L-R:  Meghan, Aliy, Allen and Moira

Back to K-8 school!  ChaCha is all dressed up in her best coat for the lecture...then strips to racing outfit, and checks out her grandchild (???).

The question asked (l) is "Would you like to be a musher?"
ChaCha counts the "yes" and  "no" votes for Aliy - then it's off to the gym and ChaCha goes to work...and on Mother's Day 2013, ChaCha acts motherly!!!

Doing P.R. for mushing and dog-friendly hotels...SP Kennel -WOOF!!!

At the "Dock at the Block Party" - Dingle and Honda salute the U.S.S. Anchorage, which they thought was bigger than some mountains they've seen!. 

• AS WELL AS JUMP STARTING THE NEWEST RACERS (QUITO'S GOLF LITTER, b. 5-12)!!! 

• "Waxing the runners" like eastern skiing (in ice not snow) in last race of the season.
  

• Olivia's pups with Nacho are younger (b. 8-12) -   shown at right (Dutch and Lydia only) with grandma ChaCha.  And soon it will be summer and the beginning of fun training...FOR NEXT SEASON! 

LAST RACE OF THE 2012-2013 SEASON?  "SCOUT'S" HONOR?

DID SOMEONE SAY IDITAROD #42?

THE CAR GUYS, RANGER AND BEEMER, TWO OF CHACHA'S BOYS
Similar version of photo was subtitled by Sheep Mountain "still perky and ready to run" - Ranger had just asked Beemer "Were we in a race?"  Considering that Beemer has approx. 5000 miles on his paws this season, and thus more competitive experience 2012-2013, his answer was "Hey, Ranger, until we know the line ups, we're saving our best stuff for the Two Rivers Funale!!!" 

• No race progress reports so far, but we don't care, because SP Kennel staff is ably taking pix as team rests at check points, and we are thrilled to see the photos!!! 
  
• Yearlings Felix and Nelson practice  howling in C-sharp minor...that's how you get to Carnegie Hall. 
  
• And speaking of comparing the Sheep Mountain 300 to a musical performance, with twelve dogs strong, looks like R&B team is rocking into the latter part of the race...which ends up back at Sheep Mountain Lodge.  This is a qualifying race for Iditarod 2014 - giving new mushers experience in camping out with their teams and caring for these magnificent animals over a long period.  Woof!
  

AFTERWARDS: 
"Who's who" of Iditarod greets 62 year old , native Yupiaq from Western Alaska, and professional sobriety counselor.



...BACK IN THE DOG LOT IN NOME...QUITO GOT TO HER FEET, READY TO GO ANOTHER 1000 MILES, BUT...AS WE SAY ELSEWHERE...SO COOL THEY DON'T NEED SHADES.

Lots of "pets" for awesome athletes - massage, too, upon request.

Armchair Musher photo.
RED TEAM SLED in the dog yard in Nome!

27, 48 - SPK numbers in 2013!
BIB # DRAW, THEN CEREMONIAL START IN DOWNTOWN ANCHORAGE...

LEADERS OF THE PACK - CHACHA'S (R)
Aliy nuzzles rookie, Mac;  Viper bucks up ChaCha's young son Clyde...

IDITAROD START TONIGHT AT 6PM EASTERN STANDARD TIME:  This year we signed up for "Insider" reports and videos...in addition to following SPKennel Blog.
In past years we have done the as it happened posting, latest first.  This year we'll try something different.  Since Aliy herself admits that in the past she has been overly careful with coddling her racing dogs (our words), this year she will try to combine her care for her dogs with trying to find her inner Alaskan Husky. 
DAY ONE
And they're off - we watched online at Iditarod "Ultimate Insider" live as all 65 or so teams left re-start in Willow Sunday evening.  By Monday morning Allen zoomed ahead with the Black Team into @6th place (from his #48 start position - 2 minutes separate the teams in Willow restart).  Aliy moved up to @14th place from her #27 startposition.  Using the "tracker" and data there, it was said that Aliy had rested the team more than three hours early, and Allen had not.  Trying to figure out the speed of the teams in mph...which of course is available as data points, but we were exercising out little itty bitty math skills...

