March 4 - Morning Update

Sounds like the trail is getting rougher as the teams head deeper into Alaska.  Those reporting on the race that are trying to keep ahead of the leaders report that the trail out of Rohn has little snow, with plenty of gravel and rock showing.  The snowmobiles were even having trouble getting over the ground.

Martin Buser, who is currently in first place, arrived in Nikolai this morning at 1:09 a.m. with 16 dogs in harness, a sprained ankle and a battered sled.  According to Martin the trail from Rohn was completely snowless.  The notorious Dalzell is a tough spot in the trail on a good year and the armchair mushers are anticipating a few mushers being marooned with broken equipment.  The vets say his dogs are all in good condition and they are raring to get back on the trail.  They will probably be ready to head out long before Martin is!

Martin has declared his 24 hour layover in Rohn, which is another unconventional move for the four time Iditarod winner.

      

Those that watch the statistics (which at this point are still mostly useless in predicting who will win) say that Martin Buser has at least a three hour lead on the pack.  Joe Reddington had this to say on his blog post of 10:00 last night:

The gps tracker at Iditarod.com provides plenty of information for controversial views, depending on your favorite musher.  Case in point for Martin Buser fans who see that he has at least a three hour lead on the pack as race leader.  Zirkle fans see her edging to the front to also assume control.  Meanwhile, King, MitchSeavey, Baker, Dallas Seavey, Sorlie, Johanessan, Hans Gatt,  et al are running a more prudent schedule which, some argue , may benefit them further in the race.   ( Oh, oh, forgot Sonny Lindner, Dee Dee, Redington, Burmeister, Berkowitz, et al).

Nikolai is the first real village along the race route with a population of about 100 people.  The community allows visitors to work and sleep in school rooms and the kids help prepare meals in the cafeteria for mushers and race entourage.  More from Joe Reddington:

The Nikolai checkpoint is organized very well with parking spots arranged like a new city.   The dog teams come off the river in front of  the village, check in at a wall tent staffed by village checkpoint officials and then are parked.   The accommodations in the gym of the school are luxurious for mushers who haven’t slept in a warm building for two days of sleepless mushing.  Expect leaders to rest five hours and then depart in direction McGrath and beyond.

So far only one musher has scratched.  Cindy Gallea scratched in Skwentna, but I haven’t seen a report explaining the reasons.

The Anchorage Daily News again has some fabulous photos of the action on day 2.  Take a look here. There are some great shots of the action coming down the Happy River steps, a notoriously difficult section of the trail.  They do a great job of capturing pictures of all the mushers.

Here is some information on what it takes to keep a sled dog in top competing condition during a race like this.  Found at the ISDRA website.

WHAT DO SLED DOGS EAT?
Just like a human athlete, a sled dog's diet affects the dog’s ability to compete. A sled dog at rest in the summer needs about 800 calories per day. In the middle of a cold winter long distance race that same dog may need up to 10,000 calories per day (10,000 is not a typo!). The quest to provide sled dogs with enough calories and the right type of calories has resulted in tremendous growth in our knowledge about the canine diet, and better food for both the racing dog and house pets.

A canine athlete does not digest and use food in the same way as humans. The high carbohydrate diet that helps a human runner perform at his or her peak will not have the same effect on a sled dog. Studies by veterinarians and dog food manufacturers have found that a high carbohydrate diet actually lowers canine performance.

Fats and protein are the most important sources of energy for a sled dog. The ratio of fat and protein varies depending on the distance to be run and the time spent running, however, certain minimum requirements have been determined. A typical diet consists of 32% protein, 15% carbohydrates and 53% fat.

Fats provide the dog with quick energy. They are highly digestible and very dense in calories. Protein helps a dog handle the physical demands of racing and is required in greater amounts as physical activity increases.

Dog mushers rarely rely on dry dog kibble alone to supply their dogs nutritional needs. A top quality dry dog food is critical to the diet but it is usually supplemented by ground chicken, fish, liver or other meat products.

Finally, it is not enough to provide quality food unless the dogs are supplied with clean water. Water is the most important part of a dog's diet. Contrary to popular myths, sled dogs do not get their water supply by eating snow. Snow requires tremendous energy to melt as it is consumed and it offers little water for much effort. By contrast, warm water after a night in the cold can be to the sled dog a lot like a hot chocolate drink is to a human. On the other hand, it is not unusual to see a sled dog grab a bite of snow, just like you enjoy an ice cream cone now and then!

GEE, THAT DOG IS AWFULLY THIN
A frequently heard remark at races is that the dogs seem thin. Indeed, compared to a house dog who may get out for a walk or short run a couple times a week, sled dogs are thin. Although sled dogs consume more calories than an average human, they also burn those calories working out in training. Like human runners, the intake of calories and exercise result in a slim, athletic physique. Mushers monitor the weight of their dogs, feeding them accordingly. If the dogs gain too much weight, they risk overheating, disease and injury. If they are too thin they lose stamina. Mushers balance these considerations and maintain their dogs at a healthy weight for each particular dog.