The pre-race week in Anchorage is always a whirlwind of excitement and things to do. Traveling with the dog requires extra care and attention. And of course add to that the inevitable stress of preparing for the challenge of 1000 mile trail and…
Well you can imagine.
Dan’s race team stretching out.
BUT I wanted to take some time tonight, before the start of Iditarod to thank some of the amazing people who make this all possible. As well as some of Dan’s photos from today’s fun run. We are lucky to stay somewhere we can set up a temporary home for the dogs. And there are trail near-by where we can take the dogs for runs. This close to the race we are not worried about doing long runs. The hard work of conditioning the dogs to be able to handle long runs and putting on the miles needed to prepare them is done. We run here to get the dogs out and let them have fun, stretch their legs and stay loosened up. It also lets Dan look at his team and make sure everyone is moving well. But really the fun is the most important part. When traveling with dogs it is important to take extra care to make sure not only that they are comfortable, but that they keep a good attitude and don’t get bored and restless while living in a temporary camp. Not to mention these well conditioned athletes have energy to burn, and running is their favorite way to do it.
So without further ado – Mush Thanks & Dan’s Photos ~
Gremlin and Thistle happy to be chasing Dan’s team.
We are very fortunate to have a wonderful support network here that makes the entire time so much easier for us. From Theresa and John who’s hospitality is beyond compare and house us and the dogs; to TC and Dave** whom we trust to care for our dogs, to Rick and Jenny, some of our oldest friends who come and handle for us at the start for every Iditarod Dew Claw has ever run, to Walt and Janet who give the best pep talks and hugs. And the list goes on. So to everyone who pitches in to make our stay here as comfortable as possible and does so much to help with our preparations; we can not thank you enough.
**TC and Dave even put their lives on hold and took a day off from running their team to come and run the race team with me while Dan was stuck in mushers meetings all day! Check out TC’s photos at her Blog.
Huge thanks to Team Dew Claw members Dawn Beckwell, Cristin Finnigan, Melanie Hennigan, Sherry Gilbert, and Cynthia Lawrence Calkins & Family for thier support during this especially important pre-race time.
Chilling out on break – Sparrow and Bug in lead
Ev Vykin is the offical Elim Checkpoint Sponsor. I asked why Elim, and she said “Elim is Mile spelled backwards, it is for going the extra mile.” As a a long time supporter of mushing, helping many kennels and races and promoting the sport, Ev is someone who knows about going the extra mile.
Chasing Dan – we split the dogs into 2 smaller teams for the fun runs.
Rohn is now officially sponsored by our our Amazing Family in Minnesota & Colorado. Donita Paul Platz, Betty & Frederick B. Porter, Jim and Jody Koberg, Shawn Drill and Kathy Osborne, Lee & Kim Koberg Thompson, Kayla Koble, Larry & Megan Kaduce, Donna and Dan Raimann, Jody and Phyllis McCoy, & LaJoy Fischer. Sending many Howls and Hugs to all!
Also have to give a Huge Howl out to everyone from Bethlehem PA who participated in Iditaskate 2014. Dan called in durring the event and said it sounded like everyone was having a great time! We really appreciate all the efforts of the skaters and support of the folks who sponsored dogs at the event.
Taking a break to let the dogs roll in the snow on this warm day.
Well my friends, as our last day before the start of Iditarod 2014 comes to an end I can not help but reflect on all the work and efforts it took to get this far. And how much more Dan and the dogs have ahead of them. It really is a team effort. And to all of you who have been so very generous with your encouragement and support, please know that you are a valued member of our team. MUSH THANKS!