BLACK TEAM RESTS AND RED TEAM PLOWS AHEAD THRU MUSH
That's Clyde getting checked by vet.  Map of telling area of race (c);  photo from Nikolai as SP Kennel arrives.  FIRST VIDEO FROM SP KENNEL RED TEAM IDITAROD #41 - Rainy Pass.  Geography lesson!!!

DAY TWO dawns and Red (out) and Black (in) pass each other in Rainy...Pass.  15 dogs now on both Red (Tug, Beemer's girlfriend) and Black (Sissy - young daughter of Ranger).  Those who are in the know at Iditarod Insider say the leg of the trip to Nikolai will be telling...and look!  While no one was watching, TUG rejoined the team! 

Tug, previously reported to be dropped, must have declined the invitation to fly out of Rainy Pass, and instead used hot compresses herself and hitched a ride on a plane to rejoin the Red Ream in Nikolai.  Sort of the "Rosie Ruiz" of dog mushing!  From online record of Iditarod #41, below.  FYI - Two hours later, it is back to 15 dogs.


WIKIPEDIA ON SHELF ICE:

Tuesday Afternoon Update - Nikolai (From SP Kennel website)
Aliy is out of Nikolai in second position, she left at 1.13pm after just over four hours rest. On the "Insider" video of her arriving she said she had a fun run from Rohn to Nikolai - she said it is great to have a team that listens to you in that section as there were a few challenges along the way such as glare ice, glaciers and the section known as "The Farewell Burn" (this was the site of Alaska’s largest forest fire, a million and a half acres in the summer of 1978)!

There is a great picture of Aliy in the Nikolai checkpoint with her down slippers. I remember when she was packing to leave and she was tossing up whether to take them - she said it was a bit of a luxury and that maybe she shouldn't. I am so pleased she decided to put them in, it must be nice to have a tiny bit of luxury out on the trail!

We do know she has dropped one dog in Nikolai and although there is some video of her and the team leaving it is just too difficult to tell for certain who the dog is so we don't want to speculate at this stage and get it wrong. We talked with the Dog Drop HQ and from Nikolai the dogs are flown to McGrath checkpoint and will travel back in a larger plane on an, as yet, unscheduled flight so it is possible they won't be back to Anchorage until Wednesday evening or even Thursday morning. Please be assured we will let you know as soon as we know who it is - there is no way we can know for sure until we go to pick them up.

Allen arrived into Nikolai at 3.01pm and at the time of writing is in 28th position. I'm pretty sure Allen won't be carrying any "luxury" items in his sled. As some of you may know, Allen likes to travel light, taking only the essentials - so much so that we kid him about it often. At the start line in Willow he was deciding whether to put an extra lip balm in his bag - he chuckled, pointed out that it weighed 4.8g and threw it over his shoulder saying "that's just too heavy!"

Beemer is very fond of Tug; and Sissy gave it a go - she is a daughter of Ranger.

Footnote: We picked up Tug and she is great! A little sore but she was really happy to see us. She and Sissy spent some time catching up and telling trail stories before having a massage, a fish and kibble snack and a sleep.

Tug waits for a ride, covered in a lovely green blanket.

REPORT FROM TWO RIVERS: 


Brother and sister Dingle and Kipper, dropped earlier, arrived home today. 

REPORT FROM ADN:

"KALTAG —  

The chase pack became the lead pack Saturday in the 41st Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and now it’s anyone’s race. Martin Buser’s lead went from huge to modest to tenuous before vanishing completely when Two Rivers musher Aliy Zirkle snatched the lead from him in Kaltag. Not that the move put Zirkle in command. Seven mushers, including Zirkle and Buser, are on the move to Unalakleet and the final one-third of the 1,000-mile race to Nome..."  (9 March, as morning began, here in the East.)

