Atta Boy 300 Update--Ultimate Iditarod

We arrived late last night after driving through lots of thick fog. Other than the fog, the trip was very good and rather uneventful. We stopped several times to let the dogs out, and give them some food. Taking care of 32 dogs on the road is a big job, so, in addition to my dad and I (who are both driving teams in the race), we are traveling with my uncle, Rich, and our kennel helper, Brooke.

Rich and Brooke are what we call "handlers." They help with all aspects of dog care while we are traveling, and they do a lot to help get the teams to the starting line and take care of the dogs and the mushers at the finish line. Our job as mushers would be much more difficult without such great and capable handlers!

This morning, we awoke to find that the weather around Mt. Hood in Oregon was in the 40s--well above freezing. As a result, we found a local grocery store with freezer space willing to let us store the 600 pounds of frozen meat we have as part of the 1,040 pounds of dog food we packed for the trip. We will keep the meat in the freezers there until tomorrow evening, when we drive 100 miles south east to the city of Bend, in central Oregon. In Bend, we are working on arranging a similar storage facility should temperatures be above freezing there, too. It is very important to keep the meat frozen so that it does not spoil. Fresh meat is a very important and substantial part of the dogs' diet during racing and training.

At noon, we headed to the village of Government Camp on Mt. Hood for the pre-race vet check. At the vet check, all of the dogs in all 28 teams who will be running the race are given complete physical exams to ensure that every dog is in tip-top physical shape to run. When each dog is given the o.k., a small grease-paint mark is placed on the dog to identify it as a race dog. The color and location of the mark also identify the team to which the dog belongs. For example, the dogs in my team have green mark on their left thigh while my dad's dogs have a blue mark on their right thigh.

Bill Gallea (in light blue jacket) works with an Atta Boy 300 race veterinarian to check the dogs in his team. The dogs are given complete exams before the race. Snowcrest Kennel handler Brooke Delwo (bottom photo in background) helps a dog get back into the truck. Each dog has an individual kennel in the "dog truck."

Following the vet check, we had some time to take care of a few odd jobs around the truck and trailer that needed to be done, and we mingled with other mushers and handlers. The social aspects of races are always fun. I would say they are similar to rendezvous held by fur trappers and traders hundreds of years ago. We see old friends and acquaintances that we haven't seen since last racing season, catch up on the news from other regions, and, of course, do a lot of chiding and joking about who will win the race, who will get last, and who will get LOST!

This afternoon, all of the mushers met with the race officials and race organizers to discuss the rules, procedures, and schedules of the race and answer any questions about those topics. Driver's meetings, as they are called, tend to be a bit long and drawn out, but a lot of very important information is given in them, and this meeting made it apparent to us how excited the people of Oregon are to have a major sled dog race. This is the first running of the Atta Boy 300, and as a musher, I must extend my sincerest thanks to everyone who has worked so hard to put on the race, organize the events and festivities around it, groom, maintain, and mark the trail, and make us feel welcome. It is obvious how hard everyone has worked, and our hats are off. Thanks very much to everyone who has dedicated their time over the last year to make this happen. We are very excited to get on the trail!

A very nice dinner was provided to us by a local ski lodge after the Driver's meeting, and we continued to catch up on news and laugh about old times with fellow mushers, handlers, and race enthusiasts. After that, we returned to the resort where we spent last night and fed the dogs their dinner.

Tomorrow, we get up early and prepare for the ceremonial run on Mt. Hood. Many races do a ceremonial leg at the beginning that is more accessible to spectators, sponsors, and the media. We will run only a mile for this stage, and the times won't count toward deciding the winner, but this is our chance to thank the race sponsors and local officials and make ourselves available to the public. After that, we head down the road to Bend, Oregon, where we will participate in the opening ceremonies of the race and meet our the family who will host us for the next night.

The real racing begins on Monday at Mt. Bachelor just outside of Bend, and continues every day for seven days. A set course will be run each day, and at night we attend a banquet open to the public. Each "stage" will be run on a different trail running through some of the most amazing and beautiful country in central Oregon. (The Atta Boy 300 race website has descriptions of the trail that are very good and worth reading). This type of racing is different from Iditarod racing, and is known as stage racing because a set "stage" of the race is run each day. We even get to sleep in beds every night! I hope it doesn't spoil us too much!

As I said, we are very excited about the race. The event is well organized, and the officials and race staff and the people of Oregon are wonderful. The trails are well groomed and well marked. And the weather, well, we just hope it doesn't rain. We're looking forward to an excellent week.

I'll do my best to keep you posted on a daily basis if possible. The Atta Boy 300 race website has great information about the race and should also have race updates and time stats.

© 2002 Ultimate Iditarod, Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs, Seavey's Iditarod Racing Team
Reproduction or distribution in any way or by any means prohibited without permission.
Ultimate Iditarod http://www.ultimateiditarod.com email: dogboy@ultimateiditarod.com