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Manitou Crossing Kennels Blog - 2006 Journal
Blake placed 6th of 26 in the Can Am 250!
Jennifer Placed 4th in the 2006 UP 200!
She also got the Rookie of the Year Award And the Cooley Award for Exemplary Care of her Dog Team! U.P. 200 Website
Blake Finishes 2nd and Jen 3rd in the Beargrease Marathon!!!
Happy Holidays from the crew at Manitou Crossing Kennels! Mother Nature hasn't been smiling upon us too much this winter. Snow conditions have been very sparse and we are in need of a good heavy snowstorm that covers our trails. 
Training has been progressing well in spite of unseasonably warm temperatures and lack of snow. The dogs are quite fat and sassy. They enjoyed several DNR donated road-kill moose this fall. These magnificent animals' misfortune was a windfall for the huskies. Fifty dogs are training for our upcoming 2007 races. We will have two teams in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, driven by Jen and Blake. In the Beargrease mid-distance 150, Phil Morrison of Northern Ireland, will be our musher. Our handler crew has been a tremendous help throughout the fall training season. Our sincere thanks to Lori and her son, Trent, who are handling at Manitou Crossing Kennel for their second season. Also, we appreciate the steadfast efforts of Corey, Karl, Phil, Tim, and Don. Without the help of these friends, keeping up with the training, maintenance, and chores at the kennel would be difficult. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy New Year!
November 2006 We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of enough snow to sled with, as last year we took the sleds out for the first time on November 16th. The dogs are running very well and are up to 18 to 20 miles in front of the rigs. We rarely run this far on gravel due to the wear and tear it has on the pads of their feet. At times it is difficult to know weather the frozen mud and ice on the trails through the woods is better or worse than the frozen gravel roads! We bootie any dogs that have pad cracks, which so far is only the youngsters who are running these distances the first time. Presumably, the older dogs have tougher pads from seasons of running. 
Our young dogs are learning a lot and performing well. We have many 1.5 year olds training for the races this year. Often, if we only have a few young dogs we will keep them in their own team to be sure we don't push them beyond their comfort zone and ability level. So far this year, we have been running the "old pros" together with the young dogs. There is a lot our experienced race dogs can teach the pups. I won't be surprised if we start to separate the teams more as we get onto sleds. The 24 new doggy faces that you will see on our race teams come from 6 different litters. The oldest is the "fish" litter born in the summer of 2004. These two year olds are Dori, Nemo, Coho, Chum, Oscar, and Muski. They are very small, fast dogs with a couple of the males wearing our smallest harnesses! We expect to see these guys moving toward the front of the team pretty quickly. The next oldest is the "money" litter, Peso, Kyat, and Lira who are turning 2 this month. They are very fast trotters and smooth movers. Next are the pups who were conceived just four weeks before their mothers finished the Yukon Quest in 2005. The Inga/Jodi (Apollo, Aries, Athena, & Domita), Noor/Duece (Taku, Takhini, Lorne, Steer, & Tagish), and Fiona/Gonzo (Frog & Mongo) yearlings are running very well and show a lot of great ability. You certainly wouldn't pick them out as the youngsters of the crew. Last, but not least and four brothers from Walt Brockman (Ward, Wat, Roland, and William) who will be two years old in May. We have many fall projects we are trying to get wrapped up before winter such as getting our wind power up and running, building our new dog trailer, and finishing up work on the trails. Happy Trails! Jen
October 28, 2006 Greetings! Winter seems to be just around the corner as we have had snow falling nearly every day for several weeks.
We have had several inches on the ground, but right now there is about an inch. Just enough to make it look like a promising
start to the season!
