Comments on: Iditarod 2015 – Day 8

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 19 Mar 2015 01:47:05 +0000

In reply to JuanitaM. With three second place finishes in the Iditarod and two Quest wins, the team peaked. The older dogs will have to be replaced and the team rebuilt. I think she has been running the Quest 300 looking for new candidates.

By: JuanitaM

JuanitaM — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 23:52:09 +0000

Yes, I see what you mean about Aliy’s team. I checked, and she’s got one rookie on it, so that must be what she’s doing.

And yeah, being a care giver is a challenge. Your time is never truly your own, and you never feel quite up to speed. Okay, enough complaining…

By: Bryan

Bryan — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 21:09:34 +0000

Last things first – no snow busted people and sleds last year. This year it was cold on the rivers with wind chills.

Usually Allen gets the A-Team for the Quest and Aliy gets it for the Iditarod. Aliy may have seen a young dog on her Q-300 team that impressed her and made the switch.

The speed of the team is related to rest, and to rest between checkpoints. The entire team has its own time for rest, i.e. a number of hours it can run before it needs a break. The real speed of the team is determined on the runs between checkpoints about 30 miles apart, where no one would stop for food or rest. The run from White Mountain to Nome will be a sprint, with the team making an all out effort. A two or three hour lead doesn’t guarantee anything if you take it to White Mountain, only if you can take it to Nome.

Being a care giver is a tough job and not one I want to do again.

By: JuanitaM

JuanitaM — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 16:32:13 +0000

Although there are a few people scratching this year, it’s nothing like the pile that dropped out last year. There were about three times the number last year, most in the first couple of days. The old trail really thinned them out on that first leg.

By: JuanitaM

JuanitaM — Mon, 16 Mar 2015 16:09:51 +0000

Back again! The upside of taking care of someone with dementia is that it never gets boring!

Unfortunately, I’ve missed half the race. Still, it looks like the last leg may be exciting. There’s about an hour between the top three. That doesn’t seem like a long time, does it? At last look, Dallas seems to be running a bit faster than Aaron, so he’s obviously trying to make up for lost time.

I noticed that the Zirkle/Moore dog Boondocks is running with Allen this year. I believe she’s the smallest dog running since Colleen’s Penny.