Iditarod 2012 ~ the way I remember it (Part I)

Signing into Nome, the final checkpoint. The adventure is officially over. Photo taken by Sebastian Schnuelle

Be warned, my body may be back in Fairbanks, but my heart is still on the trail. They warn you at the rookie meeting about how the Iditarod will change you, how nervous you will be, how tough the trail can be, and how you will be tested. But what you don’t always hear about is how hard it is to go back to life as it was after the race. Post race it is hard for me to focus on the little details of daily life, like; email, laundry, shopping, and keeping up on the blog. Other post race syndrome symptoms include: very strange sleep cycles – at first I could not sleep for more the 2-4 hours without waking up and wondering where I was, strange eating habits – actually starting to wonder exactly how long I can use “recovery eating” as a justification for eating anything I want, and chronic soreness – location will depend on what body parts got beat up the worst so it differs for each musher, I have sore hands and a shoulder with limited mobility. But today I sit focused and ready to start sharing my Iditarod Impressions with y’all. This will be the first of a few posts where I will try and share some of my thoughts about the amazing adventure we had this year.

Well first off there are so many people to thank!

Sporting the Malibu Special Education Foundation banner at the Ceremonial start. Photo by Laureen Sills.

Usibelli, Halliburton, TJ’s Landclearing, were all returning team members this year. Like Dew Claw, they are all invested in Alaska with a commitment to long term success. We are honored to be working with such great sponsors. This year we also added a new major sponsor, the Malibu Special Education Foundation. Working with them really got me thinking about the nature of challenge, and how we all face them in life. (you can read my blog post on the topic) In the future I hope I can continue to get people thinking and talking about ways we can all work to support one another in the challenges we face.

And then there are the wonderful members of Team Dew Claw; friends, family & supporters. Along with financial support, they supply encouragement and enthusiasm, and we are grateful to have such a great support team. There was Marlys Sauer and her sister Dawn Beckwell who made the trip to Alaska. At the start they were part of our crew of handlers, Dawn was a first rate ‘body-guard’ keeping people from interrupting me as I was trying to focus and get my sled packed for the start. (Cause if I am being honest I was fairly nervous, and trying to stay focused in big crowds of people all wanting to talk with you is harder than you might think)

With Marlys (aka Iditabug) at the finish in Nome

They were also there in Nome and helped take care of me after the race. (Dan opted to fly home early with the dogs, a situation that had me missing him. But that was ultimately better for the dogs; getting them home where they can be more comfortable in their own yard sooner) Then there is Kirstie McGuinness who sent me a huge care package of goodies for my drop bags, along with a box of gallon freezer bags that had inspirational quotes written on them. I used them to pack up my human food for the checkpoints. Kirstie’s yummy trail snacks that were a huge hit, Lance Mackey even commented how good my human food was at the finish banquet.  Mike Pickell also sent some excellent homemade candy and Jivonne Alley sent up fudge, so my sweet tooth and sugar rush needs were well covered. And then of course I had the chocolate covered bacon Dan had made me! I got the best reactions when I pulled that out of the snack bag to munch on. It seems people were either intrigued or revolted. But for the record, it is AWESOME! Orren & Judy Brownson donated the dog food cooker I used for the race, it is a special model from Cold Spot Feeds, and it worked perfectly.  Pendra King became a friend when she sponsored my on my rookie run last year, and she continues to encourage me; her own personal commitment to fitness and health is inspiring. The list is long, and each team member has our gratitude: MUSH THANKS

Iditarod madness actually starts the week before, as teams arrive in Anchorage for various meetings and mandatory events. For us it started with EKG’s and Blood Work for all the dogs.  The results are very important in helping us ensure our team is in optimal health. I wrote a bit about it in our earlier blog on ‘Who to Choose?’. Then the next day all the dogs have a complete Veterinarian exam. There are some good photos of our team and others at the vet check on the Backstage Iditarod website.

Organizing gear in the hanger. Disclaimer, I do not really have demon eyes, even when frantically getting prepared to race.

While in the Anchorage area we had a wonderful apartment attached to an airplane hangar. So not only did we have a comfortable place to stay before the race, there was also plenty of room to bring the sled and all my gear into the hanger and work on it in a warm, snow free place. All of this was thanks to Theresa and John Daily. Theresa had even shopped and stocked the apartment with thoughtful goodies; coffee, half & half, fresh fruit, nice cheese and crackers, and of course fancy chocolate. I could not think of a better, more comfortable place to stay while waiting for the race to start.

