YQ Wrap-up

The Yukon Quest had a tough year. Of the original fifteen entrants for the main race, it gradually tapered off to eleven. Some well-regarded mushers scratched out for a variety of reasons, mostly weather conditions which took a toll on dogs as well as the mushers. I was sorry that Jason Campeau had a bad 'wreck' in which several dogs were hurt as he came off Eagle Summit and hit some bad ice. He sat out a year to recover from a near-fatal concussion issue in 2018 and had really struggled to get back up to speed for this race. He will be back again I am sure and said ias much in his comments afterwards.

Besides this ice on the steep down slopes early in the race, there were blizzard snow conditions and later some major overflow problems that challenged everyone. However, I am really proud that the four women who had signed up completed the race, all but one in the top ten--which is kind of a feeble joke since only eleven finished! However they all did awesome jobs, even Olivia Shank-Webster-Neff who won the Red Lantern, arriving just at the start of the finisher's banquet on Feb 15. She had fought a real campaign holding last place for almost the whole thousand miles and braving deep blown snow and some fierce overflow as she made he final distance from Pelly to Whitehorse. She got a standing ovation from the crowd as she  came into the hall after settling her dogs.

The big competition for me was the two who led much of the race, double winner in a prior race and last year, Brent Sass and Michelle Phillips of Tagish Lake Kennel. They were running different schedules and played leap frog over and over as they passed each other while one had a team resting. Finally the last stretch seemed to be more manageable by Brent's very strong and tough team and he got and held the lead. Michelle and her team came in not too far behind--a couple of hours as I recall. Then there was a l-o-n-g gap before the third and fourth place racers arrived, Cody Strath of Squid Acres at third and Allen Moore of SPK as fourth. Another gap and Torston  Kohnert, a Swedish musher came in 5th and Ryne Olsen, once a protegee of SPK and now building up her own kennel was 6th. The other woman, Nora Sjalin, another Swede, got seventh place and rookie of the year.

I was very proud of all the women and enjoyed the speeches they made as they accepted their trophies. Michelle had run a very fine race and to be a close second under the savage conditions was a real win in every way. I was also impressed by Nora, whose command of English was very good and they all had wonderful things to say about their teams. It often seems to me that although all the mushers have a good bond with their dogs--it is really essential--that the women are at least more expressive about it and openly emotional with and about their canine partners. Well, maybe it is just a 'female' thing!

The jolt of the night came when Allen Moore admitted he had only been training for thirty days before this race after undergoing shoulder surgery in the summer. He announced this was his last big race and he was not going to fully retire but would be a handler for his daughter Bridgit who is following in his and step-mom Aliy's runner tracks and will be competing in the 2021 season. That brought a few tears as Allen is one of my mushing heroes but I know he will be part of Aliy's team as long as she is competing and now his daughter and maybe some grandkids will be coming along in the tradition. He is such a neat guy. I love his droll Arkansas humor and his upbeat attitude. In that he is very like Aliy but just lower key and the old country boy comes through in all the little jokes and homey phrases. He needs to write a book and I'd be honored to  help him on that!

A few pix I grabbed on line. The musher's banquet; that is Olivia getting a hug with her Red Lantern.
The next is Allen with the Black Team at the finish--he said the dogs were awesome! Only two 1000 mile 'rookies' were dropped, Decaf and Sanka, for minor injuries only.  Third is Michelle as she gave her speech. She is right up there with Aliy and Deedee as my most revered lady mushers! Her dog care is amazing. BTW, Cody got the Vet's award.

What the "L" is Qrill?

In the last two years a new word has made its appearance in the international mushing scene. I've been simply watching and listening but decided to share a bit of what I have discovered so far since this blog is all about the sled dog racing world and the folks involved in it, most especially the feminine.

First off, many of us have hard of Krill Oil being touted as a wonderful health panacea for humans. Krill is a tiny shrimp-type  crustacean found in bitter cold waters. mainly around the antarctic. I admit to taking  daily capsule of krill oil myself; I get it from Wallyworld which is probably not the best source for a quality product but that is not germain here.  Well, as in  many cases, what is good for us hoomans is also good for our critters, especially the more carnoivorous ones. With that in mind a Norwegian company has begun to produce and market pet food based on krill. What do they call it? Qrill! The logo features orange and their marketing and PR efforts are getting pretty spectacular.