August 31, 2006 Hello all! I hope everyone has had a wonderful summer! It seems to have flown by us and fall is upon us. Trees are turning red and orange all around us. We have not gotten as many of the projects around the house and kennel completed as we had hoped, but there is still a little time before the snow flies. Our summers are spent working to make money so we can race dogs in the winter, taking care of dogs, and raising puppies. We have three beautiful litters of pups running around at the moment. They belong to Trouble & Teddy, Fiona & Trekkie, and Dewy & Jericho. It seems to be the summer for males. Out of 15 pups, we had 11 wild little boys. We are seeing an outstanding difference in these litters. Dewy’s litter is mild, sweet, and easy to train, while Trouble’s pups are a group of absolute savages. These feisty little guys are ready to take on the world! Temperatures here have been in the 40’s nearly every morning so we are off to a great start to our fall training. We will have a total of 52 dogs in our training group. From this group will emerge four Beargrease teams, at least one UP 200 team, and two Cam-Am teams. We are planning to field two Beargrease marathon and two 150-mile teams, so we will have 40 dogs competing in the Beargrease. Our good friend, Phil Morrison from Northern Ireland, will be racing in the Beargrease 150 with our yearlings. It is going to be a very exciting season, despite the fact that we have decided to postpone our Iditarod entry until 2008. Over half of our race dogs for the season are 1-2 years old have never raced and have not run over 8 miles. Clearly, we have our work cut out for ourselves, and this group of dogs will be more prepared for an Iditarod 1.5 years from now rather than 6 months from now. In 2008, we plan to enter two teams in the Iditarod.
Happy Trails!
March 2006 Things have begun to slow down a little since our race season has ended. The Can-Am wrapped up a wild and successful season. We learned a lot this winter, and we continue to see that we have much more to learn about helping our dogs perform to their potential. As I reflect back on my 7 years of racing Siberian Huskies, it amazes me how far we have come. Prior to 1999, I had never been on a dogsled. I owned a few Siberian Huskies that I would take out on skis when we had enough snow in southern MN. In 1999, I ran a small race with Norris' yearlings. In 2000, I completed my Iditarod qualifiers and finished the Iditarod. It was a phenomenal experience, but it amazes me how naďve I was then. Sled dogs are phenomenal animals, and the bond between musher and dogs is amazing. It takes a great amount of time, dedication, patience, and understanding to develop and maintain this precious relationship. I think the strong, positive relationship we have with our dogs is very important, and we have noticed similar relationships between other successful mushers and their teams. The Can-Am was a great race! The community involvement is remarkable, and it really seems like this race has a lot of support. Our host family, Pete and Ann Robichaud, along with their black lab Brady, gave us a home away from home. We are very grateful for their hospitality. In preparation for the Can-Am, I had to psychologically prepare myself for the slow runs that past Can-Am run times had shown. I had trouble believing that teams could actually average 8 mph on the first run of the race. I was preparing myself so I would not become frustrated with our slower than normal speeds. The Can-Am trail is mostly on logging roads that are totally unused except during the race, so the trail is not packed and fast like trails frequently used by snowmobiles. My team was mostly the same dogs that had competed in the UP 200 with Jen two weeks earlier. Duece, Trouble, and Telly were my primary leaders and actually led throughout the race. The other leaders in the team were Trekkie, Baldy, Inga, and Altoid. Also on the team were Ewok, Punto, Kimber, Remi, and Gonzo. On our first run of the race, we really felt the power of the bright March sun which hit my Siberians especially hard. After a short rest at the Portage checkpoint we left under a clear sky and cool temps, the team got into a perfect rhythm. Although this run did not seem remarkably fast, we were the fastest team on that leg of the race. I was especially impressed with the altitude changes. This was my first time in Maine and I had no idea they had such terrain. I enjoyed traveling through such wonderful country behind a remarkable team of dogs. I was quite sick coming into the race and nearly handed the reins over to Jen before the race. I felt I was not quite able to assist the dogs on the long hills like I would normally have. In this race, I especially felt as though I was the weakest link in the team. I apologize to my teammates for that, but like the troopers they are, they prevailed. The soft trail caused several sore wrists in the dogs. This is not a serious injury, but of course it is better for the