Copper Basin- 3rd Place!
/Woohoo! What an amazing weekend! The dogs exceeded all my expectations and posted flying times to earn third place in the Copper Basin 300 Sled Dog Race. I’m just so proud of them and amazed by their upbeat, go get ‘em attitude. The team was focused, driven, and tireless.
At 2:12 yesterday afternoon, we crossed the finish line led by Cartel and Fire. The finishing team consisted of Cartel, Fire, Ham, Katy, Fez, Supai, Rucu, Niagra, Pirate, and Charley. Derby and Kindi were dropped in Mendeltna with very minor sorenesses as a precaution to prevent bagging a dog on the final run into the finish. Unfortunately, Charley (70+ lbs) developed a slight shoulder soreness, so he did occasionally get rides on the final 60 mile leg. Today, all the dogs look amazingly spry and relaxed, ready to tackle another race!
At 4:24 AM, Riley finished in 18th place. The Copper Basin was Riley’s first 300 mile race, and he had an impressive run! He brought 11 happy, healthy dogs to the finish line, led by his dogs, Brodie and Neptune with occasional appearances by Perm. According to Riley, “Perm is the toughest headed, hardest driving, one-year-old I’ve ever driven. And Sally was the spunkiest dog on the team and likes to go fast but didn’t like the deep, soft slow sections.”
More posts about dog performances and trail stories soon to come. A huge thank you to all the race volunteers and officials for putting on the “Toughest 300 miles in Alaska!” Also, a BIG thank you to Derek and Tessa for being two of the best handlers on the race (there should be a prize for that). Handlers get little sleep, stand in the cold, clean up after mushers, and get zero recognition for all their hard work and dedication to the dog team. THANK YOU!
