Ignorance is bliss, especially if you are an Iditarod rookie. When I think back to my rookie run in 1998, I'm often amazed at what I was able to accomplish with so little skill and, honestly, not a very talented dog team. If I knew then what I knew now, I would have never given myself a chance to make it to Nome in one piece. Fortunately, I was young, dumb and stubborn -- three characteristics that tend to work to your advantage in the Iditarod.
There will be 16 rookies among the 69 teams starting this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Willow on Sunday. Historically speaking, a little more than half of them can be expected to finish the race in Nome, some 1,000 miles and up to 14 days away. They have come to the Iditarod for a variety of reasons; some wish to prove to others what their dog teams are capable of accomplishing. Others are there only to prove it to themselves.
For most of them, the next week and a half will be the most difficult and challenging time of their lives. There are few events in one's life as physically and mentally challenging as the Iditarod.
That is not to say the months and years leading up to the race have been easy. In order to qualify for Iditarod, the mushers need to meet a minimum standard of race performance before signing up:
• A minimum of 750 miles of approved qualifying races;
• A letter of recommendation from an Iditarod veteran;
• A history of demonstrating good dog care and ability to race in the wilderness, and;
• Mandatory attendance at a rookie meeting in December to go over what rookie mushers should expect -- and what the Iditarod expects of them.
Once their entry is accepted, mushers can begin the difficult task of training and preparing. There is no book or manual that tells mushers what to do to prepare for the race or how to go about the enormous logistical and financial challenges involved. Some rookies have a mentor with Iditarod experience. Others may be running a young team for a top musher as part of a program to prepare those dogs for later races. No matter what help the rookies receive before the race starts, all of them will be alone in their care and strategy once they leave Willow on Sunday.
Mats Petterssen is one of this year's rookies, a musher who has made the journey to Alaska from Kiruna, Sweden. Petterssen has almost 15 years of mushing experience, including many races in Scandinavia, but he says nothing can completely prepare him for the Iditarod trail.
"You don't know the trail," he said. "You don't know what the checkpoints look like, or where to stop or not stop. This is a sport for the experienced."
The rookies will learn the way all the veterans have in years past -- by doing the race and making mistakes along the way. This is part of the reason why it's so difficult for a rookie to break into the top 10. Institutional knowledge of the trail can be a huge advantage. For example, veteran mushers know you can usually find water just off the trail by the fish camp located 20 miles outside of Nikolai. It makes a great place to stop and rest your dogs if you are trying to break the run between Rohn and McGrath into two equal segments without having to stop at Nikolai. It can also save you a lot of time and effort by not having to start your cooker or light a fire to melt snow for water.
Veteran mushers also understand the effects of a 1,000-mile race on the dogs. More importantly, they know how to "read" their dogs better after the energy and exuberance of the first 500 miles has worn off and their team speed has slowed as the dogs settle into an efficient travel pace along the Norton Sound coast.
Thirteen-time Iditarod musher Ken Anderson thinks some of his biggest mistakes as a rookie came when he underestimated the ability of his dogs. "Usually the dogs are better than you think and they can handle more. As a rookie I thought I had to drop this dog or that dog." If you drop too many dogs early in the race for minor reasons, rookies can be left with too little dog power to finish the race
Anderson's advice: "If you plan to scratch, you better be heading to the hospital or your dogs better be really sick or injured. Don't scratch. It's so important to get through it and see the finish line. Don't get too excited when things are good and don't get bummed out when things are bad. Try to keep an even keel." Anderson also added that he would advise most rookies, "It never hurts to rest, but most rookies tend to over-rest their dogs."
Rookies running the race with yearling teams for large kennels may have more insight, or at least an educated race plan that outlines where to stop or how fast and long to run.
Elliot Anderson is originally from Wisconsin and will be running a team of yearlings for Martin Buser. Anderson downplayed his concerns a few minutes before the ceremonial race start on Saturday. "I'm not too worried," he said. "I feel really prepared." Pretty remarkable considering that Anderson has only been running dogs for a couple of years. He said that Buser told him, "Have a good time and make sure to keep the dogs happy." It is obvious that Anderson has well-trained team and experienced leaders to help guide him.
Not all of this year's rookies will be so lucky to have such a good team of dogs.
It is easy to get caught up in all of the hoopla before the race even starts. Teams typically arrive in Anchorage a week before the start and spare time becomes a precious commodity. Mushers must find time to continue running their dogs in between mandatory vets checks, media interviews, getting caught up with old acquaintances and musher meetings.
Something on the sled always seems to need last-minute fixing or you need to go to the store for last minute clothes and provisions. A spare sled must be located for the ceremonial start in Anchorage, and maybe a pillow or cushion borrowed for your Iditarider. These are things most mushers don't deal with in other races throughout the year, and for a rookie they can be overwhelming.
Finally, Saturday arrives and mushers are parked on the city streets in downtown Anchorage. The largest crowd of spectators of any sled dog event appears to watch as the mushers run through the streets and trails of Alaska's largest city. Entire neighborhoods gather to decorate sections of trail. Tailgate parties appear with food and refreshments.
For a rookie musher who has never been to Alaska, or watched the Iditarod start in person, the whole scene can become quite surreal. And this is just the prelude to the actual race start on Sunday. What could possibly come next? Just 1,000 miles of remote wilderness trail and the whim of Mother Nature to make or break your Iditarod rookie dreams.
Zack Steer, a five-time Iditarod finisher, owns and operates the Sheep Mountain Lodge with his wife Anjanette and two young boys. Zack will bring a competitive racer's analysis to this year's Iditarod coverage.