individual dog to stay at a checkpoint, rather than to continue on with the team in discomfort. Because of this I was down to seven dogs when leaving the final checkpoint of Allagash. We left Allagash in the coolest part of the night, and I must say that if there was such a thing as a fast run in this race, it would have been the first half of our final run. I was thrilled to see my little 7 dog team performing so well after 200 miles of racing with such little rest. As soon as the sun cleared the hill tops around 6:30 am, that strong March sun zapped the speed from the dogs. We did have a fast enough run to have the second fastest time on the final leg of the race. We finished in 6th place at around 9:30 Monday morning with a strong, solid team. The dogs were certainly happy to see the truck, but after a few hours of resting they were already making trouble and looked ready to do it all over again. I was especially proud of the team because they have become such a good checkpoint team. "Run hard and rest hard" has been the motto. The dogs come into a checkpoint, eat a nice meal, then its lights out while they get a nice massage. Many teams have several dogs that are not comfortable camping or resting away from home, so having good resting dogs is a real asset. Jen finished 8th in the 60 mile race with a happy team. The heat really hit her team hard as well, as they cruised fairly well through the firmer trails in shaded wooded area, but felt like they were melting in the open sunshine. Jen's flu/cold symptoms were at their worst race day making her relieved she had decided to keep things simple and just run the 60 miler. The dogs did very well except for Naoki and Ed. Naoki has been a little "off" all season. Jen had treated him for cholecystitis a couple weeks before the race, and we thought he was back to normal. He performed well the first half, but had abdominal pain the second half of the race. He tried hard and had a tight tug most of the time despite this. We have a lot of respect for tough dogs like him. He is scheduled for an ultrasound to look for possible masses or stones of his gall bladder. Ed got a little too hot. He never has a slack tug unless he is in serious trouble. When his tug when slack; Jen let him ride in the sled. After about 15 minutes, he seemed to feel better. He rode for half an hour and was happy and bouncy when he went back into the team and ran strong for the last 1.5 hours of the race. Although her goal was to finish in the top 5 teams, she was just 12 minutes off of 4th place. There is a good chance things could have been different if the weather had been cooler. We enjoyed the chance to see some old friends and meet some new ones. We enjoyed seeing the other Siberian teams on the east coast. Many we have heard of but have never seen in action. We see lots of potential in the teams we saw and the mushers we met. Mike Ellis's team especially impressed us with a nice steady race. Mike and Sue also do a great job of taking care of their athletes. Now we are back in Minnesota, focusing on puppies and planning a couple fishing/camping trips into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.
CanAm Crown 2006 3-2-06 Jen and Blake are in Maine for the CanAm crown races. They've brought for Jen's team - Jodi, Naoki, Kenzi, Bluie, Eddie, Bodo, Orso, and Mac. (all Siberians) For Blake's team - Deuce, Trouble, Altoid, Trekkie, Baldy, Ewok, Kimber, Inga, Telly, Punto, Remi, and Gonzo. (4 alaskans) They also brought Chester along as an alternate. They sent an email halfway through their trip out:
UP 200 Jen's Race Journal I had a wonderful time competing in the UP 200 last weekend. Duece, Trouble, Trekkie, Baldy, Ewok, Kimber, Altoid, Ed, Noor, Chester, Punto, and Gonzo performed outstandingly. It was phenomenal to be behind such a talented group of dogs. The UP200 has a fantastic downtown Marquette start, with hundreds of cheering fans lining the streets. Many fans hugged our dogs as we harnessed and bootied the team, and several offered to take team members home with them. The first leg of the race was about -20F and very windy with about a foot of freshly broken snow on the trails. Fortunately, in the cold temperatures, the trail had set up better then most of us expected. After leaving downtown, the trail follows along the shore of Lake Superior before crossing over to a straight railroad grade for many miles. It then has many sections of narrow, snakey trails through heavily wooded sections where the leaders are often two curves ahead of the musher and sled. These crazy little trails were interrupted with several sections down straighter, wider roads. The team was driving hard and fast, but I stood on the drag for the first 3 hours holding the team back to a relatively slow pace wanting to begin conservatively and keep the team strong and sound through the 240 miles to the finish line. It was snowing and blowing, and anywhere the trees were sparse, it was nearly whiteout conditions. I was the third musher