And in many ways it is a family affair.
Not only is Bedbug the mother of 10 dogs who will be running this year, but the wonderful group of people who have been working so hard to support me and the dogs are more like family then sponsors!
Really I can not thank them enough. Dan and Victoria took exceptional care of the dogs in Anchorage, while Theresa & John, Walt & Janet, Sheryll & Jeanette, and Jenny, Rick & Paul took care of everything else. Our ceremonial start was as smooth as it was fun. We were joined by Lexi and Sarah to round out our crew; which I have taken to calling the “Boa Brigade”. And if you don’t know why, then you obviously are not stalking me on Facebook. *check out the photos from Anchorage on Facebook.
Another group that I can not thank enough is my Sponsors!!! Every year we are so fortunate to have such a wonderful group of companies and people support our Iditarod goals. None of this would be possible without them! So many have been with us since the start, they have truly become friends.
Want to say a special thank you to everyone at the Halliburton Anchorage office who hosted a wonderful reception for us on Friday night, it was great seeing everyone there.
Also have to give special thanks to my friends at Dr. Carson’s All Natural Pet Supplements (special shout out to Joe Carson who is a rookie in this years race), ManMat Mushing Gear, Planet Earth Adventures LLC, Valdez Veterinary Services LLC, Nathalie Croteau & Select Physical Therapy, Trish Mercer – Georgia Travel Experts, LLC, Intuition Liners & NEOS Overshoe.
Please join me in thanking all the wonderful Dew Claw Sponsors!!
Now having thanked the people who have come together to make this possible, lets talk about the dogs…
The 2017 Iditarod Team
As I mentioned BedBug is the proud mama to 10 of the dogs who will be traveling with me to Nome this year. In the photo they all have a * by their name so you can see which are her kids. Handsome Hans and A Boy Named Sue both ran with me last year. The rest are all part of the Space Cadet litter and will be going on their rookie run.
I am excited to be taking this group on the trail. It is a nice blend of youthful enthusiasm and older perspective, ideally the 2 will rub off on each other.
My goal for this race is the same as it has always been: To run the team in front of me to the best of my ability.
So there you have it my friends – the Dew Claw Team that it is my pleasure to be running. They are all fed and resting well, and I should be doing the same. Tomorrow we start another grand adventure on the trail. Again, MUSH THANKS to all who have helped us this year!!!!!
