Tyler's Two Rivers 100 Recap

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    We did it! The yearlings and I finished our first race in the morning hours on Saturday. Again I'd like to thank all the Ryno kennel sponsors as well as Alaska Icefield Expeditions because without them we most likely wouldn't have been in this race. Also, a huge shout-out to Liz Schell, my handler for the race (Ryne's other handler). I know handling isn't the most fun thing in the word, especially when you have to stand outside in the cold for multiple hours throughout the night, but I couldn't have done the race without you behind the scenes so thank you very much!!!! As for the race itself, it went as smooth as it could've for the team and I.
    At the start of the race, the team immediately had the poise and calmness of an experienced team. As we waited for our start time, the dogs sat calmly by the truck, not even a little bit phased by the new experience of being in a new location with hundreds of other barking dogs in sight. It wasn't until we started hooking up, that they couldn't hold they're excitement anymore. We left Chatanika Lodge around 12:40 pm on Friday and immediately started hill climbing. The first hill took all of us (especially me) by surprise, it was a big hill that we all worked hard to climb. Once we finally got to the top, we had a nice view of some teams climbing the second hill, and we over took them soon after. We passed three teams in the first hour and a half, and all but one went smooth. The weather was beautiful with a little, light snow. Unfortunately, the trail in the hills was soft and punchy (in certain sections) which meant we could not go as fast as we would've liked. There was a nasty down hill section with a bunch of "s" turns that had the inside corners washed out with 3ft drops. The dogs handled it well with the exception of Flash. Flash ended up, hitting all 3 washed out sections, and I definitely thought she'd have a wrist/shoulder injury after that. I stopped as soon as I could and checked Flash out. Not only was she completely fine, she was smiling, screaming, waging her tail and harness banging. After the hills, we dropped down into the valley and shortly after ran into my only negative situation of the race. We then hit a section of trail that had brush hanging over on all sides. When I was maneuvering around a tree stump, I ended up getting a stick lodged between my sled and brake bar that ended up snapping off the right side mount of the brake bar. The stick basically ended up acting as a pry bar, and before I could do anything my brake broke. At the point of the incident, I had about 2 hrs to go to the lodge, so I had to come up with some kind of fix. I ended up lashing the brake back to where it was originally mounted with some Paracord, and my fix held up for most of the leg.
    When I ended up getting to the checkpoint (about 630 pm), I decided that my brake could not be repaired and ended up having to replace my sled, which gave me an hour time penalty. The time penalty did not matter to much to me because the whole goal of the race was to get the youngsters some valuable race experience, and our finish time did not really matter. At the checkpoint, everyone looked great, and I didn't see any injurys. Everyone ate their food and got some rest; how much rest I'm not exactly sure but Liz watched the team while I rested and said she was surprised at how well they did! I ended up not getting any rest myself because I was too excited about how everyone was doing. The game plan for the team was equal run equal rest; it took me 5.5 hours to run to the lodge, so we then rested 5.5 hours there and left the lodge at midnight. It started as a nice peaceful run, but I knew I really had to pay attention because now we were in Two Rivers and getting lost would be fairly easy. After about an hour of running, I ended up having a head on pass with another racer. That was not supposed to happen. At first I thought it might not be a racer and just someone out on the trails but after another 10 minutes, I saw another headlamp and dogs coming down the trail ahead of me. We ended up stopping about 20ft from each other, and we met in the middle to talk. He was a fellow racer who was lost and said there was something funny with the trail markers ahead. After about 5 minutes of talking another racer ended up coming down trail in the wrong direction and we ended talking and got everyone headed down the right trail. After that, it was smooth sailing, the team was fast on the local flat, fast trails, and we cruised into the finish around 530am. Everyone again looked great and I was actually on my brake the last 10 miles because our guys were cruising. Our team did amazing and they had such a fun time!!! I'm so proud of these guys and can't wait to see how they do in the race pool next year!!!

Niagra and Ham (lead)
Niagra  and Ham ran lead the entire race and unfortunately they did have some hiccups. As I said earlier, our second pass didn't go smooth and that's because Niagra and Ham didn't want to pass for whatever reason that is. The fellow musher ended up having to help assist us pass. Also we ran into some unexpected overflow when we dropped into the valley. Again Niagra and Ham didn't feel comfortable crossing and we ended up getting in a little bit of a tangle. I can't be too upset there because I myself would feel a little uncomfortable leading a team across unknown water depths. After this little hiccup, Niagra and Ham were flawless and proved they were the veterans of the team.