"Let the games begin" as the saying goes!  From where we sit, here in Weston CT, the surprise end of winter snow storm that dropped at least 8 inches Friday is evaporating.  And from trail reports, the Iditarod last third will be run in mushy snow, possibly...

FROM ABOUT TOWN:
Time to turn those Rally ("Racing") Caps around - red or black - and start woof, woof, woofing!!! 

Red Team dry snacking...then replacing booties w/o ouching...and then a lovely massage of the feet - that's 11 dogs with four paws each = 44 little rubs and tender remarks!

CHEMO & VIPER LEADING...OUT OF UNALAKLEET
Iditarod Insider reports on Black Team; SP Kennel website reports on dropped dogs.

Smartest dresser on the trail! 
Check out Olivia's warm double layer outfit (next to last slot in the rear of team)!


Why didn't they, Scout (r) asks, think of that?  Porque "no masculino..."

There goes SP Kennel Red Team, Quito in single lead - Woof, woof!!!

Fashion-plate Olivia, who made her statement, boosting team spirit!!! 
Olivia, who is uber-grateful to SP Kennel for special undergarment design, shows her affection!!!

A GREAT VICTORY FOR SP KENNEL AND A JUST REWARD FOR "QUITO."
At the beginning of the race...there was a banquet, too, where Allen picked starting number 11 - and at the end, he finished with 11 of the 14 dogs who started, still in harness!!!

SPK MUSHERS AND DOGS HAVE ALL ARRIVED SAFELY AND IN TIME FOR BIG BANQUET
Mayor of Whitehorse welcomes folks to the 30th Yukon Quest.  FROM WIKIPEDIA:  Whitehorse (population 23,276, 2011 Census) is the capital and largest city of Yukon, Canada. It was incorporated in 1950 and is located at kilometre 1476 on the Alaska Highway in southern Yukon. Whitehorse's downtown and Riverdale areas occupy both shores of the Yukon River, which originates in British Columbia and meets the Bering Sea in Alaska. The city was named after the White Horse Rapids for their resemblance to the mane of a white horse, near Miles Canyon, before the river was dammed. Because of the city's location in the Whitehorse valley, the climate is milder than other comparable northern communities.

According to an Internet source, there are 8 hours of daylight in Whitehorse, Canada right now.

Poquita ("Quito") gets her golden harness and steak tartare dinner...
Yukon Quest mushers recount race during finish banquet
Fairbanks New-Miner
Jeff Richardson

FAIRBANKS — Allen Moore provided a one-sentence summary of his lead dog on Saturday at the Yukon Quest finish banquet at the Carlson Center.

“There’s not any quit in Quito,” Moore said.

Moore’s 6-year-old leader — her name is pronounced Kee-toe — claimed the race’s Golden Harness Award, given to a dog that represents “loyalty, endurance and perseverance” of champion lead dogs throughout the race.

Despite the irony of a champion dog with the word “quit” in its name, Quito has proven to be a winner. She’s run three Quests and four Iditarods, while giving birth to two litters of pups that could be the next generation of champions at Moore’s and his wife Aliy Zirkle’s SP Kennels.

“She doesn’t do it for you; she does it for her,” Zirkle said.

Moore, the winner of the 30th running of the Quest, thanked Quito, Zirkle and many others at the banquet, a chance for mushers to reflect on the race and honor some of its top participants.  Moore, who avenged a 26-second loss to Hugh Neff in last year’s Quest, said any finish in the 1,000-mile Whitehorse-to-Fairbanks race is special.

“It’s not easy,” Moore said. “When we get through with this race, it’s gives you an exhilarating feeling that you’ve accomplished something.”

Neff won the Dawson City Award, a 4-ounce “poke of gold” given to the first musher to reach the Klondike Gold Rush city and go on to complete the race. Neff, the runner-up this year, congratulated Moore in a long speech that included former Quest champion Sonny Lindner, his famed dog Walter and writer Hunter S. Thompson.

“I feel great being in second,” he said. “We all know Allen deserves this win.”

