Tamara Rose of Fairbanks, Alaska, is inspired by the adventure of it all to run in the Iditarod.  She wants to experience the solitude and trust developed as a result of being in the wilderness with her dogs.  She wants to see the wide open spaces of land that still exist in Alaska.

Tamara earned her doctorate of veterinary medicine at the University of California-Davis.  She moved to Alaska in 2004.  Her mushing lifestyle started in 2005.  She has been mentored by Aliy Zirkle, Allen Moore, and Judy Currier.  Her kennel currently consists of 21 dogs.

Her ‘day job’ is her veterinary practice.  She is also a co-owner of a local bakery.   This busy lady trains her dogs herself.  Currently, she is training two teams of 12 in addition to her job.  I wonder when she sleeps.  Maybe this is part of the training for sleep deprivation.

Tamara and her team have raced in several races in the last two years.  She has run in a variety of weather conditions.  She has learned what she needs to do to prepare for a race.  The Yukon Quest 300 in 2009 brought out Tamara’s competitive side.  She placed 4th in the field.  Experience has been a good teacher.

Organization and preparation are two of Tamara’s qualities.  In addition to the mandatory items required for the Iditarod, she plans to carry extra dog food and dog coats in the event that they have to wait out a storm.  Well, she may need more extra dog coats as one of her team, Hailey, loves to shred her dog coats when she has to wear them while they are camped.

In the summertime, some of her dogs stay in condition by working at tour operations near Girdwood.  She said, “The dogs get to run around rather than being bored and hot in the Fairbanks sun.”  Tamara enjoys trail running and cycling during the off-season.  This past summer Tamara ran in the Equinox Marathon in Fairbanks.  She said, “It was my first marathon, and I did it for the dogs.  I’m asking them to run a really long ways, so I’ll run a tiny 26 miles for them.”

Tamara knows that preparing for the Iditarod will require lots of hard work, discipline, and loss of sleep.  Her goals for the Iditarod are to finish, finish in mid-pack, and have the dogs and herself healthy.  This will be a new experience for her and her young team.  She has a team that she loves and is confident in their athletic skills.

Keep the focus Tamara.  We will be watching for you to cross under the burled arch in Nome.
Please visit Tamara’s blog at: www.trosedogs.blogspot.com

Photos courtesy of Tamara Rose

When one thinks of Jamaica, palms trees and crystal clear waters probably come to mind.   The last thing one would envision is a big grinned native being pulled by a dog sled team.  Well, get ready to shatter your previously held beliefs about Jamaica because Newton Marshall has arrived on the scene.

In 2009, Newton became the first Jamaican to finish the Yukon Quest.   Now he has his sights on the Iditarod, and he isn’t without tons of support.  Jimmy Buffet of Margaritaville’s fame, along with several other businesses, are backing this unlikely mushing team.  Oh yeah, did I mention that Lance Mackey is helping him train?

So, when I saw that Newton was going to be at the Adventure Travel Expo in New York City, I just had to go and meet the man for myself. At the end of an aisle full of Caribbean destinations, I found Newton and his support team chatting with curious patrons.  I waited my turn and introduced myself as a huge Iditarod fan and teacher.  He was surprised that I had come just to see him.  We talked about the Yukon Quest and how his training for the Iditarod is progressing.

Danny Melville, the founder of Jamaican Dog Sled team, was eager to talk to my husband while my sons headed straight for the Alaskan Huskies brought by mushers from upstate New York.  They also had a dry land training vehicle on display.  It was such a training sled that started the JDT in 2005 when Danny bought one in Canada and got the crazy idea to start dog sledding in Jamaica.

As the booth got busy, Newton remained happy to chat with everyone and pass out his picture.  I was impressed by his youth and energy.   It will be an exciting year for Iditarod fans to have a musher from a tropical climate to cheer on.  As I said my goodbyes, I wished him luck on his upcoming fundraising events and told him I hope to see him on Fourth Street in March.

