SPK Dog Log

Hey there; Karolyn here. What a race we had! It felt like a great start to my racing career! I am pretty happy with a fifth place finish, especially considering the four teams that finished ahead of me, all running one dog more than I had. I am particularly proud of my three “rookies:” Razz, Habibi and Gold (who had not finished his first attempt at this race). It was pretty warm, but I thought everyone did very well despite it.

The first run unfortunately started in the heat of the day. It was so warm, I almost nixed my parka. The first twenty miles or so were up and down hills. This was the only time I really felt being the last to leave the start. While I was able to pass a few teams rather quickly, a combination of the heat and so many teams braking on the downhills left a lot to be desired. My bar brake was pretty much useless, as I got sucked into the torn up, sugar snow-filled trench left by everyone else. I was lucky to have Allen’s chain invention to help slow me down, digging into the sides of the trench. I was probably overly cautious on the downhills because the snow was so punchy and I feared shoulder injuries. I like to think I made up that time by double ski-poling up the hills. What can I say: I learned from the best (although my abs felt it the next morning).

We passed quite a few teams on that first run. There was a phenomenal field of mushers in this race. Every time we overtook another team, the musher would yell out encouragements and well wishes. It seemed everyone was out to have fun, regardless of race results. We quickly caught up to Victoria Forrester (#27) and Susannah Tuminelli (#24) around mile 20 and stayed close to them the remainder of the race. It was encouraging to travel with two other women, as we leap-frogged quite a bit, usually when one person stopped to snack their dogs! I was very impressed with Victoria’s team as they flew past us just ten miles from the finish line, and uphill!

But not as impressed as I was with my own team of 11 dogs, giving those 12-dog teams a run for their money. At times it felt like we were dragging but, looking back, I think we kept a good pace throughout the race, and it was probably just my sleep-deprived brain and the effects of being passed near the end. I even nearly nodded off around mile 95, when we were equidistant from the finish line and home, where a nice warm bed was waiting for me. I am grateful for my team for keeping an even, steady pace and not jerking me off the sled!

Here’s my dog-by-dog assessment of these amazing athletes:

Kodiak:

Kodiak has always been a favorite of mine at the kennel. He is a sweet loverboy and just as good as his brother Dutch in lead. He and Lydia made a perfect pair! Coming into the Two Rivers Lodge checkpoint, I ended up missing the right hand turn toward the checkpoint entrance (I have been told every single musher did the exact same thing). While watching the team ahead of me struggle to turn around, I was able to hook down and grab my two amazing leaders. I turned them back on the team and held the gangline tight. With me feeding the line through and calling out commands, Kodiak and Lydia went against everything their “dog logic” was telling them and pulled backwards toward the sled and away from the other dog team. We had a nearly-flawless pinpoint turnaround. Razz was the only one to get a little tangled, but who could blame her?

Once we were camped, I snacked the dogs, repacked my sled and laid my sleeping bag out next to my leaders and crawled in. Kodiak shoved his head into my sleeping bag with me! Over the course of my two-hour nap, I was woken up several times by Kodiak shifting about. He would sometimes lay curled up beside me, sometimes half in my sleeping bag and sometimes just standing directly over my head as if to ward off anyone that might try and wake me up!

Lydia:

Much like her brother, Lydia was simply amazing in this race. She was always ready to go, barking and leaping in the air. At Two Rivers Lodge, she snuggled right up next to me, as well. It seemed so sweet, but it turns out she wanted the sleeping bag not me! When I got up to prepare food and eat something myself, she wasted no time in claiming my spot. Kodiak joined her shortly after. They were so comfortable, I had to put their food dishes right under their noses so they could eat without getting up.

Lydia was an essential part of my team when it came to passing. She was like a steering wheel. It was almost comical when Victoria would pass us. Lydia would kick it into high gear to catch them. So, even though we had been the slower team, we were then riding her butt, and I was riding my bar brake. Apparently, Lydia likes to be in the lead.

Chipper:

Chipper was a last minute add to my team. I had a few open slots that I had to wait to fill until Aliy had chosen her Iditarod team. Chipper was an easy choice for me. She’s like a wind-up toy. And you can’t beat her sassy attitude. I put her up in swing, where I could count on her drive but where she wouldn’t get so cocky about being in lead. She did great up there. My only complaint would be how she ate at the halfway point. I could practically hear her: “I don’t have time to eat; we’ve got to get going!”

Chipper did provide me with my one and only panic moment during the race. About two miles from the finish line, Chevie decided she needed to pee right now(!) and hit the brakes. I slammed on my brakes, but not fast enough. I had to hook down to untangle a few dogs. I got everyone sorted, or so I thought, and returned to the sled, pulled the hook and continued on. Suddenly, I noticed Chipper running in front of my leaders, tail high in the air and pretty dang proud of herself for being in single lead. I hooked down really quick and ran up to my leaders. Meanwhile, Chipper was frolicking in the deeper snow about ten feet ahead. I tried to keep my head level, even though I was picturing her running all the way back to the kennel and having to explain how I had one less dog than I left with. I knelt down by Kodiak and Lydia and called her, “Chip Chip, come here!” She looked at me, paused for the longest moment of my life and then started prancing (yes, prancing) straight back to me, body slamming into my arms. I could only roll my eyes.