Darrin Lee claimed the Challenge of the North Award, selected by race officials to the musher who most exemplifies the Spirit of the Yukon Quest. It was Lee’s third attempt at running the Quest, after scratching during two previous runs.  After several mushers sheepishly admitted they’d forgotten to thank their wives at the start banquet, Lee pointed out that he’d remembered to thank his wife, Heidi, at the start.

“I was very fortunate not to see her again until the finish line,” he said. “That was very special to me.”

Normand Casavant won the Veterinarian’s Choice award, presented to the musher that best demonstrates outstanding dog care while remaining competitive in the race. Members of the Finishers Club added a new award this year, voting on an award to the top veterinarian of the race. Markus Barth was awarded a fur hat for the honor.  Scott Smith, an Iditarod veteran who finished in fifth place in his only Quest attempt, won the Rookie of the Year Award.

“To be a rookie in this race is unlike any race, for sure,” the Wasilla musher said.

Brent Sass, who helped pull fellow musher Jake Berkowitz’s team over Eagle Summit, won the Sportsmanship Award.  Sass recounted his unorthodox history with the Quest, which he began as a volunteer by painting trail markers and parking dog teams at checkpoints. Hopping on a sled behind those elite teams built his desire to start his own team, he said.

“Dreams come true,” he said. “If you’ve got something you want to do out there, go do it.”

The night also was filled with anecdotes about oddities and pleasures along the trail.  Matt Failor, who wore glasses to the banquet, told a story about accidentally drinking a glass containing his contact lenses in Dawson, then chasing it down with a glass filled with saline solution.

Two Rivers musher Abbie West told stories about constantly running with caribou along the trail, cracking the crowd up with a deadpan punchline.

“It was pretty cool,” West said. “I wish I’d had my rifle.”

Fairbanks musher Cody Strathe said he got an opportunity to meet just about all the mushers in the race while gradually drifting from an early fifth-place showing to his 15th-place finish.

“I was friends with some of you before. I’m friends with a lot more of you now,” Strathe said.

Dyan Bergen finished the ceremony by claiming the Red Lantern, the award traditionally given to the final musher in a sled dog race.

She crossed the finish line Friday, nearly five days behind Moore, but said it was a trip she’d been dreaming about for years.

“I have a lot of these,” Bergen said, drawing laughs from the crowd while hoisting the red lantern, “but this one is definitely the most special.”

Casavant and Quito among award winners
Yukon Quest Finishers& Awards Banquet
2-16-13

The 2013 Yukon Quest officially wrapped up Saturday with the Finish & Awards Banquet, held at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.  Mushers, handlers, officials, volunteers and fans gathered to recognize and thank everyone associated with the 30th running of the race. Dinner, live entertainment by the band Rock Bottom, and a silent auction were some of the highlights, as well as the annual awards.

A total of seven awards were given out, starting with the coveted Vet’s Choice Award, for exceptional dog care on the trail. Head Veterinarian Kathleen McGill presented the award. This year’s winner was Whitehorse musher Normand Casavant.

“I didn’t expect this at all,” he said. “I’m really proud. Thanks to the vets who were always there. It was great to have their help.”

Hugh Neff took the stage to collect his four ounces of gold, for being the first musher into Dawson City and then completing the race. The gold was courtesy of Joe and Wendy Fellers.

“I’m going to Norway in the morning!” he told the crowd, speaking about his plans to race there in the next couple of weeks. “My main goal when I go to Norway for this race is to talk about the Quest.”

Allen Moore was the first musher into Pelly Crossing, so he took home a pair of traditional beaver fur gloves from the Selkirk First Nation. Moore paid tribute to all the communities and their volunteers along the trail.  Rookie of the Year went to Scott Smith, who finished fifth in his first year running the Quest. He thanked all the other rookies in this year’s race, saying he felt like a representative of all of them.  Darrin Lee of Chistochina, Alaska was chosen for the Challenge of the North Award, which goes to the musher who best exemplifies dedication and perseverance during the race. The race officials choose this award winner.