to arrive in Wetmore, an unassisted checkpoint. After feeding, bedding down, and caring for the dogs, I enjoyed a nice meal of macaroni and cheese my mother had cooked a few days earlier and frozen in bags to warm in my cooker. I then wandered into the checkpoint headquarters where I enjoyed snacks provided by the race volunteers and chatted with the other mushers. I retreated to the wall tent set up among the teams to provide the mushers with a little protection from the elements while sleeping. I overslept about 10 minutes, so I quickly set to work preparing for my planned departure to head to the halfway point of the race. I thought several times that it seemed odd I didn't hear or see other teams leaving, however I spoke to several people as I got ready to go, and I shrugged it off thinking I must have forgotten where some of the front- runners were parked. I felt I was late and didn't want to waste more time. I had the team booted and screaming to go, when someone walked up and said "You know there is a musher meeting in 10 minutes, right?" I felt horrible to have woken up the dogs and gotten them all prepared to leave, just to have to shut them down and get them to rest again. It was definitely unfair to them, and they were visibly confused but fortunately settled in as I removed tuglines, gave them another snack and some fresh straw before heading to the meeting. It had been snowing all night and the wind was blowing, but it didn't seem very severe where we were. Just about 15 miles up the trails however, conditions were much worse. Lake effect snow, high winds, and whiteout conditions caused race officials to modify the race after the trailbreaker snowmobiles were unable to locate and mark the trail in the weather conditions. In addition, communication was shut down due to a repeater station malfunctioning. Trailbreakers, ham operators, and race officials were having a very difficult time communicating. The decision was to hold the teams in Wetmore for 8 hours plus their time differential and let them race the next leg to the new finish line in Grand Marais. There were many logistical and safety reasons making this the difficult but best decision, including the fact that the weather forecast suggested worsening conditions the next night. The checkpoint volunteers did a great job timing getting teams to the departure chute and counting them down to their departure time as many teams departing only seconds from one another. Fortunately, the race officials allowed several handlers to come to the checkpoint to help guide all the well rested, excited teams to the chute. It was a fun run to Grand Marais, as we were all suddenly racing to the finish line much sooner then expected. The trail had up to 18" of fresh snow, but most of it was broken at least with a few snowmobiles, and some areas were groomed. Unfortunately, one section of the trail was plowed by a county snowplow between the trailbreakers snowmobiles and the first two teams, burying the trial markers and redirecting these two teams many miles in the wrong direction. Fortunately, a race volunteer realized what happened, corrected the markers, and chased down the teams to turn them around. I left the checkpoint in 10th, but my team soon enjoyed catching and passing several teams moving us into 4th place. I was very impressed with our team's performance. In the two weeks between Beargrease and the UP, they appeared to recover phenomenally well. They performed beyond my expectations, finishing strong, happy, and were eager to go again after just a few hours of rest. I will always wonder how they would have done if the race had been a full 240 miles, however we will never know for sure. Hopefully we get the chance to run the full race next time. Meanwhile, we are busy reorganizing and preparing for our trip to Fort Kent, Maine next week. Blake will compete in the Can-Am 250, and I will race in the Can-Am 60. The UP 200 was the first time Blake handled for me at a race, and I don't think he enjoyed being the one waiting and wondering what was going on out there! He will surely be happy to be back on the runners. Stay tuned for updates from our final race of the season!!
Mari's Journal First of all, I would like to thank Jen and Blake for giving me this opportunity to train and race with their canine athletes -it has really been an awesome winter! I have learned so much from both you and your dogs and had so much fun on the trails that I wish there would be a way of giving at least some of that joy back to you. It has been great getting to know all these dogs and to actually see how a group of individuals starts to work as a team. It has also been very rewarding to raise all the puppies this winter, it's so nice to watch them growing and teach them all kinds of new things. They are such a nice group of babies! I must say that I will miss them very, very much… Thanks to my excellent mentors, I think I was as well-prepared for the Beargrease
trails as
a rookie could probably be.