Nearby trails allowed us to take the race dogs on a few fun runs before the race. This helps keep them limbered up, and also gave me the opportunity to really look hard at the dogs I brought with me to Anchorage. Which was important because I was still making some of the hard final choices about which of the 20 dogs who traveled to Anchorage with us would ultimately make the team of 16 that would travel to Nome. One choice in particular was a hard one for me. I have a leader I am especially close to. Loben. She ran in lead for me in every race I ran in 2011, and has always been my ‘go to girl’ when things get tough. I even choose to highlight her in a ‘meet the dogs’ segment the Anchorage Daily News was running. But on our short runs I could tell her shoulder was tight, and she was not moving as smoothly as she usually does. Sadly, but wisely, I choose not to take her with me on the race. A small soreness can easily get worse, and I was not willing to risk it with her. Of course having to leave Loben behind was a lot like going to kindergarten and not being able to bring your blankey, I was sincerely worried about having to race without my ‘go to girl’. *flash forward: Loben’s niece Orchid really stepped up to fill the gap Loben left in my team. Whether it be leading a train of teams out of Shaktoolik, or charging into Nome from Safety with one of the fastest run times for that section of trail; little Orchid made me proud. Orchid has her aunt Loben’s sweet dark eyes, hard driving nature, and great trail sense.

Staying positive before the race. Thanks to Laureen Sills for the photo.

The last day of mandatory activities is Thursday, when mushers spend all day in the mushers meeting and then later there is the start banquet. At the mushers meeting we hear trail reports, go over race procedures, get to speak with head vet Stu Nelson, and then during lunch meet our Iditarider.  I was lucky, I already knew mine. Good friends Walt & Janet Tremer had bid on, and won, my sled for the ceremonial start. In the past Janet had ridden with Lance Mackey and Newton Marshall. She had always tried to get Walt to take a ride. And this was his year, I would be giving Walt the ride through Anchorage. So when we got to meet up with our Iditarider for the pizza lunch we got to skip all the “getting to know you” questions and just spent the time gossiping, giggling, and talking about a eclectic variety of topics (from space travel to summer plans) I did have to admit to them that I was a bit nervous about crashing Walt in the sled. But Janet put my fears to rest by letting me know there was a $50 in it for me if I did 😉 Walt would later counter with a $50 of I didn’t crash.  And Dan suggested I try to get Walt to tell Janet we crashed, twice (even though we didn’t) and try to cash in.

The start banquet is where mushers all get to draw their number for the start order. It is also a totally social occasion where mushers, volunteers, and event fans all get to come together and relax a bit before the race begins. We got let out of the mushers meeting with time for me, Kelley Griffin, and Michelle Phillips to rush to the Salvation Army for one of our favorite banquet activities. The finding and wearing of formal evening dresses! Nicknamed ‘the Distance Divas’ we have shown up to start and finish banquets sporting some seriously glamorous attire. Let’s face it, we are on the trail wearing the same stinky clothes, no shower, total mass of hat hair for days on end. Banquets are our chance to clean up and be girly. I am very thankful to have the Divas in my life. Hard to explain to people outside of the sport what my life is really like. But Kelley and Michelle get it. They have always been there for me, through nerves, rookie races, bad weather, you name it. OK so shopping in thrift stores while chatting about doggie diarrhea treatments and which boots really keep you warm at -40F may be the closest my life will ever come to a “Sex in the City” female bonding experience.  I am cool with that.
See adventure traveler and writer Payge McMahon photos of the Iditarod (including the Divas dressed for the banquet) on her facebook album.

At the ceremonial start with Dan on the tag sled and Iditarider Walt. Photo by Theresa Daily.

At the ceremonial start I was strangely calm. Maybe it was knowing my good friend Walt was my Iditarider. Or knowing that Dan would be on the tag sled right behind me. And then there is the fact that times on this first run do not count. The ceremonial start is more of a parade for the many wonderful fans who line the streets, giving them a chance to see all the teams, and celebrating the dogs and the race.  It was a beautiful day, with snow falling and warmer temps, making for beautiful winter photos and comfortable spectators. We had a lot of fun going around the course, which ends at Campbell Airstrip. Fans along the route cheering for you make you feel like a rock star! And we had given Walt a bag of used booties stuffed with candy (to give them heft for throwing) to toss out to the crowd. Along the way there are unofficial ‘stops’ where fans are passing out water, or snacks. One stop in particular was special for me, the muffin man stop. My dear friend and handler Sarah had got me started and then raced over there to watch me come by. And had arranged for the group to sing pirate music to me as we went buy (in honor of my infatuation with Captain Jack Sparrow). That brought a huge smile to my face!

Well y’all this is the end of the ceremonial start, and my attention span, so it is a perfect time to wrap up this blog. But fear not; I will be sitting down in the near future to write up some stories from the trail, and talk about the amazing dogs who traveled with me.

Coming into Campbell airstrip at the end of the ceremonial start. Thanks to Karen Laubenstein for the photo.

Preparing for the ceremonial start with volunteer handler Vivian Coleman. Thanks to Sue Crawford for the photo.

Introducing the dogs to new friends before the start. Orchid is in harness giving me kisses.

Saluting the pirate chorus, thanks to Diane Hirshberg for the photo.