To find out more about the Jamaican Dog Sled Team, visit their website at www.jamaicadogsled.com.  Or for those of you who are on Facebook, you can join the fan page, Jamaican Dog Sled Team , to keep up with Newton’s journey to the Iditarod starting line.  You can also follow JDT on Twitter.

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Enjoy the slide show highlighting Sally and her family’s visit with Newton.

by Valerie Orner, Educational Journalist, New York

Heading into the 2010 Iditarod, Rookie Musher Kim Darst is feeling many of the same feelings she had last year.  Kim was a rookie musher in the 2009 Iditarod and is still considered a rookie for the 2010 race.  Even though things didn’t work out exactly the way Kim had wanted last year, she’s not letting that get in the way of realizing her dream.  Kim is one determined individual.  Some people might be a bit gun shy to try it again, but not Kim.

Entering this year’s race Kim is still intent on finishing the race and to be the first person from New Jersey to do so.

Kim wants to make sure that she has a very happy and healthy team at the finish line and of course to have fun doing so.  Kim is preparing for this year’s race a bit differently than last years.  Instead of training in the Midwest, she will begin her training in New Jersey then head to Alaska when the snow flies.  Not only will the training benefit the dogs by being in Alaska, but Kim told me that she will have an easier time with the dropped bags and getting to the meetings.

Even though Kim does have some sponsors, she is using her determination to raise the $50,000 she anticipates it will cost her to train and enter this year’s Iditarod.  She has been holding fundraisers in which she sells hats and t-shirts.  If you would like to donate or sponsor Kim and her team, her website is called Husky Haven Race Team (huskyhavenraceteam.com).

Image:  Kim Darst on left and Valerie Orner standing in front of the Millenium Hotel, Anchorage. March 1, 2009.

Michelle Phillips is no rookie when it comes to racing sled dogs.  She has run the challenging Yukon Quest 4 times. In 2008 she finished in 4th place.    This demonstrates that racing sled dogs is a sport where men and women compete equally.  She has also been awarded the “Rookie of the Year” in both the Percy DeWolfe and the Copper Basin races.

Michelle resides in Tagish, Yukon Territory, Canada.  She and her partner, Ed Hopkins, own and operate Pristine Wilderness Tours.   You can visit their website at: www.yukonhuskies.com.   They have a son, Keegan.  The family has a 55 dog kennel of Alaskan huskies.  Michelle learned to race from Ed.  Ed is an accomplished racer himself.  He has been running dogs for 22 years.

In her spare time Michelle likes to read books on a variety of subjects.  One of her favorite topics is aromatherapy.

When asked why she likes to race Michelle stated, “I love spending time with the dogs and enjoying the countryside.”  Michelle said that she is ready to see new trails and seek new challenges.  She thinks that in the Iditarod that the coastline will present its own set of challenges.  She is also looking forward to the Dazell Gorge and the Happy Steps.

Michelle is planning to take “feelie hearts” with her on the Iditarod race.  Last year on the Quest she did a fundraiser for Hospice Yukon.  Michelle said, “Feelie hearts began with a grieving four year old girl whose mother had died.  She was given a small, stuffed fabric heart to carry with her, understanding the soft heart neatly tucked in her pocket was proof of her mother’s existence and love for her.  It gave her permission to remember and grieve her loss which was far too vast for words alone.  The Feelie Heart story has traveled to Hospices around the world, comforting dying people and those who love them.”

We will be looking for good things to come from this adventurous lady.  Good luck, Michelle!

When I think of Pat Moon two adjectives immediately come to mind-tenacity and invincible.  Let me explain.  Pat, a native of Chicago, Illinois, had had ulcerative colitis since the age of fifteen.  This disease makes the person feel like their body is trying to reject the lower intestine.  The disease can be controlled with a strict diet, low stress, and scheduled bathroom breaks.  Not exactly the description of the conditions for a ‘normal’ musher.  But Pat is not your ‘normal’ person.  In his downtime, he drove a dog across the border just to have the dog’s picture taken in Canada.  Pat loves adventure.  He has lived previously on a Kansas ranch for seven months to learn about raising cattle.  He has also canoed down the Amazon River.  Pat is the owner of Double Up Farms, a niche landscaping company serving the Chicago-land area.  Previously he worked as a firefighter for a suburb of Chicago.