My team, Capri, Shiloh, Siren, Trekkie, Silook, Jericho, Orso and Bodo, performed just super. I remember standing on the runners somewhere between Finland and Tofte and thinking how beautifully those eight dogs were running. The other one of my main leaders, Shiloh, was on her very first race, and she did so great. It was very nice to see her getting all the time more and more confidence. Together with Capri they were really an awesome pair of lead dogs. And it is not just only about the race -it's about the whole winter. During all those training runs I had some very amazing experiences with my team. At the beginning of the season I wasn't quite sure what I was getting in to, but the more time I spent out on the trails with the dogs, the more addicted I got. Leaving is always hard but leaving here will be especially difficult. I'll be flying home next week, but a part of me will stay here... Finally, I would like to thank once more Jen and Blake, the dogs at Manitou Crossing Kennels, everyone of the handler crew, Liz and Cindy for keeping my family updated at the race, my good friends Jenni Hasa and Elina Maatta in Finland, my mom and dad for taking such an excellent care of my doggies at home and of course, my very own dogs, Viiru, Viti and Istna, who are patiently waiting for me to come home. I'll be back. See ya guys,
Mari, We'll miss you too! Good Luck, Happy Trails,
and Thank you for all your help and beautiful photos!!
UP 200 Updates
Jen Placed Fourth, is top-placing rookie, 2-19-06 The UP 200 is being cut short and ending today in Grand Marais, MI. With Blizzard conditions, Jen is doing well and is poised to finish in the top ten. For more race reports, see the Race Coverage Page Jen and Blake are on their way to Marquette, Michigan for the Start of the UP 200!
Jen will be running the 260-mile race with Deuce, Trouble, Noor, Altoid, Baldy, Ewok, Eddie,
Punto, Trekkie, Gonzo, Kimber and Chester. The first 9 are siberians and the last 3 alaskans.
Only 2 weeks out of the Beargrease, her team picks were based on who had recovered the best
from the 400 mile race. We'll be watching the UP Race Website
and I will update this website with news as I get it.
Thanks for your support of our sled dog teams!
Beargrease 2006 The Beargrease Sled Dog Races were a great start to our 2006 Racing Season. Of the 36 of our Jedeye sled dogs that were in training, 32 competed in the Beargrease with great results. Blake and I had a fantastic time competing in the Marathon together. It was wonderful to be able to run together and see our teams running so beautifully. Our handler, Mari, had a great time racing in the Beargrease 150. She crossed the finish line with eight happy huskies that were eager to keep running. Our pit-crew of handlers was absolutely phenomenal. I am afraid many mushers were envious of our skilled crew who were able to feed and care for our canine athletes with such talent that the dogs left each checkpoint well rested, well fed and hydrated, limber, and happy. Our good friend Phil Morrison of Northern Ireland was the official "Coach" of the Marathon handler crew. John Vitek brought his dog truck for the second marathon team and helped coordinate the handler crew. Dr. Jerry Vanek worked with the handlers to insure each dog received proper stretching, massage, and wrist care. Richard Freking was in charge of tracking our run and rest times and helping us calculate optimal departure times, while Diane Freking made sure the mushers and crew were well fed and got some rest. Vern Hoff traveled to the checkpoints with his truck and snowmobile trailer converted to a heated bunk house to provide a warm area to rest to the mushers and crew. Our handler crew included Ryan Brick, John Stenke, Lori Hedin, Sean Johnson, Don Deckert, Laura and John Bonner, Kevin Freking, Carrie Nelson, Walt Brockman, and Ben. George Bailey and George also traveled from Greenbush, WI to help at the start of the race. The weather was remarkably warm during this year's Beargrease. It seems our typical January weather was forgotten somewhere and the entire month was extremely March-like. The cold weather waited an entire week after the Beargrease to move into the area. The trail conditions were very hard, as our snow base shrunk considerably when the temps soared into the 40's for a few days just before the race. The icy, hard base of the trail led to large numbers of dogs being dropped due to carpal injuries. Carpal injuries are not very serious and often dogs can recover from them during the race with proper wrist care. In these conditions they are caused by repetitively landing on a very hard surface with no "give" much like running on pavement, and stressing the joints. However, we much prefer to drop a dog with a sore wrist rather than risk having them change their gait to compensate for the soreness and develop a more serious injury, such as a strained shoulder. Our teams performed just as they had in training and were right on schedule throughout the race. The only run with really good temperatures (-10 F) was from Poplar to Sawbill on the way down the shore, where our all-Siberian team averaged 12.4 mph over the 57 mile leg and was faster then any other team. Just hours later, the temperature soared into the upper 20's, however our teams maintained an average speed over 10 mph. The most challenging run was the last leg of the race to the finish line on Wednesday morning. With our teams shrunk to 7 and 8 dogs, temperatures hovering around 30 degrees, heavy snow falling, and many long hills to climb, our average pace fell to around 8 mph. On top of this, I was carrying one of my 7 dogs in the sled for about 38 of the last 40 miles since I was concerned that he may have had a shoulder injury. That proved to be unnecessary, as when I let him out of the sled after a nice ride up all those hills, he has happy and limber as a little kid and eagerly raced to the finish line. He only had a slightly stiff muscle earlier which had relaxed during his little sled ride. I felt a little foolish for carrying all that way, but I would always rather be cautious than injure a dog. I was most impressed with the drive my little 6 dog team showed as the continued to tackle hill after hill. The were never put off by the next mountain to climb and always seemed to be sure they would be able to lope all the way up next one! We were very pleased to reach the finish line in 2nd and 3rd with happy dogs that were eager to eat and drink and get their well deserved massages from our awesome pit-crew! We were very successful at reaching all the goals we had made for the Beargrease this year, and are looking forward to the UP 200 in just a couple weeks.