A closely linked enterprise is their sponsorship of  first one and now several racing dog sled teams in an effort to promote the value of their special feed and to support, sustain and educate the public about the sport of mushing. You may recognize a few of the names and the rest will likely become more familiar soon. Here is the URL to the team page: https://www.qrillpet.com/theqrillpetteam

Thomas Waerner is a Norwegian musher who has competed in the Iditarod in the past and though not winning turned in a good performance. Then a few years ago, a younger countryman by the name of Joar Leifseth Ulsom appeared. To date he has run the Iditarod seven times, was rookie of the year his first try and has finished above tenth in each run, peaking as the winner in 2018. That year like last, he featured a lot of orange and carried the Qrill logo on his truck and some of the other gear. He was a close second last year to the 2019 winner, Pete Keiser, who so far is not involved in the Qrill enterprise. Joar currently resides in Alaska in the Willows area, north of Wasilla.

A name even the more casual mushing fans will recognize is Dallas Seavey. Scion of the old and well known mushing Seavey family--both his grandfather Dan and dad Mitch are I'rod winners--Dallas was the youngest competitor to run the big one on his rookie year at age 18. Since then he has scooped up for wins plus one win of the Yukon Quest. He got crosswise with the Iditarod board in 2017 about a badly botched and mishandled issue where two of his dogs post-race tested positive for tramadol, a synthetic opiate, and has not run that race since. Instead he migrated to Norway and started racing there. So far I do not think he has won the two big Norwegian races but he's doing well..

A couple of Norwegian ladies are also part of the team, Marit Beale Kasin and Hanna Lyrek. I am sure we will be hearing more of them in the future In short, keep your eyes pealed for orange dog trucks, parkas, sled bags and other gear that certainly seems will soon be ubiquitous on the major international competitions. The orange hexagon and slanted tear drop shape of their logos are already flashing in many places.

The latest project this very ambitious and energetic crew has taken on is a "world championship of sled dog racing" which for now involves mushers earning points in four major races--two in Europe--Russia and Norway-- the John Beargrease in the lower US 48 and the Iditarod.  One musher/team will grab the most points--winning the Iditarod is the highest valued placement--and will be declared the world champion.

On this in particular I do have mixed feelings. First there are far too few races to claim this level of a title. The Yukon Quest is not included and a number of major mid distance  and stage races in Alaska, Canada and the lower 48 states to say nothing of several long-running events in Europe are not factored in. And sprint racing is totally ignored. IMHO much more inclusion needs to happen before any grandiose titles are awarded. The point system seems pretty complex and even confusing although I have not really read the who schedule and rules on this yet; not sure where to even find them! Back to the search engines...

As an alternative I suggested a final race among only the winners of at least six to ten of the most onerous and long distance races competing in a race to be held at a revolving location of one of those big races after the main season is over or early the next winter if the venues lack sufficient snow. I admit this would be a logistical nightmare due to the complex requirements most countries have for bringing animals across their borders plus assembling a vet team, volunteers and all the needed facilities for the whole entourage and the reporters likely to follow. But if it could be accomplished, what a PR event that would be! I visualize a jewel studded "platinum"harness set for the lead dog or pair of the winner, a fancy belt or badge or helmet for the musher and great hoopla!! Well, one can dream. I was not exactly pooh-poohed off the page on the FB groups where I posted it but did get a dash of ice water on the difficulties involved!! For now I am in a wait-n-see mode on the Qrill World Championship Musher project but will follow developments closely and certainly watch the orange decked teams as they compete in the 2020 races and into the future. There were none in the YQ , Kusko300, CB300 etc. since they are not "sanctioned' by this new enterprise!

The Yukon Quest(s) Now Underway

Both the 1000 and the 300  mile versions of this race began Saturday, this year starting in Fairbanks, Alaska. Although a number of other races, several in the lower 48, were either starting or in progress, most of my readers here know my heart is in the Big Ones and those mushers. Of course those mushers also run in some of the mid-distance for many reasons. First, it is good training for dogs especially when they are bringing new young dogs into their teams. They may not run their top flight dogs--it all depends.   Another is a chance at some decent prize purses which help with the very expensive business of maintaining a kennel and keeping 20 to 50 dogs healthy, fed, doctored and fitted with harness and other equipment to say nothing of what the musher requires in cold weather gear and other supplies.  Serious sled dog racing is a bottomless money pit. Nobody is going to be doing it unless they love it fiercely and cannot envision a life this activity is not central to.