Cooke (swing)
Cooke is the all star of the youngsters and ran in swing the entire race. He usually runs lead on our training runs and listens/responds very well to commands. After my overflow incident I mentioned above, I considered putting Cooke up in lead but after I broke my brake, I decided to leave Cooke in swing just for the sake of keeping things the same. Cooke looped most of the race and ate all his snacks as fast as he could. He performed just as I imagined, flawlessly. I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but Cooke is definitely my favorite!!!

Nile (swing)
Nile ran in swing the entire time with Cooke as well. Nile also occasionally runs lead and has a great drive. He, just like most the other yearlings, performs amazing day in and day out. In the race, he was great, he did nothing to make him stand out (which is a good thing). He ate and did everything with a huge smile on his face!

Amelia (team)
Elmer (team)
Vanessa (team)
Badger (team)
So these four guys and girls all ran in team. These guys did most the hard work and didn't miss a beat. The tugs were tight the entire race and the all ate very well (minus Elmer with our first snack). These guys were our power, and they were dogs that really didn’t need much supervision. They were all dogs that didn't do anything spectacular or new, but dogs that put their heads down, pulled, and didn't get in any trouble. I was extremely happy with all four of these guys.

CJ
CJ was the only dog in team that was not a yearling. I haven't ran CJ much this year, so I can't say too much but she performed great. She was another one of those dogs that I did not notice much, which is a good thing. CJ ran the first 50 miles by herself and then the last 50 miles with Badger.

Louie (wheel)
Louie is another one of the all stars of the team. He has a lot of miles in lead already and responds to commands fairly quickly.  I put Louie in wheel for the race to help with hills and to let him relax for these runs. Louie did exactly what I asked of him and used his power to help up the bigger hills. As expected and like the other dogs, Louie did phenomenal and performed like a veteran.

Flash (wheel)
Flash is one of my favorite yearlings but before this race, I definitely considered her the weakest link. She is real ditzy and clumsy but is always excited and vocal. This race she proved how unbelievably tough she is!! As I mentioned before, there was a downhill section where she got tossed around. I was 100% expecting some kind of injury to her, but to my amazement she was ready to go with a smile on her face! She ate well on the race which can be a little bit of an issue for her at the kennel. She also surprised me at the end of the race, the last 10 miles of the race we ended up passing 3 other teams. Each time we caught a team, Flash would get real excited and start barking which got everyone else jacked up!!! It acted as a morale booster and it was a pleasant surprise to see Flash help out the team that way!

 

Yukon Quest Drop Bags- Check!

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Yesterday I dropped off the Yukon Quest drop bags at Summit Logistics with the Quest logistics team. This is always a huge relief. We had almost 35 separate 40-lb bags labelled by checkpoint. Transporting those supplies is a massive undertaking, so a BIG thank you to all the Yukon Quest volunteers who make sure that all the bags arrive safely (and frozen) to their respective locations and are ready upon our arrival during the race.

What's in all the drop bags?

Meat, meat and more meat- Liz cut up and bagged almost 100 snacks of various meats such as beef, liver, BLT (beef, liver and tripe), and fish. This is one of the not-so-enjoyable jobs of handling, so thank you Liz!

Dog kibble- We prepackaged meal sized portions of kibble to be sent out to each checkpoint. There is always extra in case an unplanned layover is necessary.

Supplies- dog booties, human gloves, dog blankets, batteries, runner plastics (different colors for different temperatures, just like ski wax).

Human food- I did a short video about the kinds of human food I send out on the trail. Enjoy!

Vet bags- Included in the vet bags are supplements, wrist wraps, massage oils, foot ointment, handwarmers and other supplies used in caring for the dogs.

 

Liz cutting meat.

Delicious snacks made by Amanda Gecas

Bags all loaded!

Unloading.

9th Place!

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Tyler with his leaders Niagra and Ham

Tyler and team finished at 5:48 this morning at Pleasant Valley Store with a team full of happy, charging youngsters! A big congrats to Tyler on finishing his first race, as well as all the yearlings- it was their first race also! Once Tyler has a chance to catch up on sleep, I'll get more info on each dog's performance. Until then, enjoy this short video from the halfway point at Two Rivers Checkpoint.

Tyler and Team are on the Trail!

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Tyler and team are on the trail! They left this afternoon around 1:00 and are on their way to Two Rivers Lodge, approximately 45-50 miles down the trail. Leading the charge are Ham and Niagra followed by Nile and Cooke, Badger and Amelia, Vanessa and Elmer, CJ running by herself, and King Louie and Flash in wheel. We're expecting Tyler to arrive at Two Rivers Lodge in about 5-6:30 hours. Reports from the trail is that the going is slow, so we'll just be patiently waiting at the Lodge!

