Joy Davis, Educational Journalist, IN
Karen Ramstead is from Alberta, Canada. For 3 months of the year she lives and trains in Alaska for the Iditarod. The 2010 Iditarod will be her ninth running. Karen started racing in 2000. She feels that she has changed a lot since that first race, although the race itself is basically the same. The talented 4 legged athletes bring fun and enthusiasm to their jobs daily. This helps to keep Karen motivated.
Karen said, “Our team has set many ‘firsts’ for Canada- we are the first CKC registered team of Siberian Huskies to compete in and complete the Iditarod. Many of our dogs are Canadian Kennel Club champions and group placers. North Wapiti Kennels has successfully completed the 1000+ mile Iditarod sled dog race in 2001, 204, 2006 and 2008 using only purebred Siberian Huskies. The North Wapiti team finished the 2001 race with more dogs than any other Iditarod 2001 team, being the only team to finish with 15 of the 16 dogs that started the race. During the 2008 race the team was able to better their personal best finish time by a few hours. Their finish time was the third fastest in Iditarod history for a purebred Siberian Husky team.”
Life at North Wapiti Kennels stays interesting as there are no ‘normal’ days. Karen’s schedule varies with her training. Her husband, Mark, also helps on his days off from his regular job. From October to April Karen has a live-in handler who also kennel sits while she is training in Alaska. At her kennel, puppies are born in the house. They live in the house with the mother until they are about 4 weeks old. Kara, her retired leader, and Bet, her border collie, also live in the house year round.
When Karen isn’t preparing for the race season, she is preparing for dog shows. Her huskies are shown in conformation shows during the summer. Karen has the distinction of having a DVD made about her “Pretty Sled Dogs.” This is also the title of the DVD. When she has a few spare moments Karen likes to read, take photos and write.
Please visit Karen’s website at: www.northwapiti.com
Safe trails, Karen.