For a third year, Brent Sass claimed the Sportsmanship Award. Sass helped fellow musher Jake Berkowitz and his team up Eagle Summit, and it wasn’t the first time he’s given a competitor a hand on that peak. Moore presented the award on behalf of the Quest.

“This is what the Quest is all about, helping each other,” said Sass. “Anybody in my same position would have done it too.”

One of the most heart-warming moments of the night was when the Golden Harness Award for champion dog was announced. Allen Moore’s dog Quito was called to the stage, where she received a delicious steak dinner and some well-deserved love.

“This dog is truly a rock star,” said Moore’s wife Aliy Zirkle. “She’s six years old, she’s done three Yukon Quests and four Iditarods, and she probably has a lot more in her. She doesn’t do it for you she does it for her and that’s probably what makes her more special than anyone else.”

The final award of the night went to this year’s final finisher – Dyan Bergen. When accepting the Red Lantern Award, Bergen proclaimed, “I’ve got a lot of these!”

“But this one is definitely the most special one,” she added. “Thank you.”

Twenty-six mushers started this year’s race and 20 of them finished. Moore, of Two Rivers, Alaska, was first across the finish line. He won with a time of eight days, 19 hours and 39 minutes.

POQUITA AND OLIVIA - what personalities in these two ladies!  "Garbo" and smoldering "O"
Allen Moore poses with his lead dogs Quito, left, and Olivia after winning the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race on Monday morning, Feb. 11, 2013, on the Chena River at Fairbanks. Moore finished one-hour, 16-minutes ahead of second place finisher Hugh Neff of Tok. Last year Moore finished in second place 26-seconds behind Neff.

Allen Moore wins 2013 Yukon Quest
Related YouTube Video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LXKtqZmlIOg
By JEFF RICHARDSON | 0 comments
Posted: Monday, February 11, 2013 6:47 am | Updated: 12:03 pm, Mon Feb 11, 2013.

Allen Moore made up his 26 seconds, and then some.

The Two Rivers musher cruised to victory in the 30th running of the Yukon Quest on Monday morning, finishing the race with an unofficial record time. It was a sweet outcome for Moore, who finished just 26 seconds behind Hugh Neff in the 1,000-mile sled dog race in 2012.

This year it was Moore finishing in front of Neff, but the ending wasn’t nearly as dramatic. Moore slid casually beneath the gate at 6:54 a.m. with 11 dogs, glanced around at the waiting crowd and greeted waiting race officials with a laid-back “howdy.”

“I guess I overdid it a little bit,” Moore said of his sprint to the finish line, smiling with icicles hanging from his mustache.

Neff arrived 1 hour, 16 minutes later on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks with his nine-dog team. After Moore and Neff spent almost the entire race exchanging the top two positions in the race, no last-minute surge was necessary.

The 55-year-old musher entered the Two Rivers checkpoint just 16 minutes ahead of Neff on Sunday, setting up a showdown on the final 72-mile stretch to Fairbanks. But after Moore jumped out to an insurmountable early lead, Neff said he eased off, taking his team on a relatively leisurely ride into Fairbanks.

Moore said being on his dogs’ home turf clearly helped. His team is so accustomed to the Two Rivers-to-Fairbanks run that they tried to veer off to the riverbank before hitting the finish line; Moore said they were heading to the spot where he normally leaves their straw at the end of a run.

He gave a hug to his lead dogs, Quito and Olivia, at the end of the race. They’ve been on all three of the Arkansas native’s runs in the Fairbanks-to-Whitehorse race, and finally pulled off a victory.

“They know where they are, for sure,” he said. “It’s good to be home.”

Moore claimed the fastest Quest finish ever, at 8 days, 18 hours, 27 minutes, but that record comes with an asterisk. This year’s race was about 50 miles shorter than previous runs after race officials rerouted a portion of the race down the Yukon River to avoid poor trail conditions on American Summit.

Moore and his wife, Aliy Zirkle, become the only couple to each win a 1,000-mile race. Zirkle captured the Quest title in 2000.