The fields in both the YQ races were small this season.There are a lot of reasons and issues behind this. Two young mushers who had signed up for the 1000 did not complete a needed qualifier when they scratched from the CB300. It was too late for them to change and run in the YQ300. There was some controversy over whether this was a fair and right decision but it stood. Then Matt Failor who had been running mid-distance races--no need to qualify for him since he has many races under his dogs' harnesses--also decided to try to pull out of the 1000 and run the 300 and again was not allowed. So in effect this actually reduced the contestants in both by three mushers. That left the fields at roughly fifteen for each race. That is enough competition to make each one a real race but it does reduce the purses some and probably gives PeTA and HSUS more ammo to twist and spin for their propaganda.

Anyway, as I write the 300 is nearing the close. At last count some nine or ten musher teams were in. Dave Turner won with Jeremy Traska close behind him. Madeline Rubida, a protegee of Tagish Lake Kennel, the home of Michelle Phillips and Ed Hopkins, got  third and Karolyn Bristol, working with and sponsored by SPK is shown on the tracker as 7th and Misha Wiljes as 8th. Misha ran the 1000 last year but lost a dog to aspirational pneumonia and perhaps did not think her team was up for the longer run. Three more are 'there' but not officially marked finish yet. The red lantern is either Leigh Strehlau or Deke Naaktgrboren. I had seen he had scratched but the tracker is not showing that yet. Two other racers did scratch earlier. Anyway it is virtually over and all remaining is the awards banquet which if memory serves is run in conjunction with the 1000 finish festivities, at Whitehorse this time.

So on to the big one. The leading group is at or out of Eagle Creek. Brent Sass is setting a scorching pace--I think he is really hungry for a third win. Giving him a run for his money is Michelle Phillips. She's run this race several times and it would be very neat to see her win. She'd be only the second female musher to do it. Aliy Z won in 2000, fairly early in her career.  Cody Strath, Torston  Kohnert and Allen Moore along with Ryne Olsen are hardly a safe distance back but not out of Eagle Creek per the tracker. That puts this group roughly a third of the way to the finish line. For now it is still a wide open race with a chance of a spoiler or two moving up though that gets less likely with each hour. Even at fast dog speed, twenty miles is a long way.

Two mushers scratched earlier today, and I am sad for them both.  Dennis Tremblay and Jason Campeau stopped for their teams welfare, they said. Of course that is the normal response but generally is is for real unless a musher is badly hurt or equipment too trashed to fix. Not much had been said but it appears the trail is pretty rough, icy, heavy snow, bare rock and all the extremes in various sections, rough on dogs, mushers and gear. Jason suffered a life threatening concussion two years ago and had worked and struggled for months to make a comeback so I feel especially sad for him. I hope he will have another chance in the coming years.

Bringing up the Red Lantern rear is Olivia Webster, actually Olivia Shank Webster Neff. I admit to mixed feelings about her. Her grandfather was almost the analog of Joe Redington as for as the Quest goes and naturally she wants to honor him. She tried last year and made it to Dawson (going west then) but with  controversial issues and problems. She ended scratching in lieu of being literally withdrawn by the judges. It was a messy situation and since I was not there and only heard different sides of the story which might all have been miles off the truth, I can't take sides. I do know her husband, Hugh Neff, is a very controversial figure and has been banned for alleged dog abuse and other issues. Again, what is fact versus rumor is hard to separate. I assume he is handling for her this time but do not know that for a fact.

I suspect she will scratch again but she is out of Slavin Gulch and still lugging along.  Just ahead of her are Dave Dalton and Pat Noddin. Dalton's name is familiar but not the other; not even sure if it is a guy or a gal as the name could be either. Need to go check the musher bios. They seem to be at a stop and she is less than ten miles behind them.

So the sled dog train is heading for Dalton and the 36 hour layover. Aliy is on her way there, handling for Allen as she usually does for the second half of the race. She kept tabs on Karolyn until the younger woman was heading for the last lap of the 300 but then did go on up to see Allen and the Black Team at the last checkpoint the road can reach. I bet she is in full mama mode this time not being distracted by running herself! She and Allen are very supportive and even protective of each other. I like that!I think Michelle and Ed are too and I know that fits Paige and Cody. Really admire these couples who are in it together and apply the musher teamwork to the max, even when they sometimes may compete. That is not usual although they may run a race together just to do it as Paige and Cody did the YQ a few seasons back.  Often one will run the A team while the other uses the puppy team in a learning role. Or they take turns running the two big races, one to each a year.

So now we follow the tracker and listen to the gossip and wait to see what happens next. Yep, it is still a dog race and **anything** can happen!! I reckon Lance knew that if anyone does!