Cayenne:

Cayenne was added to my team pretty early on, shortly after winning the YQ200. I was excited to have her. She gives Nomex a run for his money for loudest bark during hook-up. With her enthusiasm and take-charge attitude, she rounded out my strong front end. I felt she was also essential in the easy passes we had. She was focused throughout the race. I do feel a little bad though. When I laid out in my sleeping bag at the Two Rivers Lodge, my feet were right by her. She stood up expectantly, and then remained standing for a while. I felt she was looking on enviously, as Kodiak cuddled with me. My decision to sleep beside my leaders wasn’t based so much on which dogs were cuddliest (although it turned out that way) but mostly because I didn’t fully trust my snowhook to hold in the melting snow, and I knew quite a few 200 mile teams would be leaving way ahead of us. This provided me with lots of chances to catch my team, should they get super excited and pop the hook! So, while Cayenne looked very lonesome, I stayed where I was. I’ll be sure to spoil her for the rest of season, trying to make up for it.

Chevie:

Chevie developed a sore shoulder in the CB300 this year, so she hasn’t been training as extensively. When she showed improvement, I became determined to have her in my race team. I started throwing her into the same training routine as the yearlings to get her miles back up. For me, the turning point was seeing an attitude change in her sometime around Quest. She was excited again, about everything, even if it was just me scooping her circle. I thought she deserved a chance at redemption and to end her season on a high note. And she did! With the exception of her emergency pee break near the end, I had no issues with Chevie. She ate great, slept great and just kept trucking along!

Razz:

I am so excited for Razz! She did phenomenal in her first race ever! I was particularly proud of her passing. All season long, I have had issues with her passing teams. She isn’t aggressive at all, but afraid. She hits the brakes and dives behind her running partner. She didn’t even flinch on this race. It did take her a while to settle down while we were camped, but she made up for it with her eating. I actually had to feed Chevie twice because I turned my back and Razz had wolfed down her own bowl then turned on Chevie’s! With Cayenne and Chipper being a little pickier, Razz sat eyeing their dishes woefully.

Perky:

Perky was an easy choice for me. He always has a good attitude, he’s strong, and he’s steady. He is also one of the first puppies I ever saw born. Technically, Sanka was the first, but I was there for Perky, too! It was really exciting for me to be able to run him in this race. He did amazing! I would have preferred that he didn’t spend a lot of his camping time flirting with all the girls around him though.

Habibi:

I am having such a proud momma moment right now. There is something to be said about raising a puppy from the day she was born and being able to train her up for 100 miles. Maybe it’s no big deal to some people, but I am so proud of this dog. I have been so impressed with her this season. She was such a crazy, wild puppy that I didn’t have incredibly high expectations when she was young (I would joke that my free puppy was worth every penny I paid for her). I seriously underestimated her. She is so smart, maybe too smart for her own good! She has room to grow though. She likes to leap through the deep snow when she dips, and she isn’t the best camper yet. But she has time to learn. I’m excited to see what the future holds for her.

Champ:

I have been joking all day today about having written so much about Kodiak and having nothing to say about Champ. But it’s true! He was so amazing; the “invisible dog!” I never had to worry about him. Coming off the Yukon Quest, he just kept in a rhythm the whole way. He was running by himself, just because I had to have one lonesome dog. He camps and eats so well. He is in love with Habibi, which made for some fun antics on the drop chain and when we first parked at Two Rivers Lodge. He would puff out his chest and stand straight up then waggle his butt around until he realized she was ignoring him and then he’d settle down.

Scooby:

Scooby was as last minute as it gets. He was Aliy’s extra “just-in-case” dog in Anchorage. While I was sad not to see him go on Iditarod, I knew then that he was going to make my team. He has such good weight on him. He eats so well. He is a hard worker. If only he could stop peeing on everything! I don’t know how many times I had to yell his name to get him to put his leg down.

Gold:

What really struck me about Gold was how well he ran in the heat. In warm temperatures, he tends to get stressed out. Judging by this dog alone, you would have thought it was below zero. He dipped a little more than usual, but so did I (I forgot my thermos in the dog truck, and ate handfuls of snow off the tree boughs for the first 50 miles). I had him in wheel with Scooby, and those two boys were a wonderful pair. With Scooby having not raced anything yet this season and Gold not finishing any races yet, I was happy to see both of them keeping their stride and making it look easy!

I couldn’t have hoped for a better team! I am extremely proud of all the dogs (and myself) to have competed in such heat with such a torn up trail and done so well! I would like to send a big thank you out to the Two Rivers Dog Mushers Association for putting on such a great race. I’d also like to thank Aliy and Allen for entrusting me with their dogs, especially during Iditarod time! A huge thanks to Bridgett, who handled for me, making sure I left on time and dealing with all the stuff I left in what I thought was a convenient large pile beside my campsite. And thanks to Moira and Doug who offered moral support at the start, halfway point and the finish line! And lastly, thanks to all the kennel sponsors, without whom, Allen wouldn’t be able to say “How’d you like to run 100 miles in about 90 days’ time?” as soon as I walk in the door from feeding dogs! It means the world to work for two people that are truly invested in me. On to the next one!

All pics by Karolyn during the final training run prior to the race.