Congratulations to Sue Morgan, our Cache Valley representative!!!
Wearing bib #72, Sue completed the Iditarod today in 72nd place in 14 days, 0 hours, 31 minutes, 30 seconds. Way to go! Look for news articles about her in local papers this week.
We have been closely following the race over the past week, reading more of the mushers' biographies, and have been really impressed by several of them. The youngest contestant this year was Melissa Owens, an 18-year-old high school senior from Nome, AK, who finished in 30th place. Jeff Deeter, a 19-year-old rookie, raised all the money and earned his sled dogs by himself. He placed 59th. Legally blind, Rachel Scedoris was racing with Joe Runyan as her visual interpreter (he ran with a dog sled team ahead of her and would call back to let her know of the conditions). Unfortunately, she ended up scratching close to the end for the well-being of some of her dogs (vets continually monitor the health of the dogs at the trail checkpoints). She met Joe at the finish line in Nome later where he placed 61st. We were also pleased to find a homeschooling mother and musher, Anne Capistrant, racing in her first Iditarod (her husband previously raced in 2004). The Capistrant family runs Hoof 'n' Woof Kennels.
Among the top 10, our current favorite is Martin Buser, a 4-time Iditarod champion (he holds the record for the fastest time) and long-time veteran. This year was his 25th year running the race. He finished in 5th place, going under the arch 44 seconds behind Ken Anderson. Martin's 18-year-old son, Rohn (named after one of the Iditarod checkpoints) also ran as a rookie this year and placed 37th. The Buser family owns Happy Trails Kennels, which is now on our list of places to visit in Alaska someday.
We noticed that before dog sled racing took over their lives, many of the mushers earned biology degrees. Perhaps, like us, they were disillusioned when they learned that biologists don't get to spend all their time out in the wilderness. Be forewarned...we may decide to move to Alaska next...
We have been closely following the race over the past week, reading more of the mushers' biographies, and have been really impressed by several of them. The youngest contestant this year was Melissa Owens, an 18-year-old high school senior from Nome, AK, who finished in 30th place. Jeff Deeter, a 19-year-old rookie, raised all the money and earned his sled dogs by himself. He placed 59th. Legally blind, Rachel Scedoris was racing with Joe Runyan as her visual interpreter (he ran with a dog sled team ahead of her and would call back to let her know of the conditions). Unfortunately, she ended up scratching close to the end for the well-being of some of her dogs (vets continually monitor the health of the dogs at the trail checkpoints). She met Joe at the finish line in Nome later where he placed 61st. We were also pleased to find a homeschooling mother and musher, Anne Capistrant, racing in her first Iditarod (her husband previously raced in 2004). The Capistrant family runs Hoof 'n' Woof Kennels.
Among the top 10, our current favorite is Martin Buser, a 4-time Iditarod champion (he holds the record for the fastest time) and long-time veteran. This year was his 25th year running the race. He finished in 5th place, going under the arch 44 seconds behind Ken Anderson. Martin's 18-year-old son, Rohn (named after one of the Iditarod checkpoints) also ran as a rookie this year and placed 37th. The Buser family owns Happy Trails Kennels, which is now on our list of places to visit in Alaska someday.
We noticed that before dog sled racing took over their lives, many of the mushers earned biology degrees. Perhaps, like us, they were disillusioned when they learned that biologists don't get to spend all their time out in the wilderness. Be forewarned...we may decide to move to Alaska next...
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