by Gordon Beedle - I am a senior in English Writing and a minor in journalism. I have worked for the school newspaper for the past three semesters and have been an editor for the past two. Currently I am the Associate Sports Editor.
The snowy 240 mile trail of the U.P. 200 has many twists and turns, both physically and emotionally, resulting in wear and tear on the musher which they remember for years to come after the race is over.
Athletes in all sports seem to always remember their first new experience. A first goal, a first game, or a first race may seem to be momentous achievements for the rookie, and the first time a musher tries to tackle the long and winding U.P. 200 is no exception.
“The Iditarod and the U.P. 200 - they don’t get any bigger than that,” said two time U.P. 200 racer Chris Warren.
The first time Warren ran the race he didn’t finish because his dogs had gotten sick. He said at the time he was ignorant of how demanding a race it is but since then, he has completed the race and used the rookie experience to help him further his mushing.
“It is the largest race I have run. I didn’t know enough at the time to be intimidated by a larger race but now I realize it can be intimidating,” he said.
The U.P. 200 is considered to be one of the premier races in the lower 48 states because of its length which in turn makes it intimidating but attractive nonetheless.
“It attracts the attention of the media and the public and it’s got a decent purse too,” said rookie Matt Carstens. “You get some good competition here and if you perform well here it really looks good on your resume.”
Of the 27 mushers in this year’s race, six of them are rookies. These first timers come for many different reasons but certainly all would like to learn on their maiden voyage.
“I just want to finish, with all the dogs happy and healthy and ready to go,” said rookie Mitch Ingerson.
Ingerson traveled to Marquette from New Hampshire with his partner and fellow rookie this year, Carstens. The two have been running a kennel for the past five years.
While it’s just Ingerson's desire to finish the race, Carstens is reaching for higher heights.
“My number one goal is to always finish the race,” Carstens said. “Number two is to win it.”
One of the main weaknesses a rookie musher has is not knowing the trail before the race. This often plays to where they finish.
“The first time you come to a race you’re at somewhat of a disadvantage,” Carstens said. “You have some guys who live here and train on these trail and that’s an advantage to them because they know what to expect.”
To rise above this Carstens said he goes around questioning mushers who have raced these trails before. He added most of the mushers are there to help rookies and no one gets to competitive.
“For this being the first time, I have no idea what really to expect other than what I’ve heard,” he said. “I try to ask people as many questions as possible to see what the race is going to be like.”
With this pure disadvantage weighing on the minds of all the rookies they often get a little nervous before a race, but that’s just another obstacle they have to conquer.
“When you’re distance mushing, there are just so many things that can happen to you out there on the trail,” Carstens said. “There always is just a little bit of nervous tension, but I do my best to try and relax.”
With their emotions and hopes high, the six rookies in this year’s U.P. 200 started the race on Friday.
As Sunday came along only Ingerson and Ben Stamm were unable to finish. Rod Whaley brought home the Red Lantern award at 17th place. Carstens would finish 6th while Normand Casavant finished just forty minutes early to retain 5th place.
For these six rookies, whether they finished the race or not, they will always have this experience and possibly many more from the U.P. 200.
“[Carstens and I] are both definitely coming back,” Ingerson said. “Every time we go west we learn more. There is a lot more racing out here and it’s a lot more competitive.”