and that may have had an adverse impact on her finishing position in previous races. Whether there is any merit to that or not, the fact that Aliy was first into McGrath for the Spirit award — and then first into Takotna — shows that she is letting the dogs do what they want, run as they please and really “get after it.” She obviously has immense confidence in them, and especially in her main leaders Quito and Olivia. For all you ladies out there, this really is a “girl power” team all the way.

The Red Team is almost certainly taking their mandatory 24-hour rest in Takotna. There is no conceivable — at least to me — reason they would be there this long except for it to be their “24.” Thus, the team will be leaving Takotna 24 hours plus the “differential” after their arrival. For those of you who are new to this, the “differential math” is pretty straightforward: Teams left the start line in two-minute intervals, which means there was 104 minutes time-span between when Aliy started in position 14 and the last team’s start in position 66 (66-14=52×2=104)… Got it? To even out the timing for all teams, each team (besides the last team) has a differential added to their 24-hour mandatory rest.

So, if my math is right, Aliy should be pulling out of Takotna at 1:14 in the morning (11:30 plus 104 minutes). I haven’t done all the math for every racer, but it looks like only the Seaveys will pull out ahead of her. This is because even though they arrived after her, their “high starting number” differentials are lower: They have shorter mandatory “24” rest periods.

If that doesn’t all make sense, don’t worry. There are a lot of “moving parts” to this business of racing sled dogs and it takes a while to get accustomed to it. The bottom line is that Aliy may not be the first to pull out of Takotna, but her team is positioned within minutes of the lead team. That’s the key thing!

But, you might ask, what about the Busers? They’re “in the lead” in Ophir! Well, yes and no… They are geographically ahead of Aliy (and all the other teams) in Takotna, but they still have to complete their 24 hour rests! Martin arrived in Takotna about 9 hours after Aliy, so it is likely that he will still have something like 9 hours left in his “24” when she passes him by, with her “24” already behind her. And here you have the gist of part of what makes the Iditarod so exciting and confusing: You can’t tell who is “in the lead” until you factor in all the other circumstances of rests, differentials, etc. Frankly, you often can’t really tell who is in the lead until they’re running down Front Street in Nome!

Again, don’t worry if you’re feeling confused. A couple of years from now you’ll be trying to explain this to other people!

I hope this post has helped clear things up a few things rather than make them more confusing for you. If you’ve got questions, please put them in the comments and I’ll try to answer them over the coming days of the race!

What do you do while you wait for your mushers to finish their 24 hour required rest on a big race like the Iditarod? You take your 24 hours! SP Kennel is now taking their 24 hours—we are giving the “refresh” button a break, and are doing the chores around the kennel. We’ll be ready to watch the GPS tracker when Aliy leaves this evening.

Monday was a gorgeous sunny day with temperatures hovering right around 10 degrees above zero, a great day for a training run. Since Wes is preparing for his first race this weekend here in Two Rivers, we hooked up two teams of eight and went off for a nice two hour stretch out. It was a great run, and dogs and humans were happy.

Then…it snowed…and snowed….and hasn’t stopped. Monday night we were to get 4 inches which is a nice snow for the trails and makes things pretty. However, Tuesday morning it was still snowing and we’d reached six inches of fluffy white stuff. As it was the last day to train, Wes and I decided to head out for a long run. I went ahead on the snow machine (mobile) to clear the trail for him, and pack down the fluff. He followed behind with 12 dogs who will most likely make up his team. I’m NOT a professional trailbreaker by any means. Though I do know my way around a snow machine, it has been a few winters since I spent any extended time on one. Things went quite smoothly, until I decided I needed to turn around in a “wide spot” in the trail. With drifts of powder snow all around, I quickly realized how easy it is to get a snow machine stuck! Luckily as I left home, Allen had yelled, “Don’t forget to take a shovel”. So I untied it from the luggage rack, and went to work. After 15 minutes of intense work and a graceful 25 point turn, I got unstuck, and continued to my destination. The remainder of the trip was fairly uneventful, though I did have to dig myself out of snow drifts a few more times along the way. Snow plows are NOT a snow machiner’s friend!

Wes, however, had an interesting trip with his twelve dogs. On the return trip, snow machines had come along my carefully groomed trail, and turned it into mush—which funny enough—isn’t great for mushing. Wes hit sloppy trail on his way home, with fresh snow, overflow, and tree drop snow making the trail more difficult than usual. His 6 hour trip took a few more than expected. As we waited for Wes to come home, we watched Aliy finish her run into Nikolai and then Takotna for her rest. I was pretty proud to be a part of the SP Kennel team, as she received her “Spirit of Alaska” award. Wes finally made it home—surprising us by coming into the yard backwards! Luckily, not sled first! Apparently, with all the fresh snow, our in trail to the kennel yard had blown over and the dogs could not find a way through the drifts to get to their houses. Taking the path of least resistance, they followed my snow machine tracks up the driveway and into the yard through the “out” trail. Allen has dubbed Wes, “Wrong Way Wes” after this particular sledding adventure.

This morning (Wednesday) we awoke to more snow falling. We’ve now reached about 15 inches of wet, heavy, powder snow. This is more snow than Two Rivers has gotten all year! The dog houses are covered to their roofs. The Iditarod dogs are going to have to tunnel their way into their houses! The remaining dogs have been able to keep up with the snowfall, and packed down their circles. Even the Outlaws have kept their circles clean. Yes, the Outlaws graduated this week to “Big Sled Dog” status. They received their bright red collars and were tied out on chains in the dog yard. They are borrowing some houses right now, until we can shovel out a place for them to live. They seem to be adjusting well, and enjoy playing with their neighbors. Pud and Bullet are taking it in stride, and showing them how to be good, calm puppies.

It’s almost time to watch the GPS Tracker again—Aliy will be finishing up her 24 soon and heading out. We’re pulling for you, Aliy! Way to go, Ryne!

Just in case you missed the latest update to the Iditarod leader board:

Aliy has passed through Rohn and is in the lead! She’s probably only going to go just a few miles down the trail and camp, but still! Go Aliy!