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Sunday, March 3, 2013

Ceremonial Start 2013

        I waited all day in the hopes that Jan would have a minute to blog about the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage, finally catching up with her on-line after midnight. This is what she had to say:
           
 "I had a blast! This was so much fun: Kids running to meet the sled in hopes of a hand slap as we went by, high-fiving kids who got close enough along the trail, everyone calling you by name..."Go Jan! Go Washington!" Iditarider Gillian had a great time, too. She was also amazed at all the people lining the trail, calling our names, shouting out well wishes and prayers for safety, etc. The dogs were great. I had Daisy and Magic in the lead and they did a wonderful job leading through the throngs of people."

        I'm wondering if anyone else noticed that right in the middle of the 66 mushers came this amazing sequence of women: #26 Jan Steves, #27 Aliy Zirkle, #28 DeeDee Jonrowe, #29 Karin Hendrickson, #30 Jessie Royer, #31 Anna Berington - WOW! A photographer's paradise right there! Alas, since I'm writing from Seattle, I have to depend on others to capture those moments. As those photos pop up on the Iditarod site, I will do my best to share them with you. I'm already discovering the hoops I need to jump through to get permission to do that. Challenging and entertaining, but gosh, I might end up with a lot more friends who share this passion!

Jan with her Iditarider Gillian, photo courtesy of June Price
        A little bit about the Ceremonial Start: Years ago Iditarod did actually start in Anchorage, however as the city got bigger and more developed, the trail out became less accessible, and the starting site eventually moved to Willow. Now the Saturday event is all about pomp and circumstance. It is mandatory for all mushers to attend as it is an official part of the whole event, there are rules to follow about the number of dogs, the Iditarider, etc., but it is not a race. The Musher's Banquet is a great place to meet the mushers. The Ceremonial Start is the best place to meet those other athletes - the DOGS! I just need to say that if you have any worries whatsoever about these dogs being "forced" to run, this event will convince you otherwise. The dogs would do this race on their own if they didn't need a musher to come along to feed them, bed them down, put their coats and booties on, take care of their sore paw pads, etc. and I think they enjoy the pomp and circumstance just as much as the mushers and the crowds!


Jan, are we running any time soon?


Jan spends a few minutes with each dog before the 2012
Ceremonial Start
















A bonded pair of athletes
















Crowds in the background greeting dogs and mushers























Last year I stayed at the start line until all the mushers had left, but next time I go, I will venture out along the 11 mile trail and be one of those crazy people high-fiving all the mushers as they go by - fewer people, prettier scenery, more opportunities to shout!
                        GO DOGS! GO JAN! GO WASHINGTON!

(By the way, if you are not an Ultimate Insider subscriber and you are interested in seeing a video clip of Jan's start, I posted it on facebook. See Cindy Klettke, friend me if you need to, although I think I have my security setting pretty wide open. Counting down to today's start!!!)


       
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6 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 3, 2013 at 8:41 PM

    Thanks for the updates! We are a 5th grade class in Shoreline who are following the Iditarod and of course, our local favorite, Jan Steves. We are cheering for her from room 502!

    Mrs. Peterson and the 5th graders at Meridian Park Elementary

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    1. Jan StevesMarch 4, 2013 at 2:44 PM

      Dear Mrs. Peterson and the 5th graders from room 502 at Meridian Park Elementary,

      Guess what?! CindyK, blogging for Jan, is sitting at her computer in Shoreline! We are neighbors! I hope you are having as much fun as I do when it is Iditarod time. I love dogs and I love Jan and the sport is getting more and more appealing. I currently have a Siberian husky, an Alaskan malamute, and a half mal/half sibe, so I could mush, too. Is there anything in particular about the Iditarod that you have questions about? I will need some ideas to write about when Jan is out in the wilderness and completely out of reach. CindyK

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    2. AnonymousMarch 5, 2013 at 10:32 PM

      Howdy neighbor!

      Thanks for responding to our post. Some students were wondering how the mandatory rests work. What are the reasons a musher decides to rest? It seems sort of obvious (tired, worn out mushers & dogs) but at the same time, it seems some of it is strategy. If Jan has ever shared her thoughts on this or you learn any tidbits on this, we'd love to hear!

      Also, can you explain why Jan chose corn rows? We think they are cool!

      Mrs. Peterson

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    3. Jan StevesMarch 6, 2013 at 2:10 AM

      Dear Mrs. Peterson and Room 502,

      I will start with the easy question: Why did Jan choose corn rows? Well, I have hiked and biked and snowshoed with her for many years and she has never ever braided her hair before or even put it in a pony tail. I always do that because having long hair all tangled up drives me crazy. At the end of Iditarod 2012, Jan's hair was approaching the dreadlock stage and she was afraid she was going to have to shave her head to get all the tangles out. So this year she got proactive and put little braids all over her head. I think it is really funny that despite all the braids she is still having bad hair days.

      The way I understand the mandatory rests is this: each musher needs to complete one 24 hour rest and one 8 hour rest. Also, the length of the 24 hour rest is adjusted a little bit to account for the staggered start times, so a musher might have to take a 25 hour rest if he/she left near the beginning. At least that's how I interpret the explanation in the Iditarod rules. When those longer breaks happen is all up to the musher. It is exactly what you think - part strategy and part when everyone needs a good rest. I actually met Dallas Seavy a few years ago and he explained that he trains his dogs to run for 2 hours, then snack and rest. Unfortunately I can't remember what he said the length of the rest time is, but I might be able to figure it out by looking at his overall GPS map.

      Anyway, over and over they run, snack and rest at that interval. Every once in awhile he throws in a 4 hour run. That is to train the dogs for "emergency" situations such as really bad weather when it is not safe to stop at 2 hours. Of course they do stop and sleep when they really need to, but Dallas had some very funny stories about hallucinating from lack of sleep so I don't think he really sleeps very much. And I don't think I ever want to be that tired!

      Jan and Angie and Bob rest for a lot longer than I am ever comfortable. Whenever I see 30 mushers moving and they are stopped I start shouting at my computer screen for them to wake up and get going! Pretty funny. But they are always moving at a pace good enough to keep them from being disqualified, so I eventually calm down and remind myself that as nice as it would be to win the Iditarod, just completing it is an incredible achievement! You know what they say: More people have summitted Mt. Everest than have completed the Iditarod!

      Jan told me that this year they actually have a strategy. I think last year's race was all about just getting to Nome any way they could! Funny! Of course she did not tell me what that strategy is, but they do seem to be moving forward quite consistently, resting consistently, etc. even in comparison to last year. CindyK

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  2. Debi SchmidtMarch 4, 2013 at 7:44 AM

    You've described this all beautifully ...

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  3. Mrs. EdwardsMarch 4, 2013 at 6:33 PM

    Jan, we're tracking you! So good to see you before the race. Wishing you and the team all the best! Mush :-)

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