Beargrease 2006! Updates: Blake Finishes 2nd and Jen 3rd in the Beargrease Marathon!!! 2-1-06 Well, Folks, even though Mari was the 11th one across the finish line
in the Mid-Distance race, her time was 4 seconds faster than the guy in front of her. So, Mari Placed TENTH!! :) YAY! 1-31-06 Jen and Blake are sticking to their steady pace and it's
starting to show. They came into the Sawbill Checkpoint this morning in 2nd and 3rd position, rested
and took off again at 11AM. I haven't gotten a full report of dogs dropped yet. I do know that the first
one that Jen dropped was Ziggy due to a sore shoulder. It's a rough trail and very icy with the temperatures
hanging around 30 degrees. A mid-distance musher reportedly hit a tree and broke some ribs, so it's not
a nice trail. But they're doing very well and we are all holding our breath and hoping for no accidents. With
Jerry Vanek DVM guiding their awsome pit crew, there is no doubt that the dogs are getting the BEST
of care and attention. Stay tuned! There are pictures of Mari up and I keep getting more - I'll post them
as I get them (while trying to get my day's work in at the same time) so keep 'em coming! :) Thanks! - Webmaster Cindy in Illinois The Manitou Crossing Kennels siberian husky Beargrease Teams have an Awsome Pit Crew filled
with an All-Star cast following them down the trail!! Jerry Vanek, DVM is part of the team handling for
Jen and Blake this year - before he heads up to be the Chief Veterinarian at the Yukon Quest!!
Phil Morrison flew back in from Belfast, Ireland to be part of the team and John Bonner came from Alexandria, Virginia!
The rest of the support crew are Rich and Dianne Freking, John Vitek, Don Deckert, Sean Johnson,
Walt Brockman, George Bailey and George from Wisconsin, Lori Hedin from St. Paul, MN, Ryan Brick and John Stenke! A Great Big "THANK YOU!!" to the Whole Crew!
Race Results - Official Checkpoint Times
1-30-06 - Noon: Jen and Blake came into the Sawbill checkpoint together at 9:43 this morning. Blake has all 12 dogs
still, Jen dropped 1 in Finland. They were the 6th and 7th into the checkpoint, but they have 1-2 more
hours of mandatory rest already behind them than those ahead of them. They are scheduled to leave the checkpoint
after 4pm, so right now they are enjoying about 6 hours of rest in the capable care of their awsome
pit crew - getting sleep during the heat of the day. Sweet, Rejuvenating Dreams and Good Luck, Guys!! -Cindy Finnish anthem heralds musher's first try Mari Places 11th of 37 teams in her First Dogsled Race - the Beargrease 150!! Mari crossed the finish line with a big smile, the sun shining and a Bald Eagle circling
the finish line above her. She was right on the heels of the 10th place finisher and would have
been in 10th place if she had been able to pass him. Her leaders, Capri and Jericho, weren't
ready to stop; after crossing the finish line, they were still jumping and pulling.
