The First of the Biggun's is Coming This Weekend

I had to run into town for my annual physical exam today.  Afterward, while filling the tank of my little care, I spied a convoy of three trucks, lead by a big black Dodge hauling a huge black dog trailer.  Yep, Lance Mackey and his whole crew are making their way to Glennallen for the start of the Copper Basin 300 Saturday.  Allen Moore and Aliy Zirkle are packing up for an early start tomorrow, and Judy Currier has also signed up for it. 

In fact, there is a GREAT field of excellent teams signed up for one of Alaska's toughest and most popular middle-distance races.  Here are just a few of my favorites.

Allen Moore of SP Kennels has won this race three times, and took second place behind Jeff King in last year's race.  Like last year, the SP Kennel has three teams running the race.  Allen's wife, Aliy Zirkle (the only woman to ever win the Yukon Quest) and his daughter, Bridgett Watkins, are also running teams from the kennel.  Two Rivers mushers Sonny Lindner, Mike Ellis, and Judy Currier are also signed up to run.

I already mentioned that Lance Mackey's Comback Kennel will be well represented.  In addition to Lance, Cain Carter and Newton Marshal will be representing the Comback Kennel team.

2009 Yukon Quest champion and 2nd place Iditarod musher Sebastian Schnuelle is signed up to race and he ranks high on my "favorites" list.  He is well known for his devotion to and unusually close bond with his dogs and is considered one of the very best trainers in sport of mushing.  Sebastian is training 60 dogs this season and has combined dogs from his Blue Kennels, from Aaron Burmeisters Flat Dog Kennels, and from Jessie Royer’s J Team.  Several of Sab's dogs are kin to our own Torus. 

2010 Yukon Quest Rookie of the Year Josh Cadzow is signed up for the CB300 and this hungry young Native Alaskan musher is well on his way to a HUGE career in the sport.  I like Josh a lot, and I truly think he's going to very well.


Brent Sass and Kyla Durham will represent Wild and Free Mushing in the race.  Brent has been doing well the past few years and remains a musher well worth watching.  Brent is the local distributor of Dr. Tim's Momentum dog-food - aka "THE GOOD STUFF".

Former Iditarod champ Mitch Seavey has also signed up to run the race.  BTW, I can recommend Mitch's book Lead, Follow or Get Out of the Way as a very good read.  He offers a lot of very good training advice in the book, and though I don't agree with 100% of his methods - well, he doesn't agree with 100% of mine either.  That's fair, each of us has to do what we believe is best for OUR dogs, not the other guy's team.

OK - It's time for me to feed the team and then settle in for the evening.  I'll catch you soon with another update.

Swanny