Forum Moderators: open
10 dogs, 18 miles, 2 days in a row... first day's time was 1 hour 7 mins.... which was about 10 mins faster than #2, a known musher who came all the way from Minnesota. She told me that night at the bar that she hadn't been passed in 4 years of racing.... we left her stunned, and behind, 9 miles out ...and she never saw us again.
Unlike race #3, last weekend, the trail wasn't mountainous even though we were around 9000'.... hilly, yes, but no massive mountains. And no deep snow either... the trail was hard and fast.... and my dogs just ate it up. If everything was against me last weekend, everything was in our favor this weekend.
as far as the next race, there is a 10 dog, 25 mile (x2days) next weekend in Dubois, WY, just North of the Grand Tetons. It wasn't on our schedule this season, but it wouldn't be bad to do.... a whole bunch of other drivers than on the circuit I've been running. The trail would be more like the Steamboat race, but since my dogs have seen that type of trail already, they are much better prepared mentally and physically for that type of run. But honestly I could use a weekend off... it is exhausting to run these and then drive 8 hours back home... then unload and unpack... basically it is 4 days of constant work, up late and waking early.... plus the stress of racing just uses me up.
The next race on my calendar is 2 weeks from now at Glenwood Springs... 18 miles and a 1500' mountain pass that you need to go up and over, turn around and go back up and over again. Then the following weekend is a race in Ashton, Idaho which is the oldest race in the lower 48. 8 dogs, 30 miles (x2days) which I wasn't planning on running but supposedly it is the biggest race of the year.... you run right down main street with a huge Iditarod size crowd. here is their site:
[ashtonidaho.com...]
So the thing to do would be to race every weekend... or take next weekend off and just do some long training runs. Anyway... got dogs to water... back to the kennel.
[sleddogcentral.com...]
Now, if they could only do that with a pack of weiner dogs (dachunds) like they do weiner dog racing [ttyler.8m.com]
[edited by: grnidone at 9:32 pm (utc) on Jan. 21, 2003]