Helen on March 10th, 2010

As the mushers move up the trail between Rainy Pass and Ophir, still not quite to the halfway point in Ruby for the northern route, the strength of the teams continues to impress fans, and some of the teams are already taking their mandatory 24-hour rest stops: Jeff King, Zack Steer, Hugh Neff and a [...]

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Helen on March 8th, 2010

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Helen on February 14th, 2010

“Sleeping bag, snowshoes, booties…” Lance Mackey enumerates the items in his sled for the checker at Pelly Crossing. His voice is methodical, sure, practiced. He’s been through this Pelly Crossing checkpoint four times before, and each time he was on his way to a Yukon Quest championship; he’s currently the only four-time champion in the [...]

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Helen on January 28th, 2010

Updated link:
• ADN article Feb. 1: Mushers Double Up for King’s New Race
Original post Jan. 28:
The new Denali Doubles Invitational is a sled dog race for cash prizes from Cantwell, Alaska to Paxson, Alaska and back – with stops at designated checkpoints along the trail. With a $10,000 first prize and cash prizes through fifth [...]

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Helen on January 25th, 2010

An in-depth look at the financial side of running the Iditarod, by a long-time reporter on the race, the venerable Craig Medred:
Once an event for Alaska gold miners, fishermen, Bushrats and a handful of others with a passion for mushing, it has come to be dominated by professionals in the business of running racing kennels.
The [...]

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