Time For A Little Q & A
5:45 p.m.
by Tyrell Seavey
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Ultimate Iditarod's coverage of the 2006 Iditarod sponsored by:
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I have received a bunch of good questions pertaining to the Iditarod, the family and the dogs. I listed them below along with the answers.
My
sister and I have been thinking about the wives/mothers and how they handle
being out of contact like this?
My mom and grandma have been going through this forever and they
handle it really well. They know what to
expect and they choose to ignore the danger we are in. Also, we Seaveys
have run the race enough times between us that we are confident in ourselves
and in our dogs and that rubs off on the family. The hardest part is the waiting… the long hours
of tension between updates.
Are
you going to race Iditarod again?
Yes. Without a doubt. I am going to graduate sooner or later then return to mushing the Iditarod as soon as possible.
Do
you buddy up on the trail?
It depends on the circumstance. Basically, you want to be on good terms with
whoever you are traveling with. Last
year I ran most of the race with Ray Redington Jr.
which was awesome considering our grandfathers pioneered this thing 34 years
ago.
What
kind of shenanigans go on on the trail?
This race depends a lot on the “Honor System.” Most places where people would have the opportunity to cheat (take a short cut) there is no one within miles and they could easily get away with it. 99.9% of the mushers would never take a short cut. It defeats the purpose of the event. If someone wanted an easy way to get ahead they wouldn’t be running something as challenging as the Iditarod. On the other hand, there is always a bad apple…
What
and where do you eat?
I eat whatever it is I like at home. My mom makes a little extra each night
starting about a month before the race and puts it into seal-a-meal packaging
which can be heated in the dogs’ water on the trail. Some checkpoints have microwaves now so we
can save some time by heating our food inside.
A few checkpoints even go as far as having a fulltime cook to prepare
free meals for the mushers. It isn’t too
hard to figure out where these places are based upon how many mushers frequent
their checkpoint.
How
many dog booties do you use?
Approximately 2,000 although if you were wasteful it could go well over that and it you were broke you could do it on a lot less (by drying and reuseing).
How
do mushers make enough money to do the Iditarod? How do you work a normal job and train for
the race? I'm guessing the sponsors help out a lot. Do you have to make them a
presentation or what? How'd your dad and you get your sponsors?
Sponsors
are key to this sport.
Not only do they support the individual racers they also provide a
majority of the prize money, so you guys can support us by supporting
them. My family used to work very hard
to solicit sponsors but recently things have been easier (winning tends to do that)
and we raise a majority of our funding with our summer tours in
I am arguable the most fortunate musher in the sport right now when it comes to sponsorships. AT&T Alascom started sponsoring me in 2003 when I raced my first Iditarod and they are committed for the long haul. I think they want to see me win as badly as I do.
What do the mushers generally think about Mark Nordman? I've always wondered what the Race Marshall was like.
When your
job is to make tough decisions and settle disagreements between mushers (rare
but it does happen) you are bound to have someone who doesn’t like you, but
Mark Nordman has earned himself a great reputation as a wise and fair judge
that keeps the dogs and mushers first and foremost in his mind at all
times. I like the guy.
What's the best/worst things about the
The
Do
you think John Baker has what it takes to win this year? How about Dee Dee?
Baker and
Dee Dee both have what it takes. Unfortunately for them, so do about 12 other
teams… so we will have to wait and see.
I do think this is a brilliant race so far for Dee Dee,
if she keeps giving those 8 hour rests to her dogs she is going to be a force
to reckon with on the coast.
Jim Gallea called me a moment ago from a satellite phone in the tent checkpoint of Cripple. He couldn’t talk long but he kept saying, “cold, cold, cold.” He isn’t a wimp, so it sounds like the teams may be heading into a deepfreeze. I also spoke with Jerry Scdoris this afternoon and he is very happy and proud of Rachael but like all of us he wishes there was more information about the condition of the teams and racers. A couple of people asked for the dip recipe so I tacked it on…
Bean Dip Serves: 8 5 larges avocados 2 cups sour cream 1 cup mayonnaise 2 1/2 packages taco seasoning mix 3 avocado seasoning mix 1 large can jalapeno flavored bean dip 1 bunch chopped green onions 1 can black olives 12 ounces cheddar cheese 1 9-ounce bag tortilla chips 3 larges chopped tomatoes Mix avocados with seasoning mix. Mix mayonnaise with taco seasoning mix.Spread beans on platter (9 x 13) pan works well. Layer avocados, sour creammix, green onions, olives, tomatoes, & cheese.
Serve with chips. It is the snack of champions… literally.