The Racing Continues!

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The racing season continues with the Two Rivers 100 starting tomorrow at noon! This is a local race put on by the Two Rivers Dog Mushers Association. It begins at Chatanika Lodge, runs 50 miles to Two Rivers Lodge, then loops around another 50 miles to Pleasant Valley Store. The first 50 miles is full of steep climbs and plummeting drops while the second 50 miles is relatively flat and through the lowlands of the Chena River Valley. 

Tyler will be running in the Two Rivers 100 with a rambunctious team of youngsters! Joining Tyler on the race will be: Ham and Niagra in lead, CJ, and then the eight yearlings- Cooke, Flash, Amelia, Badger, King Louie, Nile, Elmer, and Vanessa. This will be Tyler's first race, as well as all the yearlings!

Tyler drew bib #28 at the start banquet this evening, which means he'll start as #8 for the 100 mile competitors. The Two Rivers Dog Mushers Association also organizes a 200 mile race that runs at the same time as the 100 mile race. The first 100 miles are the same, and the 200-mile races continue on to Angel Creek Lodge, then back to Pleasant Valley Store. For most of the readers who have zero idea of where these locations are, the main point is that each checkpoint is a nice warm lodge with tasty food! Priorities :)

Liz will be handling for Tyler on the race tomorrow. We anticipate he'll be finishing sometime around 5:00 AM the morning of January 20th. I'll be finishing up Yukon Quest drop bags and going on an aurora mushing tour tomorrow night. There aren't GPS trackers on this race, so the best way to follow along is on the Two Rivers Dog Mushers Facebook page. We'll do our best to update the blog and Ryno Facebook page as well!

Liz's Race Summary

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Niagra, Ham, and Liz at the finish.

I have to say, the Copper Basin was a pretty crazy, intense, and
incredible experience. I don't think I've ever been so tired in my
life when we crossed the finish line after our final 11 hour
run from Mendeltna. The dogs were absolutely incredible throughout the
race, and the
best part of the entire experience was watching my team power through
the tough conditions. Big thanks to Ryno Kennel for letting me run
this race and get the true mushing experience! And also thanks to my
family for coming up and supporting me. It was great to see them
cheering all along the trail.

I'd definitely classify racing as type II fun, where you're not always
enjoying the struggles in the moment, but looking back it was the best
thing ever and you have tons of stories. One of my biggest struggles
was the really long runs in the dark. I had two night runs that were
ten hours or more, and I found it really hard to stay positive eight
hours in when all I wanted was to sleep. When I would get down, the
thing that really kept me going was thinking about how the dogs were
absolutely crushing it. A really great part of this race though was
the volunteers that helped out at the checkpoints. They always greeted
me so enthusiastically at checkpoints, and all of them were so
positive and excited about the race that it was impossible not to feel
the same. And there is nothing like the feeling that comes with
crossing the finish line with a team of really happy dogs. In the end,
I'm definitely not hooked on racing like everyone thought I might be,
but I'm extremely grateful I had the opportunity to experience all of
the highs and lows that come with a three hundred mile dog race. But
enough about me, I know you really just want to know how the dogs did.

Niagra was an extremely solid leader and led the entire race. Her
confidence up front definitely inspired me, especially going over the
hump when trail markers were not always obvious. She took her rest
very seriously as well, never getting off the straw until the last
moment, but then she was ready to go.

Ham ran in lead with Niagra, and it was great to see the siblings
working hard together. He was great when leaving the checkpoints,
always fully rejuvenated and ready to get on the run. He also set a
great pace when the going was good, which was a refreshing change from
the slow going throughout most of the race.

Ruby, who we borrowed from Matt Hall, ran in swing the whole race,
first with Belle and then with Fish. She was a great addition to the
team, always keeping her tug tight and staying focused on the task at
hand.

Belle was a solid part of the team. She ran in swing with Ruby until
Meier's Lake, where they had a little altercation and had to be
separated. She was always pulling, and even on the long, straight
runs, she would never lose focus or get discouraged by the slow snow
conditions.

Fish pulled her little heart out. She started the race running with
Yuker, but was moved into swing with Ruby after Yuker was dropped at
Meier's Lake. She was really focused during our runs, and any time we
stopped, she was very vocal about her disappointment. Her excitement
was definitely contagious for the other dogs.

Yuker was an absolute powerhouse during the race, always pulling
really hard and having a blast. His energy was crucial for the long
run up and over the hump. Unfortunately, he had a sore wrist as we
came into Meier's Lake, and I had to leave him behind. His boundless
energy persisted though, and Tom said he was still crazy as he took
care of him for the rest of the race.