In 2006, Pat was a rider in the Idita-rider program.  In this program the Idita-rider starts the ceremonial part of the race with a musher.  When he returned home from this event he announced to his wife that he would soon run in the Iditarod.  Four years later his dream is going to come true.

In the fall of 2008, Pat began a five month journey to learn all there is to know about sled dog racing.  Before this training began he had never been on the runners of a sled.  Pat began an intensive training program with Tasha and Ed Stielstra of McMillian, Michigan.  This is an eight hour drive from Pat’s Chicagoland home.  Ed is an Iditarod veteran who has competed in the race five times.  Tasha is also an accomplished racer.  She has won the UP 200 and has finished third in the LeOdesse Grande dog sled race which is held in the French Alps.  Ed and Tasha own and operate Nature’s Kennels.  Their website is www.natureskennel.com.

During this training and life experience, Pat has discovered more about himself.  Pat said, “I have to change the way I look at not only what I am doing, but how I do it while still remembering why I am doing it.  Most importantly, I have to remember that I elected to do this.  This was my choice, and therefore, no matter what the situation, I need to smile and stay upbeat.  The dogs always are, so why shouldn’t I be?”

The UP 200 was Pat’s first qualifying race for the Iditarod.   Pat met his goal of successfully completing this race.  He received the prestigious “Red Lantern Award.”

In February 2009 Pat was diagnosed with non-hodgkins lymphoma.  He has been receiving treatment.  This condition does not slow Pat down.  He is determined to meet his goal- to finish “The Last Great Race on Earth.”

Pat’s lead dog, Dash, was to run in the Iditarod 2009 with Ed Stielstra.  However, in the pre-race vet check, Dash’s bloodwork was a little ‘off.’  Although not life-threatening, Dash’s status as a race dog was then put into question.  At that time Pat said, “I am now on the verge of a breakdown knowing that Dash may not be my leader when I pass under the Burled Arch.” Sadly, in August Dash traveled on to the Rainbow Bridge.  However, when Pat finishes the Iditarod in 2010 he will be carrying with him Dash’s collar.  They will cross the finish line together as originally planned.  Dash is still with the team in spirit.  He is buried in the middle of the kennel where he can watch over his teammates.

Pat’s other qualifying race was the Taiga 300 in Paxton, Alaska.  Here he finished a respectable twelfth place.  Pat said that, “both races taught me to trust my dogs, being cold is normal, make sure to pack what you need, and drink water all the time.  The Taiga was in Alaska in the winter, so I really was able to get a great feel for the elements.  It was cold!”

After completing these qualifying races Pat came to this conclusion, “I have been cutting lawns on my own, and the similarities to holding onto a dog sled are surprising to me.  Both activities have their own sound.  When I am doing either, it is all I hear.  I fall somewhat into a trance of focus, really only seeing what I am actively participating in.  My mind also has hours to wander and to think.”

Part of Pat’s team spent the summer in Skagway.  Here they were able to maintain their physical conditioning while they pulled carts for cruise ship guests.  They are now back home and resting before training restarts.  To prepare for the 2010 Iditarod Pat is jogging- a lot.   He is also trying out a variety of food types that can be vacuum sealed and frozen.  An effect of the race is lack of sleep.  So Pat is modifying his sleep pattern.  Maybe I should loan him my malamute on a stormy night!

Preparing for and running the race is an expensive adventure.  At this time Pat is looking for additional sponsors.  He also offers a pooch pal adoption that helps with the costs of food and vet bills.  In this program each dog can be sponsored.  The sponsor receives an autographed picture of Pat with the selected dog, an official Team Moon shirt, a certificate of thanks and email updates regarding training.  For more information, please check out Pat’s website at www.pdmoon.com.