Neff, 45, said he was pleased to stay with Moore throughout the long run. He said from the beginning that his young team was in transition, with his 8-year-old stalwart, Walter, headed to retirement after nine 1,000-mile races.

“To have a chance to push for the win is kind of mind-numbing,” the Tok resident said.

Moore and Neff remained alone in the lead group since the first checkpoint in Braeburn, Yukon, occasionally swapping places throughout the race. But Neff needed to cut rest to keep up, and his team eventually couldn’t keep up with Moore’s dogs.

When Moore took off first at the 101 Mile checkpoint along the Steese Highway, Neff never saw him again.

“I knew in 101 I had no prayer, because his whole team was lunging at the line,” he said.

Moore claims $18,930 for the Quest victory. Although he takes home $13,520 for second place, Neff actually will leave the race with more prize money — he also collected 4 ounces of gold for arriving first in Dawson City, worth about $6,800.

Neither Moore nor Neff will be doing much resting after the grueling 1,000-mile race.

Moore and Zirkle are each running teams out of their Two Rivers kennel in the Iditarod in a few weeks, although Moore will be racing an inexperienced team and doesn’t expect to compete among the leaders. Neff is headed overseas to run a race in Norway.

And after two years of classic battles in the Quest, there won’t be a rematch next year. Neff said he plans to skip the 2014 Quest to participate in a race in Unalakleet. After winning the Quest, Moore said he was uncertain whether he’d enter again next year, now that he’s notched a victory in the race on his third attempt.

“You never know,” he said. “It’s been three in a row — it might as well be four.”

Neff, Moore neck-and-neck in Quest
Allen Moore wins Yukon Quest
AP
Published: February 11, 2013

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — Musher Allen Moore was vindicated Monday when he lengthened his lead against defending champion Hugh Neff to win the 2013 Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.

Moore, 55, of Two Rivers, crossed the finish line in downtown Fairbanks at 6:54 a.m. Monday, to win the 30th running of the 1,000-mile sled dog race, which is either run from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, or the reverse, depending upon the year.

The race was run from Whitehorse to Fairbanks this year.

For winning, Moore receives $18,930 of the $100,000 race purse.

The race looked like it was going to again come down to a battle between Moore and Neff, who won last year's Yukon Quest by just 26 seconds. That finish was the closest in race history with Neff overtaking Moore at the end.

Moore didn't let his team get caught this year. He left the Two Rivers checkpoint after a mandatory eight-hour rest with about only a 15-minute lead on Neff but managed to widen the gap, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner ( http://is.gd/wKX1ve).

A small group of race officials and spectators greeted Moore in the predawn darkness at the finish line on the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks. Among them was Moore's wife, veteran Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race musher Aliy Zirkle, who won the Quest in 2000. She finished second in the Iditarod last year.

Moore said he practiced running his team on the trail from his home in Two Rivers to Fairbanks so that he would know every turn coming into Fairbanks. Neff finished at 8:10 a.m. Monday, more than an hour later.

To position themselves in a fight for the finish again this year, Moore and Neff had to successfully get their teams over Eagle Summit, a 3,685-foot peak. The summit has caused big problems for both mushers before. One of Neff's dogs died going up Eagle Summit two years ago. This year his lead dog turned around after failing to get the team to the top. Neff hooked up Walter, an older and more experienced dog, that marched his team over the top.

Moore said his team followed Neff's over the summit despite very deep snow and blowing winds.

"It's like the dogs were wallowing in the snow," he said.

Moore passed Neff after that and led the way into the next checkpoint on his way to the finish line in Fairbanks.

Twenty-six teams started the race in Whitehorse nine days ago. As of Monday morning, five teams had scratched.

Bright eyes of the Black Team (c)
YQ1000 for 2013 coming down to the last miles of the 900 plus so far race!!!  On to Fairbanks...where is the second place finisher? More than an hour away!!  Go BLACK TEAM!!!