Gringa may be small in size, but she's not at all in spirit and
energy. I don't think I ever saw her tug line slack, and she was
always ready to jump off the straw when it was time to go. She's also
turned into a champion camper though, and took every advantage of our
rest times. This was a bit of a surprise given our previous camping
experiences with her, but she deserved every second of rest she got
with all the hard work she put in.

Blitz really stepped up on this race; he was a rockstar. He never once
seemed to get tired, and was always ready to go at checkpoints,
usually before I was. He seemed to enjoy the slower conditions, and
once he settled in for the run, there was no stopping him.

Drake did a great job in wheel. He was always powering up the hills,
and was always in a great mood when we arrived at checkpoints. He was
very loving whenever I was doing booties or rubbing him down, licking
my face and making sure I knew he was there (as if I couldn't see
him!).

Coot was a great wheel dog as well, and he worked hard the entire
race. He was one of the best eaters on the team, always finishing his
meal with gusto. This, plus his energy and ability to maneuver during
tight turns, made him a great addition to the team.

This was a fantastic team. Everyone worked so hard in the tough
conditions and came through with high spirits. My mom commented on the
fact even after we'd crossed the finish line, they were all still
stoked and ready to go. I couldn't have asked for a better group of
dogs to work with on my first big race.

4th Place!

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We arrived last night in 4th Place! Liz is currently still on the trail and about 20 miles out, so we’re very excited to see her and the dogs and congratulate her on her very first race!

Before I talk more about the dogs, I have a few thank you’s. Thank you Derek for handling for me and raking up my messes. Thanks for sharing in my joy when I’d arrive into a checkpoint in a good mood and listening to me whine when I’d arrive in a checkpoint in a not so great mood. Thank you Tom for handling for Liz, driving the truck, and always being a positive, smiling person. You have Dad’s ability to meet new people everywhere you go and become instant friends. I think you now know far more people in the mushing world and Glennallen area than I do. Thank you Mom! Updating the website, especially from Durango, can be a real challenge. Thanks for being awake at all times of the day and night to keep everyone informed. And to the Schell family (Liz’s family), thanks so much for all the great photos and big smiles. I’m so glad you were able to travel up here and be a part of this race with us! Finally, I would say thank you to the dogs and write a long paragraph about how wonderful they are, but they can’t read (at least they play dumb), so instead I’ll say thanks with food, walks, and pampering.

Whew! This race was a doozy. Due to various conditions, the trail was almost always slow. But wow, the dogs did incredible. Whether it was the warm temperatures, fresh snow, or drifts, the trail was a slog, but the dogs powered right on through in good spirits and positive energy. I wish I had a fraction of their athletic ability. Last night I had to have Derek make me a special cramping concoction as my hamstrings cramped up from all the standing and peddling. Meanwhile, Uno and Wingman who had just run 300 miles, were prancing, barking, and being their in-your-face (borderline obnoxious) selves. You honestly couldn’t even tell they’d just finished a 300 miles.

Cartel ran the entire race in lead with Goblin. She was a rockstar, per usual, and is a great co-leader. She seems to effortlessly float over the snow and helped up keep moving down the trail even when we were swimming in snow drifts or soft patches.

Goblin ran the entire race in lead with Cartel and dominated. He loves the ladies (and Boone and Wombat were in heat), so I did have to keep an eye on him at stops, otherwise he wanted to turn around for a visit. But when we were moving, Goblin was an unstoppable force. Such a powerhouse!

Lefty ran the entire race in swing with Wingman. I still have yet to see him tired. Sometimes before we left a checkpoint, I’d walk each dog around to stretch their legs and use the bathroom before we hit the trial. Lefty would jump up off the straw and practically drag me off my feet.  

I’m very impressed with Wingman. He ran in swing the entire race with Lefty and was always super focused. Sometimes the young dogs can struggle on the last run because they’re a bit tired and the trail is a straight, never-ending seismic line. Not Wingman. Go, go, go. Plus he has a beautiful trot, and he’s a monster eater. I’m pumped about his future.

There’s a reason why Perm has been the mother of our last two litters, and she proved once again why she’s such a great dog. NONSTOP energy. Bark bark bark. Every time we stopped, even if it was 8 hours into our last run, she’d be barking and rolling in the snow. She’s such an energizer bunny and has one of the smoothest trots around. During the last run, I paired her with Uno for a bit, and it was fun watching the mother/daughter pair dominate.  

