Iditarod Pre Race Info

Well, it sounds as though the trail got a little more snow in the past week or so, and is all groomed up and ready!  That's awesome news for sure!  As for the mushers, we got some really good teams and a few wild cards for this years Iditarod....the Norwegians are coming, the Norwegians are coming!!  Sorlie is back, and brought along some friends!  It is said he has combined his Kennel with another of the best kennels in Norway and basically has a super talented Team!  Sorlie is one to watch for sure!  But there has been some combining going on in Alaska too.....I just heard 3 dogs from Sass's Team are now running on Neff's Team!  So part of Brent's Team will be running the race with Hugh.....he is there in spirit!

I of course want Aliy Zirkle to win....SPK is said to be the best in Alaska right now and Aliy is definitely due for a win!!  The Seaveys will be in the hunt along with King and Buser.....it's going to be some fierce competition!  I kind of hope Buser makes the move to Rohn again and this time have him place in the top 5...thus giving everyone some pause to his bold strategy.  Time will tell and there is plenty of speculation out there!  So pull up your Armchair, get comfy....do a weeks worth of chores as to not distract from your passion.....it's Sled Dog racing at its best....and may the best Team Win!!

Congrats to Allen and the SPK Black Team - Yukon Quest Champs

Allen and his team won the race early this am, EST.  His a team looked great...and Allen appeared to be happy with his Team.  There is a nice picture of him hugging his great lead dog Quito.....she is an outstanding Sled Dog with a very impressive resume!  Congratulations to SPK...both 300 mile and 900 mile 2014 YQ Champions!!!

Brent Sass Out of Hospital!

Brent Sass is on the mend in a Whitehorse Hotel....and dogs are reported to be in excellent condition! Brent will have a tale to tell....but first some rest and recouperation!  Hugh Neff was the first Musher onto the scene and is no stranger to having a race slip away after one mistake....as Hugh said "Brent pulled a Neff"....and also remarked how Brent often times has been the savior to a team in trouble, and this time Brent was the one needing saving....Neff was glad he was there to help!  "What goes around, comes around" Hugh exclaimed!

Brent Sass Injured - Yukon Quest Stalls For a Moment

Wow....what drama unfolded on the Yukon Quest in the past 24 hours.  last I knew I was headed to bed at 11 pm eastern standard time....Allen and Brent met up on the trail and were about to battle it out for 50 miles or so to the last checkpoint of Braeburn.....a mandatory 8 hour rest was required there.  so I went to sleep knowing the race would still be on come morning.  After mushers and a Teams are through with their 8 hour rests, us Armchair Mushers would be treated to yet another 65 mile racing to the finish.....or so we thought.

Instead, when I checked into the web at 4:30 I saw Allen ahead by a mile or so.....I thought cool!  Go SPK!  Then after some chores, I checked again to find Allen into Braeburn....again, I thought Excellent.....this is too cool!  When I got home from my chores I saw Brent parked about 15 miles out of Braeburn according to his GPS a tracker.  The SPK Dog Log confirmed my concern.....what was Brent doing parked a mere 15 miles from a mandatory 8 hour rest area.....it didn't make sense.  So I go to the Yukon Quest Facebook page....and the story started to unfold there.....first with a post from the YQ stating they sent out snow machines to check on Brent to see if he needs help.  Then a tweet.....cryptically saying his Team will be brought by officials to the Braeburn Checkpoint....more news later.  A few minutes more and we know the whole story.  Brent had a fall of some sort, and had to be rescued by the snow machines.  His team is fine....but he needed medical attention.  Allen and the rest of the SPK Crew found this out real time.....and in true form, Allen waited to see Brent before he set out on the trail to win his second YQ Championship.  An Epic battle for 1st place disappears in an instant with an accident.  Allen was ahead in the race, with no idea what was happening behind him....if he knew he would have surely helped.  An Anonymous post on the SPK Dog Log said it best " Heal well Brent....Finish with Honors Allen!

This is truly a bitter sweet win for SPK.....Allen ran a perfect race....and so did Brent...until the accident.  I will post more when more is known of Brent's condition...and what happened leading up to the fall.

Team Norway - The Return of Robert Sorlie!

Did you notice.....Robert Sorlie is back!!  Wow....this guy is an incredible Musher.....he has ran the Iditarod 3 times.....took 9th in his Rookie year, and the two other years he ran he won them both!  That was back in 2003 and 2005.  I'm looking forward to seeing what new style and strategy Sorlie will bring to the race this year.  Remember he was the one who really pushed the long run concept years ago.  Mackey was so impressed with this guy he started training the same....and winning races. Team Norway is definitely one to watch this year!!  

No Lance Mackey for 2014 Iditarod!

This news really bummed me out, but I totally understand why Lance bowed out of this years races.  He has undergone extensive surgery to remove all his teeth in preparation for implants.  He JUST announced he will be running the Fur a Rondy sprint race this year though!!  YOU GO LANCE!!  This guy is simply amazing!  I just finished reading his book this winter and wow....I have always been a fan of Lance's, but after reading the book you really get an understanding of this guys challenges through life.  It really is quite the inspirational book and I highly recommend it!  And that from someone who doesn't even like to read!

Full Discloser - I'm a SP Kennel Fan!

Ok....might as well come clean with this...I will try not to let my bias interfere with my race coverage....but I am Sponsoring a Dog from Aliy Zirkle and Allen Moore's kennel.  His name is Chemo and I can't believe how attached I am to him being so far away!  He was chosen for Allen's Quest Team, but unfortunately had to be dropped just over 600 miles into the race due to a sore shoulder.  Bummer!  But that's Sled Dog a Racing for ya!  I hope Allen and his Team can stay happy and healthy for the rest of the trip to the finish!  Go Allen and SPK Black team!!

Potential Iditarod Restart in Fairbanks

I heard yesterday the Iditarod may have to relocate the beginning of the race to Fairbanks.  I remember when they did this before...I think it was in 2003.  Anyhow....keep your eyes on this....it's so sad we here in the Adirondacks have more snow than parts of Alaska!!  Crazy!

2014 - Yukon Quest Update

Hey Folks! Most of you know I have been following the Yukon Quest this year as well as the Iditarod. And what a race we have going on!  I felt instead of emailing everyone separately Id spark up the ole Blog for the year....IditaDacks is back for the 2014 season!

Ok...quite the epic battle happening out there on the Yukon.  Returning Champ Allen Moore and Veteran YQ Musher Brent Sass are neck and neck on the run into Braeburn where both Teams will be required to rest 8 hours for the last 100 mile trek to the finish!  It's an awesome race to watch! Some of the a Teams will be in the Iditarod too....like Sass, Neff and Moore(SP Kennel)...so think of this as an Iditarod warm up!