SP Kennel Red Team received the Halfway Award for completing 1st half first.  And...

• Winner must be from the top 20 finishing teams. 
  
• What items considered?
• Condition (physical);
• Dog attitude and weight.
  
• Look of coat, of the dog team/individuals at every recorded vet check point...
• Added up from each vet's top three (must choose 1, 2, 3) for each classification...
• PLUS post race physical exam - compared to pre-race data as well as check-point data.
• Obviously, this is a matter of statistics assembled over 10 days or so and then the numbers are run...
  

 

CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER:  WE NOW BEGIN ADDING GRAPHIC LINK TO SHORT SP KENNEL VIDEO STORY AS REPORTED OFFICIALLY

• DAY ONE
• DAY TWO
• DAY THREE
• DAY FOUR
• DAY FIVE
• DAY SIX
  
• DAY SEVEN 
  
• DAY EIGHT
• DAY NINE
• DAY TEN

DAY ONE

1. AND THEY'RE OFF!!!
   
2. At the 48 mile mark. Red Team motoring along, moving up from 19th to 13th place.  This looks to be a most interesting ID, although here, about 4 hours in, it is of course too soon to tell.
3. Now 18th place a few minutes later (resting?) - passed by Nick Petit and Martin Buser...this is why I don't watch constantly - it is nerve wracking.  Chena says not to worry.
4. Now she's in 14th place 20 minutes later...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZmiddle of the night, way down the list then...
   
5. And upon waking...4th place!
   
6. An hour later (117 mi), second place...and now resting 123mi.  Where is this? 
   
7. FINGER LAKE.  That's the check point before some of the most challenging parts of ID trail...
8. After a lengthy rest, Red Team embarks on this difficult leg.  In seventh place @145mi.
   
9. We watched an interview of defending champ Joar - from Finger Lakes - and he said the trail was fine, but it was getting warm - he would run at night.  During the day he lets his dogs set their own pace - lots of rests so they can roll around in the snow.  WOOF. 
   

PAWNOTES
Here at the beginning, Chena wants to be sure everyone understands that this is a collaborative effort.
Data sources (secondary) she used are:

• Insider-provided GPS tracking, video, interviews ("secondary" meaning not original in this case - of course there is no better "primary" source than GPS) as well as
  
• SP Kennel website as well as
  
• Online reports from ADN.

The true "primary" source, Chena says, is her group of "field reporters" - team members who give info to the Eagle Brigade.  This flying squad of eagle-eyed journalists pierces the clouds/snow and observes progress from on high, a truly "cheap" or "cheep" way to communicate.

*Early
    

• On to Rainy Pass...(right - arrival by Red Team in previous event) with the Happy River Steps along the way...
  
• ID is 987 mi - not counting 11 mile "ceremonial start" - so with more than 10% done RED TEAM is in second place.
  
• "The Iditarod is smaller this year, in terms of both mushers and dogs. The field of 52 is the smallest since 1989, when 49 mushers started, and a new rule trimmed the maximum size of teams from 16 dogs to 14..." 
  
• The quote above is from ADN article.  We note that Iditarod began in 1972. 
  
• Word is that there is snow on the trail through the Alaska Range, and up the Yukon River, but the Bering Sea (above, left) is not frozen... would that be Norton Sound (our graphic from 2016)?
• WE NOTE THAT MICHELLE PHILLIPS HAS WITHDRAWN (AFTER A TOUGH RACE, FINISHING HIGH - 4 or 5 -  IN YQ1000 LAST MONTH).
  
  

**BREAKING NEWS - FIVE MEMBERS OF THE FIRE LITTER ON ID RED TEAM

Chena not on the team, but is now able to devote herself to her position as Editor in Chief of the WOOFSITE and bring her best insights to you!!!  Here's her first post: "This is going to be a dog fight with so many highly skilled teams up front" but she warns not to count out those who picked high numbers. "ID is truly a mind game and dogs might prefer having to fight to get the lead..."  On the other paw, Chena herself loves either method - "Running in front is cool, too!" she stated, citing her recent victory in both the YQ200 as well as 2018 YQ1000.

***Speed kills as the saying goes.  What I've found is the relation between "run" and "rest" in a distance race like ID or YQ is critical.  If the moving speed is faster than the average speed here at the early phases of a long distance race, unless you are driving a team of super dogs, or holding some in reserve (probably not so much this year) it should catch up with them later in the race.

