We arrive on time 8:30 AM, get a spot in the parking area, rotate the dogs out , unload sled and lines, Meet Ruth King and her husband Keven and daughter as they arrive, go to check in find out drivers meeting delayed slightly... Ok check out the start chute and they way up to same from the truck, mingle a bit look around, TV crew comes by interviews me?
Nervous, fret about dogs freaking and not running past crowds, balking at every spectator, passing other teams.. will they fight? tangle go onby?
?
Signed up to run 2 teams.
one in pro 4 dog, second in sport 4 dog same course 5 kilometers.
......
More fretting snow plowed from lot creates spectator standing seating area , bleacher like over the trail just to the inside of the curve coming out of the start chute..... Yep dogs will balk off to the left away from this and put us in the soft snow .. fret..
Drivers meeting rules rundown, call trail, let folks by, start times have been changed slightly... check sheet.
Start times
Pro Bib#101 11:30:30
Sport Bib#123 11:56:30
26 Minutes to run pro class starting 2nd position, finish, drop 4 dogs and hook in 4 others..
Fret..
look for bib number 100 to be ready to line up ... never did see him, gone from the line 20 seconds before I get to the line, I came to find out soon enough
Wait to hook up check my watch (must have been off from the official time) ok 7 minutes lets go up...
just shy of getting to the chute I am told by Shelly later the Count was at 10, 9, 8. I did not hear this. focused on the dogs and working the sled around to line up into the chute, 7, 6, 5. Lead dogs are at the line, 4, 3, 2. TYNA HIKE! 1
we lurch out, Tyna is thrown from her game by the abrupt almost thrown out the chute start due to my tardiness to the line.
Then the crowd sets the team left towards the soft outer snow, Maraq in front right lead pulls forward with Tsarko and Vixen at wheel..we move forward. far enough out now, Tyna see's open trail ahead and is getting her self going now, Sharky is tangled at the neck line, snarfing at Vixen thinking its has to be her fault.. oh no... easy,, easy,,, woooah ready to set hook and clear..... ok he cleared it HIKE.
We run smooth enough from what I can remember through the woods then onto the trail on the ice, I think I may have been passed in the woods by 1 team.. OK so onto the Ice for a run I would guess to be two thirds of the race straight out ~ 1 mile dog leg back about a mile, we are passed by 3 maybe 4 teams running out on the long leg, (Complimented later on our passing skills or ability to be passed anyway) after the race by one of these drivers, the last dog leg on the ice is loose sand like snow over ice.. tough pulling, and footing I note, It was just prior to this area that I whistled at the dogs to speed em up and may have thrown the team in front of be inadvertently as I noted them pull up.... hope not, they took right off again and pulled away as I recall.. So we come off the Ice on an abrupt little hill and curve back and forth through the woods a bit and round a corner to the finish.. with the crowd beyond the finish line along the trail....
OK so Handlers spotted (Wife and Sister) leading us back to the truck, Hot need to take off coat.... lift sled across raod black gravel stuff... jog.. dogs are still pulling .. ok snow, drop sled, ride brake.. dogs still want to go... head back to truck.. unhook four, harnessed and waiting four hook into line OK line s at like I see 118 ok OH crap..... get other bib race #.. take off 101, put on #123.. ok, head for line yep here we are.
Ok I take a half a breath here we are 90 seconds out,,, line tangled in wheel dogs.. point yell.. Ok were moving up 60 seconds, ok 1 handler on lead.. were next 30 and counting down Albert... AlBert.. Ok got ya.. 3.2.HIKE ALBERT. 1 ! HIKE, HIKE. HIKE and we are away oh oh little tangle on Axel.. ok so far..Albert pulling fine leading us out clean. smile for the camera brother Avery slack lining.. not balking but real distracted, Ok Avery gets the hint when Albert neck line tugs him and 2 strides and he is pulling tite... looking good slow up and easy boys...Axel hops and steps back over to his side of the gange line, KIKE HIKE ONBY BOYS....Road crossing... Flag man waving me on, Hike .. OH oh single team stopped just after crossing.. leader tangle looks like... No way to do anything but stay out of the way and onby.. ONBY...Boy's are looking good, gaining confidence, now we run a big circle around a ball field back through the woods and onto the lake. Ok we can do this now, We may have passed or been passed by another team in the woods.. I cannot remember now, thinking back I was so focused on the dogs at each pass and getting by clean.. I do remember a team coming up from behind I spoted as we went around the ball field fence..
we go through the last of the woods before the lake slowing for spectators and me shouting a lot of onby's.
On the lake trotting.... Come on boys pick it up! we are passed and the boys go into chase mode intent on being in front.. I give em encouragement.. By the end of the mile out run on the lake we pass maybe 3-4 teams clean, trying to call trail properly and avoid tangles or mishaps We get out in front of this group just before the turn and I fall forward.. seems the boys run best chasing as we jockey back and forth with I think #121 So the boys will not pull away, I start laughing... so I ride the brake a bit and ease them back to follow a ways on the first part of the dogleg return...as we come to the loose snow over ice trail area I urge the boys on for all I can and start to peddle for all I am worth to vault us by and catch site of the next team ahead to give the boys something to chase.. It works we are pulling away gaining on the team ahead coming up on the steep bank up off the lake fast now... the team ahead balks... Trail! trail we come up on them and stall as well...onby hike hike we are sitting next to them I am watching the dogs,, the other driver? the team behind is coming into us now..Oh NO!! 3 team pile up looming I jump off the sled run up and pull Albert and Avery ahead clearing the 2 teams, as I look back to check the status of the stalled team,, dogs coming at me! other team... grab the sled NOW!!! I grab.. HANG ON! and we are going.... the chasing team coming up next to us twisty trail ... Hang on tree! Turn... gee over boys turn, tree, turn cleared... Finish line.......
The dogs all did super I was amazed...
It all happened to fast..
Lots of photos on the Seppness Facebook page
