Little Delving
Beyond Here There Be Dragons
A Quiet Moment On The Sea Of Ice
Mar 20, 2006 07:23 PM Filed in:
Fun &
Interesting
Dog People Excel In The Iditarod
by Andy Moderow
Anchorage Daily News
The bond between dog and musher isn’t easily understood, but if anyone could present it clearly, Lance Mackey came close with his description of what occurred 5 miles out of Nome. Lance’ s wife, Tonya, says she never saw her husband cry throughout a long battle with cancer, which he managed to beat. A mere 5 miles from Nome, the Kasilof musher admits that tears filled his eyes.
Spectators waiting for this year’s 10th place finisher heard over the loudspeakers that Lance had stopped a short distance from the finish line and was busy with his team. They heard that Lance was having a somewhat emotional moment with his team, and that his arrival would take a few more moments longer as a result. Even then, the point didn’t get through.
Maybe that is because the spotter vehicle didn’t hear what Lance was saying to his dogs. Sitting around in Nome Thursday evening, Lance recalled the final moments he spent with his team on the Iditarod. As any musher will tell you, arriving in Nome throws a musher into confusion: After 1100 miles on the trail focusing completely on the dogs, some mushers even question whether they want to reach Nome, as when they get there, so much changes.
Lance knew that things would change when he arrived under the burled arch, and that the people and excitement would distract him from his dogs. Pausing on the sea ice a few miles from Nome, Lance had one last quiet moment with his team before the ‘re-entering’ process began. Wind whistling overhead, he set his brake and walked to the front of the team. Patting his leaders vigorously while looking straight into their eyes, nose to nose, he told them: “Guys, when we get there, I won’t be able to tell you, because of all that’s going on. I’m telling you now: We did it. We did it.”
One must wonder if these lines were sincere, or just borrowed from a Hollywood movie: Yet with more knowledge of Lance, you learn that the musher’s moment on the sea ice was completely heartfelt. Wife Tonya laughed and shook her said as she spoke about her husbands relationship with his dogs. Since installing a ‘dog door’ into their house, on more than one occasion Tonya has woken up to find Lance asleep on the living room floor, surrounded by their 9 housedogs and several members of his racing team. Lance isn’t an actor: The words he spoke to his team came from his heart. He’s a true dog person.
Many others in the race have similar emotions regarding their teams: It is hard not to bond with a team over the 1100 miles of the Iditarod or the 2000+ miles in pre-race training. His recent climb in the standings also demonstrate that dog people excel in the Iditarod, and that Iditarod's next generation is coming up strong. Take for instance other race competitors, like Jessie Royer, Aliy Zirkle, Bjornar Andersen, Jason Barron, Cim Smyth, Ken Anderson, Melanie Gould, and William Hanes: Each is somewhat younger than the usual suspects out hunting for the Iditarod title, and all have fewer Iditarods under their belts. Yet the future is bright for this group: Each managed to make the top 20 this year. Jessica Hendricks certainly belongs in this group, but she finished just outside of the top-20 in this Iditarod, a vivid reminder that in dog racing, no position is guaranteed: If you don’t believe me, take a look at the runs of Martin Buser and Ramy Brooks this year.
With so much young talent towards the front of the race, the future of the Iditarod is strong. Lance’s story of his conversation on the sea ice is a great indication that, in 20 years, when the usual suspects of today’s Iditarod have retired, the race will be alive and well.
by Andy Moderow
Anchorage Daily News
The bond between dog and musher isn’t easily understood, but if anyone could present it clearly, Lance Mackey came close with his description of what occurred 5 miles out of Nome. Lance’ s wife, Tonya, says she never saw her husband cry throughout a long battle with cancer, which he managed to beat. A mere 5 miles from Nome, the Kasilof musher admits that tears filled his eyes.
Spectators waiting for this year’s 10th place finisher heard over the loudspeakers that Lance had stopped a short distance from the finish line and was busy with his team. They heard that Lance was having a somewhat emotional moment with his team, and that his arrival would take a few more moments longer as a result. Even then, the point didn’t get through.
Maybe that is because the spotter vehicle didn’t hear what Lance was saying to his dogs. Sitting around in Nome Thursday evening, Lance recalled the final moments he spent with his team on the Iditarod. As any musher will tell you, arriving in Nome throws a musher into confusion: After 1100 miles on the trail focusing completely on the dogs, some mushers even question whether they want to reach Nome, as when they get there, so much changes.
Lance knew that things would change when he arrived under the burled arch, and that the people and excitement would distract him from his dogs. Pausing on the sea ice a few miles from Nome, Lance had one last quiet moment with his team before the ‘re-entering’ process began. Wind whistling overhead, he set his brake and walked to the front of the team. Patting his leaders vigorously while looking straight into their eyes, nose to nose, he told them: “Guys, when we get there, I won’t be able to tell you, because of all that’s going on. I’m telling you now: We did it. We did it.”
One must wonder if these lines were sincere, or just borrowed from a Hollywood movie: Yet with more knowledge of Lance, you learn that the musher’s moment on the sea ice was completely heartfelt. Wife Tonya laughed and shook her said as she spoke about her husbands relationship with his dogs. Since installing a ‘dog door’ into their house, on more than one occasion Tonya has woken up to find Lance asleep on the living room floor, surrounded by their 9 housedogs and several members of his racing team. Lance isn’t an actor: The words he spoke to his team came from his heart. He’s a true dog person.
Many others in the race have similar emotions regarding their teams: It is hard not to bond with a team over the 1100 miles of the Iditarod or the 2000+ miles in pre-race training. His recent climb in the standings also demonstrate that dog people excel in the Iditarod, and that Iditarod's next generation is coming up strong. Take for instance other race competitors, like Jessie Royer, Aliy Zirkle, Bjornar Andersen, Jason Barron, Cim Smyth, Ken Anderson, Melanie Gould, and William Hanes: Each is somewhat younger than the usual suspects out hunting for the Iditarod title, and all have fewer Iditarods under their belts. Yet the future is bright for this group: Each managed to make the top 20 this year. Jessica Hendricks certainly belongs in this group, but she finished just outside of the top-20 in this Iditarod, a vivid reminder that in dog racing, no position is guaranteed: If you don’t believe me, take a look at the runs of Martin Buser and Ramy Brooks this year.
With so much young talent towards the front of the race, the future of the Iditarod is strong. Lance’s story of his conversation on the sea ice is a great indication that, in 20 years, when the usual suspects of today’s Iditarod have retired, the race will be alive and well.