****STEPS:  Quite a few years ago, Red Team Leader kept her hand-held camera running while descending the Happy River Steps - now that is a daredevil move if ever I heard one!  The video was so scary (you could hear the "whack" as tree limbs closed in and the "BANG" as the sled bounced down each and every Step - this is not a warm and fuzzy sport!  Of course, the most scary one was when, some years later, I believe Jeff King wore a camera mounted atop his visor - the year of the "wipe outs" due to no snow cover - the dogs love this and run super fast - Red Team musher made it through but others just called it a day, "scratched." Broken bones and nerves among that group.

1. Arriving Rainy Pass, Red Team took a longish rest...
2. 5th place at 9pm on the way to Rohn (not the member of the Board of Finance in Weston).  Whose meeting is going on and on, taking me away from keeping track of ID...
3. March 12th is a big meeting in Weston - Selectman, Finance, Education and our 3 state legislators...we heard First Selectman say Weston under the present formula in SB431 (Sen. Looney) would be told it puts 42% rather than 25% toward TRSZZZZ.
4. Upon awaking in Weston CT we read in the HOUR (Dan Haar) of the Progressive Democrats push for actions against Weston - that would be 2 of Weston's 3 legislators.
5. Lunchtime and 5 miles to Nikolai for the Red Team...nominally in 4th place but some fast teams breathing down their neck...
6. Arrived Nikolai (mile 207) in 4th or fifth place...in the Denali neighborhood, we think...2014 Iditarod view of Denali above.
   
7. POST-RACE INSIDER INTERVIEW - RED TEAM MUSHER SAYS IF YOU ARE NOT IN THE LEAD PACK AT THIS TIME, YOU ARE NOT GOING TO WIN.
   

------

PAWNOTES

• Chena reports that ID has asked that no more comments about CT politics appear on her WOOFSITE.
• Chena consulted with Beemer and Viper, as well as contacted Waylon in New Zealand, and she will continue to complain about the CT Legislature.  "I have been told I can say whatever I like about 'an entity' but not individuals" she stated.  "An 'entity' could also be a fire hydrant, for example, and male dogs know what to do" so she continued "We will continue to SPEAK UP."
  

1. We got started late covering Day #3 because we figured the Red Team would spend longer tending to ouches...out of Nikolai towards McGrath;
   
2. As we write these notes, the Red Team is in fifth place, cookin' with Crisco as my favorite watercolor teacher once said...speed increased from earlier...293 miles done.
3. "Spirit of the North" - first into McGrath goes to Quick Nick.
4. At 9am in Weston we are shocked to see that Red Team is...in second place!!!  Some of the lead teams may be taking their 24 hour rests, but it is nice to see anyway!!!
5. Back from morning rounds...and it looks to me that Red Team is taking its long rest in Ophir...one all-day rest, and 2 8 hour rests - one along the Yukon and one at White Mountain.
6. WRONG - only 2hrs and guess who is in FIRST PLACE at mile 359?  Red Team!!!  What fun!!!
7. Next stop:  Iditarod.  Jefe remembers this from last year!
   

--------------------


DID WE MENTION THE LENGTH OF IDITAROD TRAIL?  FIFTH IN THE SERIES HERE

PAWNOTES:

• Putting in the miles...great discussion of the trail and other factors influencing performance.
  
• Chena has no idea what is going on, but she stated "Red Team is hanging tough" against speeding two leaders.
  
• Is the maximum 14 dogs having an effect?  Not yet.  Speed is really fast and some may not feel the two leaders can keep it up...
• Chena lining up stand up gigs for Red Team musher as she mocks her "dilly-dallying" over her treating her dogs as if they were puppies (see snap above - a mock concerned look).
• Considering that the rules call for one 24 hour rest and 2 specified 8hr. rests, what's the plan?
  

TWENTY-FOUR HOUR PLUS TIME OUT:  At 1:38am AK TIME...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

"THE GAMBLE"


On the way to Iditarod, breaking trail...hot hot hot!!!  #6 - tough sledding for hard-working team.

THE ALASKA TUNDRA...https://spkennel.com/2019/07/2019-aliy-cam-episodes-7-and-8/


DAY FOUR

1. Long leg to Iditarod...#7 above.
   
2. Winding down with just 40 more miles to go - shown in #8 below.
   
3. They arrived1:38am, AK time.  In the dark, of course.  Dogs look happy on Insider video - wagging tails!!!  Who was in the sled bag???
   
4. Took a long time to get there - trail (they were breaking trail) not well marked.  But now everyone else will have an easier time.ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ24hr rest...ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

------------------

PAWNOTES:

• "Are we there yet?" many of the Team wonder...
  