THURSDAY EVENING...
Tragic news for "General" a 4-legged member of a different team - he is the first dog "dropped" for third-place musher, who was, if we recall, was intended to be catching the flying first place team any time...the Black Team is in second place, and SP Kennel takes the position that it is always "dogs first" and so has been camping out on the doubly long Yukon Quest trails (half as many check points in this race as in the Iditarod - averaging 200 miles in the Quest to 100 miles in Iditarod), perhaps resting more than others who rush ahead?

MONDAY MORNING:
This is developing into an amazing race - according to what we've found out online (Ken Anderson doing official race commentary):

Moore out in front heading into Day 3
He wasn’t flashy, and he managed to avoid the media spotlight, but Allen Moore ran a solid race on Day 2 of the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race.

Moore took his mandatory four-hour layover and made up his differential in Braeburn to start the day, and then rested his dogs again for nearly five hours in Carmacks. The strategy seems to be paying off, as he passed defending champion Hugh Neff at McCabe Creek and was in the lead heading into Pelly late Sunday night. Moore dropped one dog in Carmacks and is now running with 13.

Neff took his mandatory layover at Carmacks, and stopped to rest and feed his dogs again in McCabe. Neff has yet to drop a dog. Both Moore and Neff are expected in Pelly early Monday morning.

Meanwhile, Jake Berkowitz chose not to stop at Carmacks in the early evening and was racing to catch the leaders with all 14 dogs. Scott Smith and Brent Sass rounded out the top five as they left Carmacks headed for Pelly. Smith has not dropped any dogs and Sass just one.

The next pack is being led by Kelly Griffin, David Dalton, Cody Strathe and Normand Casavant. All three of them headed out of Carmacks late in the evening. Heading up the middle pack is rookie Markus Ingebretsen, followed by Lance Mackey and Crispin Studer. Mackey, the four-time Quest champion, dropped four dogs in Carmacks so is now running with 10.

Five mushers remained in Carmacks late Sunday night. Susie Rogan, Abbie West, Denis Tremblay, Dan Kaduce, and Ed Hopkins we0re all resting their dogs for the big journey ahead.

Nine mushers were between Braeburn and Carmacks, with Yellowknife rookie Dyan Bergen at the back of the pac

WATCH THE START

CHECK THIS OUT ON YOUTUBE
Only one woman has ever won this long-distance race.  Guess who?  Read about and watch interview with Allen (& Aliy) post-finish here.

"THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES"  SAYS CLYDE
He relaxes back in Two Rivers after his first 300 mile race...he never saw so much beauty - thanks Aliy for memorializing his first big race!

YQ300 END COMES TUESDAY, middle of the night...2nd place by 8 seconds.
"Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas" is a saying about convenient morality, but not a description of the principles instilled in 4-legged team members.at SP Kennel!!! 

Did someone say "ATTEN-TION!  Eyes front..."

Borrowed photo above (l) from the Fairbanks News-Miner
You think Aliy is saying someting like..."What a brave boy and so good; musher is so proud".  We note that YQ300 showed precisely this point!   Casual pose at Dawson Dog Camp.

A Grantland Rice poem, in part...

"For when the One Great Scorer comes

To mark against your name,

He writes - not that you won or lost -

But how you played the Game."

MONDAY MORNING...

The Red Team, down one dog (Boris) edges on, nipping at the heels of the leader.  Both teams in the lead of the YQ300 are far ahead of the pack.  And the yearlings in the R&B
are still among the dozen strong, as they began the race...and look now what's up!  Red Team  hits Pelly  Crossing first (by a matter of seconds...).  Into the finishing leg of the race now.

WATCH THE START

Please note the fact that there are 8 hours of daylight in the winter (from Internet source) - we'd bet no video from the trail!

COPPER BASIN 300, A BIG WIN!  TWO RIVERS 100/50, 1st and 2ndIN JANUARY

Yukon Quest 300/1000 on tap beginning Feb. 2 - ChaCha says "The real 'superbowl (including salmon snacks)' takes place in Canada/Alaska at the Yukon Quest - Alaskan Huskies are tougher than NFL linebackers and quicker than wide-receivers and we bark louder than the quarterbacks."

