Last weekend Robin and I made it out to our first mushing competition since we’ve been here, one put on by the Fairbanks Junior Dog Musher’s Association.
a competitor praises his Alaskan Husky, post-race
It was held north of town, at the Jeff Studdert Racegrounds, where most of the mushing and skijoring events take place in Fairbanks.
The weather was nippy—about 4 degrees above zero—so we dressed warmly:
Robin’s wearing a scarf knitted by our friend Amy
(she made one for me too—thanks, Amy!)
Even the locals wore thick coats to watch the races:
There were four classes: one-dog, two-dog, three-dog, and six-dog. We got there just in time to see the beginning of the three-dog competition, which was four miles long:
two three-dog teams race it out for the finish
The contestants varied in age from 3 years old (in the one-dog competition, which we unfortunately missed), to 18. Though the ones I saw seemed to be mostly around 13 to 16.
a three-dog team crosses the finish line
Anyone who tells you that mushing is cruel to the animals has never watched a race. These dogs live to run. Check out the lead dog here, right before the start of the six-dog team:
Most mushers have a whole kennel of dogs, which are transported in special mush-mobiles (my term), which have racks on top for the sleds, and windows cut out for the dogs.
you can see straw—used for warmth—sticking out of the windows
After the races were over, Robin and I wandered into the Mushers’ Hall, where competitors checked in and got their bibs, and where you could buy hot coffee and donuts and grilled cheese sandwiches.
Speaking of mushing, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that the most famous race of them all is going on right now—the Iditarod. Robin and I are rooting for Lance Mackey and John Baker, who are both doing well (though it’s still very early). You can follow the race here.
I close with a photo of our little snow dog. Maybe we should teach her to pull a little sled?
I became a big fan of Lance Mackey after I watched this 2008 six part documentary (streamed on Netflix): Iditarod: The Toughest Race on Earth. I watched it during my throat cancer treatment period. He also had throat cancer and even ran the Iditarod with a feeding tube in his stomach (though didn't finish that year). Now that's impressive (read: nuts). He is just a focused, hard-working guy who loves his dogs. He lives in Fairbanks and I plan to meet him sometime after the race one way or another. He is one of 5 4-time winners. The others being Jeff King (boo! - see what a jerk he is by watching the documentary), Martin Buser, Susan Butcher (deceased) and Doug Swingley (retired). The only 5-time winner is Rick Swenson (also boo for his sexist comments in the years Susan Butcher was winning). I want Lance to win (or Martin would be fine, too) just so someone ties, and hopefully later beats, Swenson's record. And exceeds Jeff King.
ReplyDeleteBottomline: I am rooting against King and Swenson and rooting for most everybody else. It would be sweet if it was Lance, though.
Great photos! I'm not commenting much, but I AM reading your dreams, etc, on a regular basis. Boo, Jeff King and Rick Swenson!
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