Race Time! After months of training and preparation, the 2006 racing season has arrived! The 2006 John Beargrease will kick-off this weekend with their annual Beargrease Gala Event featuring Polar Explorer Will Steager on Friday. On Saturday the popular cutest puppy contest is held. Meanwhile, the excellent veterinary staff will be examining the canine athletes that will compete in the races. Saturday evening, the opening ceremony is held including the bib draw which determines the order the musher will leave the chute. Mari and the rest of the mid-distance team will depart from Ordean Middle school starting at 1pm with the Marathon Mushers following. The dogs are looking great and are definately ready to hit the trail. The Beargrease is earlier this year than the previous few years, and we are very pleased with teams' performances. My main leaders include Duece, Jodi, Altoid, and Trouble. Blake's primary leaders are Naoki, Inga, Kenzi, and Telly. Mari's main race leaders are Jericho, Silook, and Capri. There are 24 competators in the Beargrease Marathon and 40 mushers in the Mid-Distance race! The field includes three former Beargrease Marathon Champions, two Canadian teams, two from Montana, four from Michigan, and one traveling from New Hamshire. There are six Iditarod Veteran mushers and three Yukon Quest Veterans competeing in this years Beargrease Marathon. We are very happy to see such a strong field of mushers! My "Webmaster sister" will update our website with photos and updates during the race. The Beargrease website www.beargrease.com will have the most current updates during the race. Stay tuned!
Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a Happy Holiday Season! We have been quite busy training teams and preparing for the upcoming races. Despite March-like weather the past few weeks, the snow is nice and deep here on the North Shore of MN, and the trails are great. The dogs are strong and running beautifully. We have been amazed at their quick recovery from every run and awesome attitudes. Our Beargrease teams are taking shape. Jen will be driving our "A" team, which is entirely AKC Siberian Huskies. Blake will have our "B" team which will include a few of our Alaskans and Alaskan/Siberians. Since all of our dogs are in the same training program, we expect their performance to be very similar. Our puppies arrived in November happy and healthy! We don't commonly have winter pups since we are so busy training, but we felt these shouldn't wait until spring. Emmie and Fiona both have 5 pups sired by Bluie. Bluie has raced on our primary race team since he was 2-years-old, and these are the first litters he has sired. He is an awesome mover and steady worker, and we are anxious to work with his pups for years to come. Shjegge Mann's Bell gave birth to 5 females and 1 male sire by our great race leader Naoki. This is also Naoki's first litter, though he has led primary race team since 2001, including the 2004 Beargrease winning team and the 2005 Yukon quest. This is also our first breeding with any of Walt Brockman's dogs since they arrived 1.5 years ago. These are definitely some youngsters to watch! We are currently running from our kennel to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, taking a short rest, and then running home. This schedule mocks our race/rest schedule in preparation for the Beargrease and other races. We see lots of wildlife on our training runs including Lynx, Wolves and Moose. Thus far the moose have been very courteous and get off the trail for our passing. The next few weeks are going to get much more hectic and exciting! Just as the hours we spend each day on the trail are peaking, there is a lot to do to prepare for the races. Our Beargrease handlers are gathering soon to go over our racing plans and checkpoint routine. We have a great crew of family and friends coming to help at the race; in fact, Phil Morrison from Northern Ireland is returning to handle for our Beargrease teams again this winter! We hope you enjoy the new photos on the site as my Webmaster sister continues to update the site with great photos from Mari and Lori. There are also some fun new items at our Cafepress shop, including valentines with Bonnie Lundberg's design! View other journal entries: |
Jen and Blake Tie the Knot! 
The dogs are running very well and the youngsters are learning quickly. We have had several moose encounters and see hunting
dogs and grouse frequently on the trail. Training is right on schedule despite the fact that it is still just Blake and I
training 52 dogs. Fortunately, Blake has been done with season Forest Service job since last, week, and we have several great
friends that spend nearly every weekend coming from 1 to 4 hours away to help us train dogs and wrap up the projects before
winter arrives. We can't thank them enough for all the help! Our current project is setting up an 85' tower with a wind turbine.