(l)Borrowed and cropped photo, (c) borrowed clip, SPK;  (r) borrowed stills, SPK

Copper Basin 300 link;  SP KENNEL BLACK TEAM THE WINNER!!!
Note:  BLACK TEAM membership for this race includes 12 dogs, and reports on how everyopne one did are on the SPKwebsite.  This is a race that runs alongside highways at times - so reports on it can be given by those at various points of how things are going!  According to race administrator, not too much snow this year.  (As opposed to last year, when there was...too much!)  But wait!  Snow dump plus warm weather for second half of the race...at last check point...read ADN story:

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Result and times of 100:  Two Rivers Solstice100/50 (rescheduled);
Note:  RED TEAM membership for this race includes 12 dogs as does the R&B - yearlings...RED TEAM finishes in first place in the 100. R&B TEAM gets second place in the 50 - love the comment on the SPKblog that the yearlings were "tired." 

And by the end of the 2012-2013 season, some yearlings will have:  Run Yukon Quest 300, Iditarod (Clyde), raced in the Sheep Mountain 300 (Felix and Nelson)...

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SP KENNEL RED TEAM
Since there were to be 14 to a team at Kuskokwim, the final selection, and congratulations for making the team, to:

Beemer
Dingle
Scout
Waylon
Viper
Ranger
Pud
Lester
Kipper
Mac
Spoog
Moxie
Fang
Bonita

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Kuskokwim 300 link;  Jeff King wins his...ninth Kuskokwim 300. 

TOPO: Longest upgrade (but not the most extream) is in the loop (map below right), after the team is tired out, then a big drop;
Hope it stays cold! If it isn't cold enough in the flood plain (lower left map) you could get really, really wet!  Aerial photo, below right.


As it turned out, SP KENNEL couldn't make it to Anchorage to catch the plane to fly to Bethel, AK.  "About Weston" will follow the race anyway, to see what happens!  The yellow colored area on the map (lower left) is flood plain.  If it isn't cold enough, wet areas aren't frozen...or cold enough soon enough...NEWS:  The race is on, minus SP Kennel AND Lance  Mackey. 

WOW!  This is a great race for armchair mushers!!!  Who are also urban planners.  SUPER mapping!  Glued to thr computer screen?  Woof! 

Perhaps my own knowledge failures, or maybe it is also a bit being spoiled by the magnificent SP Kennel coverage on the recent CB300 win by ther Black Team...great graphics don't make a race report.  No does GPS tracking available for free, in this case. 

OFFICIAL KUSKOKWIMBLOG

"... Now for the 300. I suppose it can be called a surprise when a team like King’s can come back after not racing since 2009, and not winning since 2006, and win easily, but of course for an 8 time champion, it really is not a surprise.  King has a line of dogs that is obviously ideal for this race, and even though this batch of dogs has not raced here before,  their breed line has won enough times to qualify as contenders anytime they take part.  And of course King himself has the race pretty well figured out.  As for his age, that is not nearly as big a factor in dog racing as in most other competitive  events, because performing while sleep deprived is a trait that is often easier for  folks with more experience doing it.  Of course, new easy rider sleds make it more comfortable for  older racers to compete.  In this race, because of no hills, the dogs can do most of the work and an seasoned driver just has to work in the checkpoints.

"What happened to last year’s champion Rohn Buser?  A blistering pace headed up river put him in a good position to win, but keeping up that kind of pace is tough.  After a layover in Kalskag, the dogs usually depart with a slower pace. With about 200 miles to go, that Saturday pace is the key to victory here.  Its not which team is the fastest that wins these kind of races, it’s the team  that slows down to the fastest pace.  In other words, you need to be faster when you are going slow.  The team I used to race in the 300 was a notoriously slow starting bunch, but they held that pace for a long time, often catching and passing teams that has passed us earlier.

It is fun to see Tony Browning  running with the leaders.  Tony was a regular at this race for many years, but hasn’t raced here since 2000.  This promises to be his best finish ever.  Expect a finish for King between 11  and noon today."