Ultimate Iditarod Behind-the-Scenes Race Coverage

Atta Boy 300 Race Update--Day 3

First Stage of the Race--Mt. Bachelor, Bend, Oregon

January 7, 2001

Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs--Seeley Lake, MT

We are beginning to get very good at speedy trips to Laundromats to dry out our clothes.  As we drove to Mt. Bachelor outside of Bend, Oregon, today, the rain again began to taunt us.  However, as the race start drew near, the weather improved considerably, and we all were quite optimistic.  But about 3/4 of the way through today's stage, downpours again let loose from above, and all the mushers and dogs came in wet.

Recap of today's events:  Despite the rains, the race today was excellent.  As I said, I drew the first starting position at yesterday's opening festivities, so I had the honor of being the first musher out in the first stage of the first Atta Boy 300.

Today's trail featured some amazing views of Mt. Bachelor.  The course actually was a run in a complete circle around the mountain, starting and finishing at the ski resort on the mountain.  From this shot, it is obvious that Mt. Bachelor's history has involved some volcanic eruptions.

The trail headed down hill for much of the first half of the course, and then we started climbing.  We climbed for more elevation than we had just dropped, and found ourselves on top of a butte made of old volcanic lava and covered with amazing hemlock forests.  Mt. Bachelor peaked through the trees and the clouds at various points, and the sights were amazing.  What we have lacked in good weather so far has definitely been made up by the wonderful trail, scenery, and people of central Oregon.  We really enjoyed our run today.

And the runs were very fast, actually.  Defending Iditarod Champion Doug Swingley of Lincoln, Montana, won today's stage with an impressive time of 3 hours, 16 minutes, and 22 seconds over the 46.7-mile course.  My dad and I are neck and neck at 14th and 15th place, respectively, with only a minute and 12 seconds separating us!  We both did the run in just a minute or two over four hours.  We were very happy with those times, and I am personally very excited to see how evenly matched the two dog teams from our kennel are.  That means that I have a large group of very evenly matched dogs from which to pick my Iditarod team.

Spectators and race officials await the arrival of teams at the finish line (top).  Musher Bill Pinkham and team arrive at the finish looking very good. (bottom)

Tonight, we had a wonderful banquet with live music and excellent food at the Sisters High School in Sisters, Oregon, just west of Bend.  We and the dogs are hosted tonight in the home of Jack and Kim Addison and their 3 daughters.  They have been very gracious in allowing us to picket some of the dogs onto some of their fences, allowing us to spread out all 32 of our dogs.  This will mean that the dogs can spend the night outside of the truck.  The weather is plenty warm, and the dogs will be quite comfortable.  Now if we can just get them to be quiet and go to bed....

Tomorrow, we run a 41.8-mile stage starting at Sisters and looping back around to finish in the same location.  This run has less climbing than we did today, so I am thinking that I may run only ten dogs (rather than 12) so that I can let six dogs get fully rested for the third stage on Wednesday.  The third stage promises to be one of the toughest at a length of 47.3 miles and with a total elevation gain and loss far greater than any other day in the race.

The dogs are well, we are very happy, and we're "thinkin' snow!"

For complete information on the times of all the competitors, see the Atta Boy 300 Web Site:  www.attaboy300.com 

Reporting for Ultimate Iditarod from Sisters, Oregon, during the Atta Boy 300 World Cup Sled Dog Race,

Jim Gallea

© 2002 Ultimate Iditarod, Snowcrest Racing Sled Dogs, Seavey's Iditarod Racing Team
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