Day 1- The Race has Begun by Sam Towarak



Sam's Analysis


Iditarod 40 is official. Our family (Anchorage bunch) has chosen an isolated lake where the mushers go through and brought a picnic lunch. Iditarod fans are lined all along the trail today for a good time outdoors. A picnic on the Iditarod trail, now that’s the Spirit.

The mantra for the early part of the Race is snow and more snow. I talked yesterday to Race Marshall Mark Nordman about the snow. He said the trailbreakers have been working the initial part of the trail daily back and forth to insure a smooth run. Yet the trail while okay can cause problems if your team leaves the trail. Pulling out a well conditioned dog team out of this snow can wear on a musher. There still is the threat of moose on the trail, this was the case on the sprint trail out by Tudor which the Iditarod goes through. Moose will use a well groomed trail to get to their food. I asked the race marshall, will the mushers be held up because of race conditions, and he said confidently, that this is out of the question, the mushers will have a trail to traverse. You may remember in the early part of the Iditarod that mushers were held up because of deep snow conditions, but not this year. This is a testament to the hard working trailbreakers clearing up the Iditarod trail to Rohn.

The first checkpoint on the trail is Yentna and you should see the top mushers getting there in about 3.5 hours with snow conditions making it 4 hours. We should see check-in times from 6 to 730 pm for top competitors with most just checking in and out to go to Skwentna. Arrival times for top mushers should be around 2 ½ hours and expect mushers to arrive around the 9pm hour. From Skwentna, it becomes an individual decision on whether to proceed further, but the top mushers will grab straw and dog food and head up the trail for another 1 ½ hours. This will make for a nice run the next day for reaching the Rohn Roadhouse. Yesterday, we talked about how the Mackeys, Bakers, and Smyth’s have changed this race and this is the first installment of this. We can expect 4-6 hours of rest time than the run to Rohn begins. You can expect the mushers to clear the Alaska Range by 230pm on Monday. Trail conditions dictate that the top mushers stay in the front of the pack to avoid the soft trail.

Should we see slower times, we should not be disappointed. The other phenomenon you will see is the mushers taking turns in the lead position as it sometimes is very difficult “breaking” trail. This part of the trail sees some scratches from dogs that are eager and cause accidents. Mushers will be cautious especially before the Rainy Pass Lodge. While there may be a brief reprieve from snow, it will rear its ugly head again before the mushers take their 24 hour. Professional mushers train their dogs for a 100-110 mile mentality. Now you may say that they don’t run a 100 miles in one day, and your right but when they are in the 100-110 mile mentality, the mushers like to see a little reserve in their dogs after a 90 mile run. You may even hear the dog leaders barking after the end of that run and that pleases the musher.

What can a musher realistically shoot for as far as a position finish? I took two runs of the mushers in the race and found that there are 8 mushers competing for the top 5 slots, 13 mushers competing for the top 10 slots, 18 mushers competing for the top 15 slots and 22 mushers competing for a top 25 finish. So there are 3-5 slots available for a top 25 finish- a musher can realistically reach that goal. When the race concludes, we can look at the 3-5 slots and note those mushers potential. The First Day of the Race- we still are looking to mark this race with the surprises and the progress.

Sam Towarak, retired school teacher, dog musher, and sports commentator, lives in Unalakleet, Alaska. 

Ceremonial Start by Sam Towarak



Sam's Analysis


Today is the ceremonial start of Iditarod 40 with the start in downtown Anchorage. My most memorable ceremonial start was when I rented a room facing Fourth Avenue at the Captain Cook in the high rise section. Our family woke to dogs barking about 730am, whereupon we order room service breakfast and looked out the window eating breakfast and enjoying the activity. I highly recommend you do something like this at least once in your lifetime.

I begin my blog with my personal efforts to renew the Iditarod spirit especially in rural Alaska and working on John Baker’s blog gives me an opportunity to give insights to a rural musher whose dedication to his sport has earned him the highest honor of Iditarod champion. This feat created a giant rumble in rural Alaska and I want to continue that momentum with my analysis and what I am calling the renewal of the Iditarod Spirit. Despite all the distractions with advances in rapid media to rural Alaska, we need to capture that spirit and use it to reinvigorate our personal lives.

John Baker in his quest to win a back to back knows the challenge that faces him. In 2003, I interviewed him and I asked him how difficult a challenge it has been to place in the top 5-10. John has been that consistent and knows the competitive rigors needed for a top finish. In 2010, I saw his primary and second team move steadily in the Kobuk 440 and was very impressed with the steady “clumping” of the dog’s feet- this was a personal moment in which I witnessed the character of his team. You may remember John during the 2010 Iditarod race could not find the midpoint of the race (the Cripple checkpoint location moved their location from the previous year) and this cost him some valuable time. That same nucleus of the team is back will race in the 2012 Iditarod.

