Lists, documentation, vaccines, packing, and travel routes are not terms the average U.P. 200 spectator associates with dogsled racing, but mushers must consider all these things before they think about stepping on the sled runners at the start line.
Before leaving the kennel, mushers must pack for the race. “I love lists,” says Sands Township, Mich. Resident, Darlene Walch, who has been mushing for 15 years and will run her fourth Midnight Run this year. Most dogsled races, like the U.P. 200, require mushers to gather mandatory equipment for the race such as head lamps, compass, and first aid kit. For the Midnight Run, Walch prints out the mandatory gear list and separates those items from the rest of her gear. “I have it all in a duffle bag,” Walch says. Keeping that gear separated allows her to have her mandatory gear quickly checked by the bag checker and then pack it in her sled bag before the race.
Whitney Warren, a 2009 Midnight Run competitor, from Linwood, Mich. takes a different approach to packing. “When I pull [my sled] out of the truck, it is ready to race,” Warren says. All food and equipment is packed on the sled before leaving the kennel. For Warren, this extra preparation allows her to relax more at the start of the race. “You never feel completely ready, no matter what. The more prepared you are, the less you have to deal with pre-race jitters,” she says.
For mushers competing in the U.P. 200 and longer races, the preparation process is more intense. Chicago native, Pat Moon, who plans to run the Iditarod in March as well as the U.P. 200, has had to prepare his Iditarod drop bags over a month ahead of the race date. “It’s a logistical nightmare,” Moon says. “I sent out 36 bags of materials to 17 checkpoints.” This forces the mushers to plan and anticipate what they may need at each checkpoint along the 1,049-mile Iditarod trail.
Preparing for a race and packing the right gear gets easier over time. “You modify every year,” says Bob Johnson, a seven-time U.P. 200 participant. Mushers may see a fellow musher use a piece of equipment or race technique and adopt that for their next race Johnson explains. That’s what prompted Walch to remove the bulky required snowshoes from her sled bag and tie them to the plastic basket on the bottom of her sled-, making her packing more efficient.
Similarly, Moon identifies driving techniques that may work with his running style. “I look for people with a similar body style,” Moon says. The way a bigger musher handles the sled may not be right for Moon. “Not everything works for everybody,” he says. It is a discriminative process of observing others and a willingness to experiment in an attempt to improve your race.
In addition to preparing the sled and equipment, mushers must transport their team of dogs. Transportation methods vary, but the majority of mushers use a modified truck or trailer. Whitney Warren transports her dogs with a 20-foot long snowmobile trailer. Inside the trailer, the sides are lined with stacked wire kennel cages. Between the cages there is room for sleds and equipment, which when transported within a closed trailer, prevents damage from road salt and wind, Warren says.
Walch refers to her dog truck as a “homegrown creature.” The set-up resembles a truck bed camper and can hold up to 12 dogs. On both sides of the truck bed, are six wooden crates. The crates, approximately 18 inches wide by 24 inches deep, have front and rear ventilation holes and a layer of straw for warmth. “[The crates] are big enough for [the dogs] to get up and spin around, but small enough so they don’t lose body heat,” Walch explains. She prefers her wooden crates to metal which becomes much colder for the dogs than wood.
The tops of the dog crates are fitted to the width of the sled runners. “I’ll typically carry a spare,” Walch says who can fit one sled on each side of the truck bed. Walch also has metal extensions for the truck’s bumpers that allow her to attach a drop line and hook the dogs along the sides of the truck when they are out of the crates. Warren’s trailer has a similar feature with eye hooks positioned along the sides for attaching dogs to leads.
Like people on a road trip, dogs need to get out and take a break as well. Johnson stops about every four hours to give his dogs water and snacks. Moon, who trains with his dogs in the Upper Peninsula, plans on making the 6,500-mile trip to the Iditarod in about four and half days this March. In order to minimize the driving time for the dogs, Moon’s team will drive continuously, cycling with three drivers. Along the way Moon will take his dogs on one training run to exercise them and break up the long trip. Warren also emphasizes the importance of getting the dogs moving on long trips. “It’s important to take [the dogs] on walks. They are meant to run,” she says.
For traveling mushers, the dogs are precious cargo that requires extraordinary care. “Some dogs get car sick, especially when they are young,” Walch says. She places such dogs low and up front in the truck crates, where they will be least susceptible to motion sickness. Walch also tries to get the dogs accustomed to travel before taking them on any long road trips. “I’ll take them around the block,” she says.
Mushers certainly learn quickly that planning for the race is as essential to running dogs as skill and experience on the trail. “The time and preparation you put in for a race like the U.P. 200 is time intensive and vital to the success and health of your dog team,” Warren says. “Every musher knows that by the time you get to the start line, you are more than half way to the finish."
