Miles to Go

Good morning Ryno Kennel fans!  Ryne has come and gone from Nulato, arriving at 11:30 PM last night and heading out at 7:03 AM this morning.  Judging from her times in and out of checkpoints and on the trail, it looks like she’s giving the dogs a lot of rest.  This could mean a couple things.  She could be either opting to give her young team a lot of rest, staying longer to make sure she travels with a group or both. 

Running a 1,000 mile race is not just about physical stamina, but mental as well.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, as much as we’d love to, we can’t just have a chat with the dogs and let them know how many more miles they’ve got left to the finish line.  This means that even though they may be physically capable of the task we put before them, mentally they may have a little more trouble.  So, extra rest, lots of food and good massages will go a long way towards helping to keep a strong head on our dogs.  This is also where all the miles of training we’ve put in with these guys will help as well.  Our training miles aren’t just about physical stamina, but also about creating the bond between musher and team that is imbued with love and trust. 

Ryne has just one more checkpoint along the Yukon River before she heads towards Unalakleet and the coast.  From there she’ll have a little over 200 miles before she and her team make it to the burled arch!

That’s all for now Ryno Kennel fans.  Tomorrow Tessa and I will be headed to Nome to prep for Ryne’s arrival, and Derek will follow soon after.  I’m unlikely to be able to do an entire blog post until tomorrow afternoon, or evening, but will try and keep you all posted as much as I can.  Keep sending those good vibes, and check back tomorrow for more news on Ryne and her happy huskies!