• Is the 24 hr rest going to be like a camp out?  Looks that way! 
  
• About 10 hours in Red Team still has the place to themselves.  But the circus will be coming to interrupt themzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz...

• BREAKING NEWS REPORT:  It was Bruno in the sled bag - and we believe he got impatient circling around the tussocks - NO SNOW ON THE TRAIL 15 miles from Iditarod.
• Refreshed from being at historic Iditarod, the team accepted the "Halfway Award" - $2000 in gold (not "Gold").

RUNNING THEM DOWN ONE BY ONE

WOOF!!!  https://spkennel.com/2019/08/2019-aliy-cam-episodes-9-and-10/

WOOF AND WOOF BELOW
EPISODE 11 & 12 - Rain, rain and more rain.

DAY FIVE

1. Day Five will begin around 6:40pm, but since we began some previous days late, how about this one...early?
2. Commentary from ID regarding trail on Southern Route says...watch out for blustery Yukon...
3. And Red Team is back on the trail, now in 12th place.  But refreshed from 24 hrs at historic Iditarod. 
   
4. Into Shageluk in 11th place...and a general note on running the slushy Yukon...did we mention...rain?
   

PAWNOTES:

• How about that!  The Red Team is thrilled to have Gold recognized in such a nice way!!!  WOOF WOOF.
• Analysis by Chena reads as follows:  "Red Team looks great, moving well at equivalent speed of leaders."
• Q&A with Insider Team in Grayling on the Yukon made it clear that Red Team "went for it" and it didn't come out - but she was happy she tried!
• We note that Iditarod Insiders pointed out some dogs on leader's team were over 70 lbs. in response to "14 dogs better than 11?" - female dogs weigh less.

1. WOW!!!  We took some time off...and now the Red Team is in 6th place heading into Grayling (where the top 5 are resting);
   
2. On the edge of our seat...it appears some who had been ahead of the Red Team took 8 hr rest enabling Red Team to jump ahead...
3. This "lead" mentioned above, after poring over our charts, will be given back  once Red Team takes their 8 hr rest somewhere on the Yukon.
4. Eagles thought Red Team would grace their Island for the official 8hr rest...which is required along the Yukon.  They caught fish for the team, but...
   
5. NOPE!!!  However as mentioned below, Eagle Brigade earned their carp (that's Chena's play on the word "keep").
   

---------

PAWNOTES:

• Was it the eagle brigade that passed along intelligence to Bruno?  That is legal - animal to animal communication is fine.
• Rumors about Eagle Island are being spoken of...and yes, mushers had to take extra supplies!!!
• That would be for 120 miles-worth of food and stuff - including the long haul to Kaltag...and then the 85 miles to Unalakleet
• Complicating matters for Chena is the absence of chatter from the eagles...why are they silent?  Have they done any checking on the lead pack recently?
• BREAKING NEWS FROM EAGLES:  "Doing the math, leader is advancing to Kaltag very slowly...with lots of stops at various cabins, we suspect."
  

1. WARNING:  This is where time "springs ahead" at 2am.  Which is why using the tracker is always better than doing arithmetic.
2. Team loses Commando at Eagle Island reported- now only 13 dogs in line - which is still the highest number for any team (Jessie Royer has 13 too).
3. During the night, Red Team, 13 strong - was that FIVE in lead?  Nope, probably Spark - made their way to Kaltag!!!  Musher check in video.
   
4. We say that as ID analyst refers to "protecting their position" as a comment made by a team near the lead pack...
5. OUT OF KALTAG!!!  On the road again, as it were.  85 miles to Unalakleet...as this is written, 24 miles in to this, the longest "leg"...
   

-------------


PAWNOTES:

    

• We are so sad Commando had to sit out the rest of ID.  Get well, brother!!! WOOF WOOF WOOF
• Commando is reading now of the bill in C.G.A. regarding a "bear hunt" in Litchfield County and he notes:  "There were no bears on the ID this year..."
• Chena is very concerned but feels helpless to do anything about the situation - "GO BRO!!!  WOOF WOOF WOOF" she faux calls out to Spark!!!

