Almost There

The Iditarod begins in 4 days!!!!

I was able to speak to Bill a few nights ago and preparations are in full swing for the race. The yurt is overrun with harnesses, tug lines, and cold weather gear; all the repairs and organization must be done before the team leaves for Anchorage. They'll head up there on Wednesday and spend the next few days attending meetings and getting the dogs ready. Bill has decided to take 15 dogs up to the race; he'll drop one of the dogs last minute since you can only run with 14.

Rincon

He was hesitant to tell me who would be racing. The decision depends on so many different factors and a dog's attitude or condition can change instantly. For instance, one of our main lead dogs, Lynx, strained one of his leg muscles last week. Bill noticed that he was favoring it during runs, so he has stopped running him for the past few days. The leg is getting better quickly and Lynx will hopefully be ready by Saturday. He's such a strong dog, I have no doubt that he can pull through. Lynx's brother, Rincon, has stepped up drastically. He has been doing extremely well in the lead dog position. That litter has great things ahead of them and I think the brothers will really support the team this year.
All of the males will most likely be racing. They are a very strong bunch: Zion and Osiris, our big boys, are looking incredible. Kobuk has a steady pace; Spur and Spit would run forever if Bill let them; Oly is one of the best I've ever seen; and Lynx, Rincon, and Hudson bring the cunning sibling power. Some of the females will round out the team. When I spoke to Bill, he was thinking of taking Juno, Kiana, Daikon, Luma, and Kayenta. Some of the females are certainly able, they just aren't the perfect fit for this team and this race.
The dogs have to be able to run well together and also be able to run the conditions. It looks like the trail will be slightly warm and a bit soft. This is perfect for our dogs, since it's exactly what they've been trained in. Bill was telling me that his strategy is to take it easy. This is a competitive race, but his goal is not to go to the front of the pack. By running at their own pace, our dogs will get stronger and be able to pick other teams off closer to Nome. I don't care what place they come in, I just want the dogs to be happy and healthy. No matter how fast they go, they are still amazing animals.

Kobuk

If anyone has any questions throughout the race, please let me know. Things will get a little crazy out there and I'm going to try and follow the race hour by hour. Bill will have a GPS tracker, so I can watch the team's progress. If you would like to do the same, feel free to use my account on Iditarod.com.
           Username: ltnobo06@gmail.com
           Password: Lynx2012
By using this, I can track my team as well as watch videos and get pictures. I highly recommend it. Don't be worried if a dog has to be dropped, it is very common in the long distance races. I'll find out what happened as soon as I can, since I'll be worried and post it. I know a few of you are as invested in my dogs as I am (KB and Ben!).

These next few weeks will be crazy! Can't wait!