I dropped Jana at the first checkpoint of Chistochina. She was still the tiniest bit tight in her shoulders, and running through soft, punchy snow for the next 250 miles just seemed like a bad rehabilitation technique. Jana didn’t seem to mind being left behind though. She’s one of the dogs that loves running and will want to keep going forever, but also finds much enjoyment in a nice bed of straw or a couch, so a truck ride sounded just fine.

Wombat ran in team with Boone. She found a nice, smooth trot and maintained a super tight tug the whole time. She was the tiniest bit sore in Mendeltna after our 10 hour run, so I decided to leave her behind. Like the other two-year-olds in the team, I’m really excited about Wombat’s future. Every time we left a checkpoint, Wombat was barking and lunging.

Boone oh Boone. She’s such a hard driving dog and performed incredibly, but for whatever reason, she just doesn’t like to eat. She finished the race skinnier than I’d like, but her attitude was as high was a kite. Every time we left a checkpoint, Boone would start barking and jumping up and down, and I’d have to be careful walking by her or else she’d snag my parka in all her excitement!

Drummer was solid. She’s getting a bit older (she’s six, which isn’t really that old), but I can tell she prefers not to run as fast as in her youth. This worked out well since we weren’t moving very fast in the first place! She ate everything and always did her best.

Katy did wonderfully. I ran her in team and never in lead because she had the minor wrist at one point from the punchy snow. She always had a great attitude, ate well, and seemed to effortlessly glide over the snow. She loves to give kisses while you take off her booties, and for whatever reason, I really looked forward to our little interaction at the end of the each run.

Uno gets the Most Surprising Dog award. My expectations for Uno were truthfully pretty low because of how distracted she would get during our training runs at home. She was a last minute addition, mostly because I wanted to see what she could do. At home, Uno is always outside her house, running around, moving and barking, so I was curious if that high energy would translate to a tireless racer. And it did! Wow. Her endurance really impressed me. Even when we arrived in Mendeltna after a grueling 10:30 run, all the other dogs bedded down but not Uno. She was digging a hole, flinging snow everywhere, rubbing her face in the straw, pawing her partner Supai, scratching her back on the snow, and being ridiculous. She pulled hard and had a great attitude. Looks like Uno just needed a change of scenery and had gotten bored with our home trails.

Supai did fantastic. Supai and Perm were the cheerleaders of the team. He ate everything in sight and was a great mentor for Uno, who he ran with the entire time. Supai did ride in the sled bag on the final run because he was starting to develop a shoulder soreness. It was nothing major, but I just wanted to err on the side of caution.

Well, Liz just reached the roadside and is 1.5-2 hours out. We’re headed to the finish to cheer her on! We’ll have more updates later! Thanks to everyone for following the race! Woot woot! 4th Place!!

Off to Mendeltna Creek Lodge

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Both of our racers are out of Sourdough and headed to the last checkpoint at Mendeltna Creek Lodge. Ryne left at 7:36 PM last night and Liz headed out at 1:03 AM this morning. Our handlers have mentioned numerous times that the snow keeps coming down; what normally takes them 30 minutes to drive to next check point, took over 2 hours. Wow! We have an amazing team of mushers, canine athletes, and handlers. Also, a BIG thank you to all those amazing volunteers out there -- without them this race would not happen. Everyone -- please be safe.

Please enjoy the pictures taken yesterday.

Ryne signing in at Sourdough. (picture by Barbara Cellarius)

Word from the Copper Basin Trail

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Ryne's team arrived at Meier's Lake at 3:48AM this morning  where they will be completing the mandatory 6 hour layover plus start differential. That should put the team out about 11:04AM.

As soon as the team pulled in Ryne started to work feeding and massaging each dog, and then, they all snuggled in for their rest. Took Ryne about two hours to settle all the team, at which time she was able to settle down with them to catch a little sleep. The handlers expect to see Ryne up about 9:00 to start waking and feeding the dogs for their next run.

The run over from Chistochina is one of the more challenging legs of the race. The teams had quite a bit of climbing with cresting a big peak, “The Hump”, at an elevation of 4,085 feet. There is also a large peak right after the checkpoint, so dogs and mushers will need a good rest here.

Liz arrived with her team at 6:59 AM this morning with a happy team. She has started feeding and massaging her team, and we anticipate she will take her mandatory 6 hour layover plus start differential at Meier's Lake, too. 

News from the handlers is the weather has turned, and just south is a winter storm advisory. At Meier's lake it is snowing hard. Everyone is moving a bit slower due to the change in weather. We will have to wait and see how it affects the teams as they leave this checkpoint.

Following are some more pictures from yesterday.