Pat’s goal is to finish the Iditarod with healthy dogs.  We are hopeful that Pat finishes the race healthy as well.  He wants to be an example to show that anything is possible regardless of whether you have an illness or affliction.  I believe that with Pat’s positive attitude that he can accomplish whatever he sets his mind to.  He is a fine role model for me to hold up to my students.

We had a presentation at the American Legion in Columbia, New Jersey where OUR 2010 Target 2010 Teacher on the Trail, Herb Brambley was present as a SURPRISE to Kim!!  What a wonderful evening we all had bringing TEAM 52 Together again! Together Everyone Achieves More!!  We have had a blast supporting Kim, traveling with her and handling for her at the Start & Re-Start!  The FUN will continue as we plan on and HOPE to return for the 2010 Iditarod, XXXVIII.

Take Care and I’ll be in touch soon.

Jean Pollock

New Jersey is a long, long way from Alaska, but that isn’t stopping Kim Darst from competing in the Iditarod Dog Sled Race, which is over 1000 miles long and goes from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Kim isn’t much over five feet tall, but she is one determined ball of fire.  Kim has been preparing for this year’s race for two years.  As a matter of fact, she qualified for this year’s race by competing in the Can/Am 250 in Fort Kent, Maine, and the Seney 300 in McMillan, Michigan.

You might wonder how long it takes to drive from New Jersey to Anchorage, Alaska. You can look on Google Earth to find out, or just ask Kim.  It took her 8 days.  She had to stop and take the dogs out of the truck every 3 or 4 hours. That sounds like a lot of back breaking work to me. Each dog weighs between forty and fifty pounds and she was stopping every 3 or 4 hours for 8 days. You do the math. How much weight did they lift if they had 22 dogs in the truck?  It’s a good thing she had her trusty assistant Pita Jean along. Pita Jean is another dynamo, with a keen sense of humor. You have to be about half crazy to be a handler she said.  She got her lip stepped on putting a dog back in the truck. Ouch!  I bet that felt good.

Kim is a helicopter pilot by trade.  She owns her own helicopter school, and in the off season teaches piloting skills. So, from April through September, she is buzzing around the friendly skies of New Jersey.  From October through March, Kim’s life is training her dogs.  In the past, Kim has been forced to do mostly dry land training around home, where she has a forty mile training run. This year though, she made a few connections and was able to train in Michigan and Minnesota, where they have snow quite a bit earlier than in New Jersey.

How did Kim train in New Jersey?  Well, it wasn’t easy.  She hooked her dogs to quads.  Her 40 mile trail system crosses 19 roads, which can be very dangerous.  Fortunately, Kim sometimes had someone watching the crossing for her.  She trains her dogs 5-6 days per week as long as it’s below 40 degrees. Kim is using the tools that are available to her, even though they are not equal to what other mushers have. She’s not making excuses to give up. What a great role model for girls and boys everywhere!

Financially, Kim is on her own.  She doesn’t have any big sponsors like some of the other mushers. Although, she has had some people donate some money.  “Sponsors are hard to get,” she said.  She has requested sponsorship from dog food companies in close proximity to her home town but so far has only received disappointing form letters with the big, “NO.”  I asked Kim about going to schools and doing presentations.  She said she would welcome the opportunity. What a great learning opportunity this would be for students in the Middle Atlantic States where dog sledding is, for the most part, absent from view.

Kim’s goal this year is to get to Nome with a happy, healthy dog team. And, what about the future?  Kim said she is taking it one year at a time. But we’ve heard that from mushers before.  If I can tell anything about this New Jersey ball of fire from talking to her, it’s that she’s not a quiter.  I’d put my money on Kim being back at the starting line ready to go. Go Kim!!!

