2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton

Larry

Lance Mackey’s Larry is a mushing legend. The big gray Alaskan husky is the winningest lead dog in long distance racing history; he’s led Lance’s team to victory in seven 1,000 mile Yukon Quest and Iditarod races, and he has won three coveted Golden Harnesses.

Larry has been to Nome nine times, eight with Lance and once, in 2003, as part of Paul Gebhardt’s team. In the 2010 Iditarod Larry is once again going to Nome, but this time he’s not in Lance’s team – he’s part of Jamaican rookie Newton Marshall’s bid for an Iditarod buckle.

Newton with 1978 champion, Dick Mackey

Oswald “Newton ” Marshall is the first Jamaican and Caribbean musher to enter the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Marshall is a rookie in the Iditarod, but in 2009 he completed the grueling Yukon Quest, winning thirteenth place and the coveted Challenge of the North Award for best exemplifying the spirit of the Yukon Quest. After training for that race with three-time Quest champion Hans Gatt, Newton chose three-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey as his mentor for the 2010 Iditarod.

Larry and Newton

While Newton is running dogs from Lance’s kennel in the Iditarod, including Super-Dog Larry, the team dogs in Jamaica are rescued from the streets or from the Jamaican Society for Prevention of Cruelty of Animals (JSPCA). A portion of proceeds from the Jamaica Dogsled Tours and DVD sales on the team website benefits the JSPCA. The Jamaica Dogsled Team is sponsored by Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville, Chukka Caribbean Adventures, WestJet Vacations, Alpine Aviation and Annamaet Petfoods.

Newton and his Iditarod team

As of Thursday evening, Newton and Larry were holding their own in the Iditarod through minus thirty-five degree temperatures, and Newton had declared his mandatory 24 hour lay over in McGrath. Videographer Eppo Eerkes, who’s following Newton’s progress on the trail, reported, “After talking to several other mushers, Newton learned that the overload of teams in Takotna for the 24 hour rest wasn’t leaving room for other teams to park. So, Newton decided it was in his best interest to just rest here.”

Newton rounding the corner of 4th & Cordova. Larry is the far side wheel dog. Idita-rider Jan Tremer, Braxton Peterson on the tag sled.

Eppo also reported, “Newton’s affection for his dogs was so intense that he had to make sure that the officials would take care of his two dropped dogs in Nikolai. It just so happened those two dogs flew in my plane from Nikolai to McGrath and they were as calm as ever in the air. Newton was happy that someone he knew personally delivered them to McGrath.”

Tags: Braxton Peterson, Dick Mackey, Eppo Eerkes, Hans Gatt, Iditarod, Jan Tremer, Lance Mackey's Larry, mushing, Newton Marshall, sled dog race, sled dogs, The Dogfather, Yukon Quest