Iditarod Race Updates and Coverage--Ultimate Iditarod

JIM ARRIVES!
Jim is now the fastest Gallea by over 48 hours!! He mushed to the burled arch at 6:38 AM. His 30th place finish, and 10day, 20 hour time are 8 places and over 48 hours faster than his mom's last year. His twelve dogs were fast and strong running down Front Street in the dark.

Willow and Otis were still in lead, as they have been virtually the whole way since Ruby. Willow is a daughter of one of Martin Buser's most famous dogs, Dave. Her mother is a dog from our kennel named Streak. Streak finished Iditarod for both Cindy and me, in 1996 and 1998. She has always been a strong leader, and a particularly happy dog, with quick recovery following exercise. She is an excellent eater (which is not always the case with sled dogs), and, in fact, would readily eat too much and lose her waistline if we did not limit her calories.

Willow is named after Willow, Alaska, which serves as an alternative place for the re-start of the race, if Wasilla lacks snow. The Streak/Dave litter was named after Iditarod checkpoints. Two of her littermates were also in Jim's team at the start: Ruby and Ophir. Ruby was dropped early in the race because she didn't feel good, and had stopped eating. Perhaps she had the same germ that affected some of the other teams. Interestingly, the same thing happened last year when she ran with Cindy. Ophir, on the other hand, finished both this year and last year. He's not a leader, though.

Jim was really happy with how his team performed. He noted that they became stronger as the race went on. We call this "trail hardening". This is a beautiful thing to see. What it means is that the team gets into a rhythm where they immediately lie down to rest when it is time to stop running; they wake up and inhale their food as soon as it is offered (and usually want seconds); they then go right back to resting, but when it is time to wake up and leave a checkpoint, they're up and going without hesitation. For Jim's team this phenomenon occurred by the time they reached the Yukon River.

For some reason, his team avoided the gastrointestinal illness that plagued so many other dog teams. One dog, Crackle, had diarrhea for a time, but got over it without the problem spreading throughout the team. Crackle is a wonderful dog. She's two years old, and is a second cousin of Martin's dog, Dave. That is, Dave's father-Dagger-is Crackle's grandfather. Crackle is from our onomatopoeia litter. Onomatopoeia is the characteristic when a word sounds just like it's meaning. Buzz is Crackles mother, and her name has onomatopoeia. So we named the six puppies Snap, Crackle, Pop, Splash, Smooch, and Crunch! Crackle is a real cheerleader. She would always start whining and barking as the team was being readied to leave each checkpoint. This helps get the other dogs awake and fired up to run. So it was particularly nice that she got over her illness, and could remain with the team all the way to Nome.

Jim's sled held up all the way to Front Street. It is a sled built by Robin Jacobson, who now lives in Cora, Wyoming, and has retired from sled building. This particular sled has been the primary sled for every one of the family's Iditarod since 1996. Almost all the parts have been replaced over the years, so it might be said that we have built the sled by now...but the design is Robin's. And it has proved very tough and yet light. When empty it weighs only about 30 pounds, with bag attached. This year Jim replaced the stanchions, which are they vertical pieces that connect the handle bar to the runners. The stanchions of a sled generally form a triangle on each side which is a very strong design. Jim used modern hockey sticks for the replacements, which are extremely strong, yet quite light. They are flexible to some extent, and are exactly the thickness and width of the old stanchions.

Jim was greeted at the finish line by a number of friends, including the entire Seavey family, 2002 champ Martin Buser, the Moderow's from Anchorage, and - of course - Mom, Grandpa Jim Huffman, and myself...Dad. Martin is a true champion, not just the first place finisher of the race. He has been at the finish line to congratulate every single musher, no matter what time of day! Leo Rasmussen, the mayor of Nome, was the official checker. Chief Veterinarian Stu Nelson was there to check over the dogs, and found them fit. In fact, as we opened the gate to allow the team to leave the chute, they started barking and jumping in their traces, just as they did at the start. Only a few teams look that good at the finish of the Iditarod, and I know Jim was particularly proud of the fact that his 12 dog team was up, wagging their tails, and barking to go even after a ten day Iditarod!

Reporting from Nome Iditarod Headquarters....For Ultimate Iditarod....
Bill Gallea

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