Kurt Reich- Rookie Musher

I would like to introduce you to Kurt Reich, age 47, from Divide, Colorado.  He was born in Wisconsin and was raised in Memphis, Tennessee.    I think that is one reason we were able to adopt him, Memphis is only about 6 hours from where we live in South Arkansas.  We can relate to the South!  Kurt moved his family from Memphis to Colorado in 1994 because of his “love for the mountains.” After 25 years as a computer engineer and executive, Kurt retired in 2004 to raise his two children, Robert, now 14 and Lauren, now 11.  His wife, Lisa, of 20 years is a Business Principal for FedEx.

Kurt enjoys attending church and teaches Sunday School.  He is an ex-skydiver, ex-GS ski racer and now skies.  He also coaches a youth soccer team and loves hunting and fishing.

Kurt has been mushing for six years and started with Siberians,but now uses Alaskan Huskies.  He is a professional breeder of Siberian Huskies and owner of Black Diamond Sled Dogs of Colorado.  He says the Great Serum Run inspired him to run the Iditarod.  Kurt is doing this for charities.  He is trying to raise $500,000 for five different charities.  He claims the school of hard knocks is where he has learned most of what he knows!  His favorite book as a child was Call of the Wild.

Kurt knows that an Iditarod team can encounter many obstacles and he says that he is running on faith.  In addition to the mandatory items, Kurt will be taking many prayers from many people.  He has trained very hard for this race, just ask his dogs!!  He ran qualifying races in the Cascade Quest 200 and the Seney 300, in these races he learned that dogs can climb mountains and they can go longer without sleep than humans can.  Kurt feels like the most challenging aspect of the race will be going without sleep.  So when I ask what will you do after the race, his immediate answer was Sleep!

If you happen to see a musher wearing an Arkansas Razorback jersey out on the Iditarod Trail, it will be Kurt Reich, representing his adopted family, Gardner Strong Elementary  in Strong ,Arkansas!!

Go Kurt!!  We are behind you all the way to Nome.

By: Paula Medlin

Ten Questions with Iditarod Rookie Musher Blake Matray

By: Nikki Allen

With one month until the start of the 2009 Iditarod rookie musher Blake Matray is gearing up for the race. The final stages of training are being implemented and his team is looking wonderful. With questions submitted by 7^th and 8^th graders from Tallahassee, Florida we asked Blake ten questions about his current training schedule and plan for the race.

1. What races have you run since our last interview?

The Sheep Mountain 150 in December. I was 40^th of 43 teams and received the Veterinary Care Award for taking good care of my dogs. We also raced in the Solstice 100 here in Two Rivers the weekend before Christmas. We were 16^th of 30 teams after the 1^st 50 miles but dropped to 23^rd by the finish. I was running mostly my B team dogs.

2. What is a typical training schedule for you heading into this last month before the start of the Iditarod?

We are running every dog about 4 times a week. I’m taking teams on 50-55 mile runs right now and my handlers run teams for 30 miles.

3. What type of weather are you hoping for on the trail to have ideal conditions for your team?

Temperatures between 0 and 15 degrees will suit us just fine. Hard packed trails would be great also.

4. At this point, do you know which 16 dogs will start Iditarod?

No, I know about 12 that I will take for sure and the other 4 spots are still open. It depends on how certain dogs perform over these last five weeks. There’s always a chance a dog will get hurt and that will change the roster. The final cut won’t be made until probably March 3^rd.

5. What do you think will be the most challenging part of the race? The Yukon River. The wind always blows in your face and the scenery doesn’t change much.

6. What does the diet for your dogs consist of now, and what will it consist of for the race?

Nutrisource dry dog food with broth. Nutrisource is my only sponsor. The dogs also get meat and frozen salmon for snacks.

7. What does it take to keep you warm out on the trail?

Layers of warm clothing. In arctic environments it’s always best to dress in layers. It helps to trap warm air around your body. I wear a polarguard insulated Parka and pants over a layer of fleece on top of capaline underwear when I’m out mushing.