1. At the end of the day, Red Team is chugging along in seventh - getting closer to sixth place team and seeming to draw away from those behind - but we wear rose colored glasses.
2. This is the longest stretch in ID - 68 miles down, 17 to go 'til UNK.  Eagle team reports "Red Team moving forward!" and thru the night...
3. In to Shaktoolik...previously, we hadn't figured that Red Team would stay here for a while.*
   
4. FRONT PAGE in Anchorage Daily News of Aliy giving Nomex a tip - or maybe she was just telling him what a big boy he is...
5. For a young team they are doing fantastically well - WOOF (translation from Chena - "JMO").
6. Team down to twelve (48 paws), departed Shaktoolik for Koyuk - total 50 miles..."But it seems like 100 because it is blowing on the ocean and the view is the same..." an official comment.
   

----------------------

PAWNOTES

• Shaktoolik has great bathrooms, if memory serves.  With awesome hotel-like showers (perhaps we exaggerate a bit).*
• Looking back, last year mile 777 was in DAY NINE...
  
• Eagles are proud they planted that story with their Eagle Island picture of Red Team.
  

DAY NINE

1.  FWIW - not yet "DAY#9" - Red Team more than 40 miles behind so they are not worried about anything up front...
2. Make that 32 miles behind...
3. In 4th place as of 10:12pm.  818mi.
4. Of the 48 miles to Elim from Koyuk at mile 862, that makes a baker's dozen to go...or seventy-five percent done on this leg...
5. 868mi now, and Eagle Brigade has signed the contract for remainder of ID with race officials.  They will defer to official news sources in case of a tie in exchange for various gifts.
   
6. Red Team in  Elim mile 875 (above second from right - graphic from previous ID)!!!
7. And now out of Elim on the way to White Mountain...
   

----------

PAWNOTES:

• We're going to take off here...and thru the night...Driver had to  step out of the line, as well as Amber (this is a note post-ID)
  
• See above, center.
  
• Eagles report loud and constant wind gusts, which hamper somewhat their reporting. 
  
• But their reports are still better than Insider - oh wow, the Eagles' deal paid off - no one but they can report!!!.
• NEWSFLASH:  Eagles report fast leader SCRATCHES (above, far right).
  
• Now we find out that musher gave one of her two ski poles to the competitor behind here and is off balance on the way to the long rest (8 hours) ahead at White Mountain...
  

Episode 19:  https://spkennel.com/2019/09/2019-aliy-cam-episodes-19/

Rarely does SP Kennel video at night - but this time, for a specific purpose, the camera rolls to illustrate how amazing doggie vision is!!!


Safety getting close:  https://spkennel.com/2019/09/2019-aliy-cam-episodes-22-23-24/
Moose  far away in the distance in 2019.  in years past, Red Team had raced alongside moose during the night and made great speeds!!!

 

1. Into White Mountain in 4th place. 
   
2. NOTE:  Between Unalakleet and Koyuk (with Shaktoolik in between) along the coast, the Red Team kept their focus (written after the fact).
   
3. How did she do that???  Guess the benefit of great long distance training as well as the 24hr coming at the halfway point!!!
   
4. Out of White Mountain in 4th Place...
5. Have we passed the "blow hole" yet???
6. They don't call it "Safety" for no reason...22 miles more...
   
7. Now ten miles to go, still in 4th Place!!!
8. AND RED TEAM COMES IN 4th!!!  AWESOME!!!
   

• Technically the Red Team finished in Day #11 = the way Chena has been doing the calculations - but she doesn't always get it right.
  
• Watching it live was absolutely amazing!!!  Yes, after all these Iditarods, we finally got to watch it live - time difference CT - AK having conspired to frustrate this goal.
  
• Even more amazing was getting my postcard (sent to Red Team members- I am not one this year) from NOME!!!  From which the graphic above left was done.
• The real thing at right above!
  

• Especially tough for Red Team leader who remarked that she was, as I expected, going to go with her team of younger dogs PLUS her favorites from Black Team. 
  
• Chena not included - she will sit this ID out - no Black Team this year..
  
• Multiple winner and someone who's advice Red Team leader took this season, remarked that the reduction of number of dogs might have a stronger impact on less experienced teams.
• Chena says "It won't affect SP Kennel because our musher puts dogs first ALWAYS and they pick the dogs who can give the musher that extra bit of conrfidence."
  

• Both are 1000 miles long but run one month apart (Feb. and Mar.) - does this affect the race courses/weather?
• Long rest is longer (36 hours) and in a fixed spot on the YQ1000 while ID is 24 hours and can vary based upon musher's preference.
• Rainy Pass is the one high point on ID and YQ1000 has four (4) peaks all higher than that to climb!
• Fewer "check points" on YQ1000 although they are reachable by support teams; 
  
• ID is a lonely trip (no contacts by road so no friendly and familiar faces) but has many more "check points" where supplies have been "dropped" in advance.