Tomorrow we can talk about the first day and half of the race but overall the race has developed into a race of proficiency. At any moment in the race, you have to be vigilant in order to maintain your competitive edge. One mental error and this could set you back the few minutes needed to win the race. All of the top echelon of Iditarod mushers know about overall strategy in winning the race- they break the race down into segments and strategize from there. This has affected training regimens as well as individual dog selection. Much of this change can be attributed to success by mushers like Lance Mackey, John Baker and Ramey Smyth where steady dogs with a clumping mentality (not galloping) are at the top towards the end of the race. This year has proven to be a challenge in race training given the extreme temperatures and the abundance of snow. Trail conditions will dictate the race as a gentle snow (more snow?) falls as the mushers leave Anchorage. John knows about gentle snow, a few years ago, light snow necessitates more feeding of the dogs to maintain their energy level- which takes time and this will affect the total time of the race (does this mean a slower race than last years record breaker?).

As you see the excitement in the dogs, you can’t forget that the real athletes are the dogs. Yet the dogs cannot make important decisions as these are left to the musher, the musher support crew, vets, race marshall, Iditarod support crew- enjoy the Last Great Race!

Sam Towarak, retired school teacher, dog musher, and sports commentator, lives in Unalakleet, Alaska. 

Race Ready

Perhaps the most important decision for a musher is which dogs will make the team. The sixteen dogs John selected from his kennel for the 2012 team roster has over thirty years of combined Iditarod trail experience. Add his sixteen years and this means there is nearly fifty years of valuable trail experience between the musher and dogs he travels with.



John puts harness on Sprocket


Velvet and Snickers make up a “snappy front end” as described by 1989 Iditarod champ, Joe Runyan.

Rising star athletes who happen to also be litter mates, Ripple, Swift, and Ocean, will be running with their father Summit, a leader who will most likely be sharing the lead during the long race.

A motivator for the rest of the team, Kona, will be running with her daughter, Angel, a rookie in this year’s team, who shows plenty of potential.

Tough-looking Rambo, is as strong as he looks, and two of his off-spring also his teammates this year, Frankie and Speckle, both inherited his endurance.

While brothers, Sprocket and Fender, have each run two Iditarod’s, this year is the first time they will be on the same team.

The most photographed dog on the team is Huffy, who always looks so poised.

With a most recognizable voice and the one that alerts the team is Sonar, who has a penetrating bark and keeps watch for the other dogs.

Finally, the biggest, most lovable dog on the line is Mongoose. For photos and information about each dog go to http://www.teamjohnbaker.com/team-baker.html .



John and Velvet visiting vet

 A visit to the family doc and veterinarian, Dr. Phil Meyer and the Iditarod volunteer vets who checked over each dog to make sure they are healthy and ready to go, confirms this will once again be a powerful team. “Impressive athletic heart beats” said the vet tech as she reviewed the EKG which measures the heart activity for each dog. Everyone gathers to look at the EKG printout and a proud smile spreads across John’s face and he says, “It’s truly a privilege to travel with these amazing dogs.”

This will be John’s seventeenth Iditarod. Each year prior to Iditarod40 Baker has come into the race as a strong contender yet has been under the radar. All that has changed since winning the 2011 Iditarod Sled Dog Race and now the spotlight is often on him.

Known for being efficient and focused, John exhibits patience while dealing with all the attention, as he concentrates on his dogs. Soon the teams will be off and running and Team Baker can do what they do best and have been training for all year. Are they ready? John's response to this question was, "Oh, yes! Both the dogs and I are very ready to get out on the trail!"

A potent combination includes: vast experience + readiness for the race + eagerness to get going + team toughness = a very race ready Team Baker.

Cool Running

During a recent visit to a kennel in the Mat-Su valley Team Baker checks out a trail for a quick run. Leaving the dog yard, the dogs seem unruffled by other excited dogs. Amidst the barking dogs around them, Velvet and Snickers gently stretch out the line, ears perked up as they listen for the quiet kissing sound from John’s lips indicating it’s time to go. In one subtle motion the team moves together with agility and a very smooth gait. Loose and limber, each dog runs effortlessly and calmly away from the noise and excitement.


Even while watching the composed appearance of the Team Baker musher and dogs it’s apparent this team is ready to rock n roll!

Competitive Edge

Training season is over and we can’t wait to see what Team Baker can achieve in Iditarod40.

Returning as the defending champs, the Team Baker dogs have arrived! To Anchorage, that is, for the start of the 2012 Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Even though the pressure to repeat last year’s win has been rising, what is most apparent from Baker is the respect he has for the competition.

The most recent opportunity John had to demonstrate a high regard for the competition was in January when Rohn Buser beat Baker by 30 minutes to win the Kusko 300 Sled Dog Race. In fact, when asked by KYUK Radio what it would have taken for Baker to defeat Buser we heard John respond by acknowledging Rohn and the Buser family and he reminded us that this is “Rohn’s day.”



Ramey Smyth and John Baker in Nome
2011 Iditarod Sled Dog Race

Others showed similar qualities at the finish of the 2011 Iditarod race. When interviewed by the Anchorage Daily News, second place finisher Ramey Smyth said "It's a little hard not to win," and added "But there's no person in this world that I'd rather be beaten by, if I came in second, than John.”