8. Other than the mandatory items required by Iditarod, what will you carry in your sled? Snacks for me and the dogs. Foot ointment for the dog’s feet. A MP3 player. An extra headlamp. Freeze dried meals for me. Extra harness or two. A spare section of gangline and an extra set of runner plastic for the sled.

9. Will you have any specific strategy as to how you will run the race?

I plan to be steady and not run the dogs too far or too fast early on. It’s essentially a marathon, so it pays to pace your team. I plan to maintain a 1:1 run to rest time ratio.

10. What will you enjoy most about being out on the trail with your team? Just that. I plan to enjoy being out on the trail of the Last Great Race with my dogs.

Looks like Blake and his team are ready to embark on the journey of the Last Great Race. Let’s keep our eye on his team while they race to Nome!

Kim Darst is a helicopter pilot. In fact, she was the youngest helicopter pilot in the world at one time (and even got her high school diploma by helicopter). Kim was making trips to Alaska as a pilot for years and became fascinated with the state sport of dog mushing. Couple that with the friendship of renowned musher Susan Butcher and Iditarod 2009 was inevitable! It took many years and many miles…15 mile races…30 mile races…100 mile races…and this year Kim is qualified to live her dream.

Kim is a self-taught musher, with very good friends. Along with the tips and dogs she received from Susan Butcher (her current team has 12 dogs from Butcher’s dog lines), Kim had the advice of Mike Ellis for her 100 and 250 mile sprints, and now Al Hardman and Ed Stielstra to help her prepare for the Iditarod. In fact, Kim is spending the winter in Minnesota at Hardman’s kennel in preparation for Iditarod 2009.

And what is it like at Hardman’s kennel? Well, Kim is up very early to care for the dogs and then it’s off for increasingly longer and longer runs in EVERY type of condition. Then back to the kennel to take care of and hook up her SECOND team to do it all again!

Although Kim loves being with her team and doing her runs, choosing to be in Iditarod 2009 has hardships as well. Sure there’s the challenge of raising a minimum of $50,000 just to pursue this dream, but there’s also the challenge of being 1000 miles away from her family, friends, and the retired dogs in her 30 dog kennel. Kim has also put her business on hold for six months.

Kim used the Can-Am 250 and the Seney 300 for qualifying races. These were challenging races, but Kim learned a lot from the experiences and was successful. Kim learned that you can’t relie on the weather. For example, it rained the whole time of the Seney 300!  This also taught Kim that you need raingear! She also learned that you may need to feed your team items OTHER than meat because meat can go bad! It was pretty warm during the Can-Am 250. The dogs needed more rest that Kim figured into her plan, and  had to do more running at night. The most important lesson Kim learned from her qualifying races was that you have to keep your spirits high so that your team’s spirit will stay high too.

What will Kim be packing in her sled? Well, other than the mandatory items required by the ITC, Kim will have her iPod, with plenty of batteries, a weapon for moose or other game animals (that she hopes to not have to use), lots of candy bars for energy and Gatorade for hydration.

In thinking about challenges for the race, the Dalzell Gorge and the Happy River steps are always on Kim’s mind! Then there are the complicated logistics of getting the drop bags to Alaska in time, getting her team up to Alaska for vet checks, getting herself to the rookie meeting and then back up to Alaska for the start of the race! We’re talking about a 6,000 mile trip each time! And when Kim’s mind is at rest about all of these challenges, what slips into her thoughts? Well, the challenges trail conditions and lack of sleep! But these are all just thoughts…Kim is giving her all to her training and nothing will stop Kim Darst from Iditarod 2009.

Finally, I asked Kim what her goal was for this year’s Iditarod…and her goal is exactly what you would expect…to finish the race with as many happy and healthy dogs as possible.  With the support of her dog team, friends, family, her fellow mushers in Minnesota and her memories of her friendship with Susan Butcher I know Kim Darst will accomplish her goal.