Also interviewed by the Anchorage Daily News, Four-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey called Baker "a cool cat” and said, "The thing I like about John -- he don't get his feathers ruffled easily. He's calm. He's very patient with his dogs," and he went on to say, "But he's a perfectionist. You don't see him making wasted moves or yelling or discouraged with the dogs' performances."

Compliments aren’t the only thing on the rise lately. Iditarod40 features six champion race entrants plus many more top contenders who are hungry for a win. Expectations are being stoked for a very ultra competitive race. Can we assume there is tension between all these teams eager to beat yesterday’s record? What’s with all the compliments and where are the tensions and when will we hear some competitive smack?

It’s unlikely we’ll hear negative comments from John Baker about his competition. Why? “Getting an edge on the competition isn’t done by measuring my team to the other teams,” says Baker. He explains that he doesn’t set out to race against the other teams “based on what they can do.” Baker seeks to achieve a competitive advantage by focusing on “what his team can do better than any other.”

Even the mightiest of teams need a strong field to be their best and Iditarod40 has a long list of challengers. Despite an absence of smack talk, we can be assured each musher is gearing up to show what his/her team can do best.

Who will be out in front and stay in front or fail to be in the lead and retreat remains to be seen.

The Dog Yard

It’s been rather calm in the dog yard these last few days.

For the past few months, the race training and preparation has been intense. Now, the training is over and the team must put what they have been preparing for into action. Accordingly, the preparation for all that is needed to be race ready is done. Anticipation and excitement for the race start is what we sense from musher and dogs.



John Baker, 2011 Iditarod Champion

 Are there any worries on the horizon that could upset this calm? Most of the big unknowns are out of anyone’s control and a lot is in the hands of Mother Nature so worrying about it doesn’t help. “Being prepared for whatever comes is necessary but worrying about whether it will happen is a waste of time and energy,” says Baker.

What Mother Nature can throw at the teams can be a game changing factor for the worst and the best. Weather is always one thing to keep an eye on. The nearly 1000 miles of trail go through major climatic zones with varied weather conditions. Cold weather is preferred especially for the dog’s sake. Yet just how cold is relevant to temperatures the dogs are accustomed. Warmer temperatures can be more comfortable for the musher but not necessarily for the dogs to run.

On top of that, trail conditions such as heavy snowfall and reports of moose on the trail keep a team on high alert. To startle a moose on the trail can create hazards. So far, the trail reports have been good. However, an unexpected turn for the worse in any of these areas could trip a carefully planned race strategy. Last year, with ideal weather and trail conditions, John and the dogs set a new race record. And, since Team Baker’s win, expectations are high for the team in this year's race seemingly adding more pressure.



Velvet, 2011 Golden Harness Winner

 Yet the calmness exhibited in the dog yard is perhaps best described through the eyes of a dog. As the lead dog, Velvet seems to know that there is always something to worry about as she keeps a close eye on John. Frankly, it’s the musher’s job to worry about what could go wrong and for the dogs to focus on getting the job done. The good news is, John and the dogs always seem to find a way to overcome whatever obstacle is thrown their way.

Team Baker will leave for Anchorage shortly and the atmosphere in the dog yard is relaxed and calm. The team is ready to handle whatever comes on the Iditarod Trail as they run their own race, even the unexpected.

Traveling with Dogs




Team Baker on the lagoon in Kotzebue


Traveling with dogs is what John Baker loves most. He says “it's a perfect day for a run” on this sunny day with light winds and the temperature at about twenty below zero. Today, Team Baker runs one last time on their home turf before leaving for the start of the 2012 Iditarod Sled Dog Race. It's a relaxing run before the big race.




Ripple has star power



Team Baker trains in the Arctic where the vast stretches of land seem endless, and navigating the terrain requires skill, knowledge and experience. Traveling with dogs is all about teamwork. In this part of the world it is also necessary for musher and dogs to have expertise in traveling and surviving in the icy wilderness. A traditional knowledge passed on to John is based on generations of Inupiat who have traveled with dogs for thousands of years. 

John has operated a sled dog racing kennel in Kotzebue, Alaska for twenty years. Since 1996 John and his dogs have been strong contenders in the Iditarod. Last year the team won first place and smashed the record by three hours. Now, Team Baker prepares for another Iditarod. This time Baker returns as the champion to defend his title. Eleven of the sixteen dogs from the 2011 team are returning to travel with Baker this year. 



Frankie exudes happiness

Baker's 2012 Iditarod team roster has been final for some time so each team member is familiar with one another. Team Baker enters this year's race with a strong returning line-up with twelve dogs who have all been on the Trail. The two famous leaders, Velvet and Snickers, who led the team for a record-breaking win in the 2011 Iditarod will once again be out in front. Behind them will be a solid group of Iditarod race veterans including: Rambo, Ripple, Huffy, Kona, Mongoose, Summit, Sprocket, Speckle, Fender, and Sonar. Four rookies, Angel, Swift, Frankie, and Ocean, with race experience in the Kobuk 440, will travel this trail for the first time.

    

Team going for a run outside of Kotzebue


Qipmigaq (Inupiaq word pronounced kip-mi-gak translates to traveling with dogs) expresses Baker's viewpoint. John says he feels "privledged to be traveling with such an amazing team."