28-03-2024 Looking back race season USA 2009/10 It's a long drive back to Montana...most mushers in this years race lived in Alaska so did not have to travel far ...some would you believe never had much to do with their dogs right after the event handlers took care of them ..some who had leased teams simply jumped on the plan and went home..   The Alcan Highway is not a nice place to drive... sheet ice and snow drifts, with roaming buffalo, wolves, herds of moose and that's just on the highway! The Team dropped off Alan in Calgary, he was the first to fly home...John + Colin + 22 dogs went on to  MT  ... Monday morning and the dogs would be home again and John heads home mid April .. He is still involved with his dogs up to his season is finished..as this was not a one off event and let's go home after it! Johns 2009/10 race + training plan was to take in 3 events ..from the start the Iditarod was always 10 day race/training plan ..he made this very clear from the start he was .racing for rookie award or near to it..not there simply to get to Nome.  His Wyoming open winnings was $7k..Seely 200 plans always was to run it with a trainee rookie making sure he finished.   Johns mushing background ie working/training/racing for Doug Swingley over the past few years..before that with Hans Gatt..+ Egil Ellis  ,  its all about work/training/full on racing all season ..with the dogs not just for one race..his friends Tom Thurston + Warren Palfrey also on a full on race program in iditarod all had sick dogs early on in the race  A lot of teams got sick quickly...both Tom + Warren  scratched..john should have also an after thought maybe...but not in this nature ..again an area which needs to be seen to understand at this level in racing and something mushers will see many times... Sickness hit Johns dogs very quickly  John also caught the sickness  ..by the time he had worked on it and through it ..his race plans/times were finished..anyone who races at those levels will understand about "racing plans"..but when in this race zone  ..there is no way out..if things go wrong.. Some call it the lucky carpet ride,when everything gos great ..Martin Buser "The Magic carpet"  ..when everything comes together..this 2010 race many teams did not get the luck..including the best in the world..who have raced in it many times...that's how it gos. We the team would like to thank everybody involved with this 2009/10 winters racing..it was never the intension far from it being a "dream" to get to Nome nor simply to "get there for a belt buckle "that was never spoken about ..if that was the case we would have " hired" a  mushing kennel who hire teams for events like iditarod + YQ  and all you do is stand on the sled..they train + supply the whole event..they teach the clients..  in 4 months to do everything..and charge around £60k ..that includes pre event races which they make sure you finish by putting someone with you...if that's what people want to do ..its fine with me and its great for those kennels in AK who make a lot of money from it ..but they are all well known and everybody knows its a one off dream for those people.. who in most cases could never train dogs to any level themselves nor have the dogs to race,nor have any real sort of mushing background  ..they don't go into those event with a race plans..far from it.. the team providers  are happy just getting there clients to Nome ...a bit like NASA taking clients to the  space station ..don't make them Astronauts...or in cases within the sport ..respected mushers.. This USA season has brought a few top class offers to John..one is to race pro stage/sprint racing with one of the best racing kennel within the sport,another to train + race YQ and Iditarod ..and another which is still being spoken about sleddog training+racing..all will again take John back overseas for 6mths..as he has done every winter for many years..learning his sleddog trade..he has a lot of good friends within the sport.. like john ..they are in it for the way of life the full on racing..and most important being around  those Alaskan huskys ..there are many iditarods still to come ..like the 2010 it will be attacked full on..not there simply to be in events nor to fun fare the point he's from Scotland etc...hes now talking about moving overseas.   As for Johns Iditarod  ..it would be good to beat or equal  the last Scots mushers record who did race with full on race program & had trained full on ..Dave Milne  raced the Iditarod many times..always with full on race mod:had worked for Rick Swenson for many years before moving to AK and still is very well respected in AK to this day,he lives outside Fairbanks .. as is Rick Atkinson the UKs best musher to date in the USA..many  have hired teams for the one off dream via the UK ...never to be seen again at any level around the world.. As someone who was at the iditarod...   Well done to Lance & Hans ...Gatts team was the best looking team to cross the finish line. Wattie MacDonald  did very well to stay on his sled all the way and look after his 16 dogs.. It was a  quick learning curve for him (fast tracked to Iditarod/ 5 mths over 2 yrs)  from Dean Osmar  kennel for Wattie who before had never raced/trained on a sled nor had done any "real sleddog events" before having never met the guy I believe hes got a few Sibs who live in his back garden and runs  the odd pure breed race in Scotland ? ..Once again it showed Deans the kennel to hire if you want to run the Iditarod that way but it will cost you a lot of money. Over the years Deans trained his dogs  to get to Nome on a steady pace (never  race mod;) ..with a paying novice musher onboard . Dean is a top class musher and has good hard working  sleddogs he makes his living hiring them out to people who simply want to full file a dream   ..even a Reg;blind USA musher did well over the years with them.. Main thing here is I hope Wattie raised lots of money for the charity's that he was involved in (look forward to hear the final amount raised/as to date seen nothing?) ..finishing the event was what he paid for ..racing it was never in the picture....Wattie would never have had the ability nor the  experance to race it..he did well to simply follow the kennels instruction  to stop/rest  & feed ..the rest the dogs took care off ..again well done for standing on the sled to Nome but mostly to  Deans dogs and staff ..but its not the way many would do the Iditarod or want too... another "client" will be put with the dogs next winter through the very same system ..at a $ price guaranteed to get to Nome...again I must state if done for charity its a great venture and well done to who ever dos it.. I spent a week with Jeff Kings main handler in Nome..shared a house with him, and spent some time at the dog lot with him and Jeffs dogs ..I picked up some very good equipment tips from him which we will use back in CSC..also shared house with Jason Barrons who I rate very highly ..he also was on full race plans until sickness hit his team. The best looking team to cross the finish line in my view was Hans Gatts..in the dog lot they looked as if they could head back to Anchorage anytime! My good friend Newton Marshal was running Lancy MacKays kennel dogs..he did very well .Newton was not on a full race mod:and had sickness in the team ..he stuck to his race plan to finish and adds another hard training season to his racing  CV which includeds the YQ and many of the very best LD events within the sport ..he also will be racing again next season in USA plus talk of a remote Russian race into Norway...like john he's back in the dog yard working every day before heading home for the summer..again Newton is also working 24/7 at the kennel and learning his mushing trade. Now its back to the CSC for me  to finish off our season..and to start training yearlings + new leaders,we are about to change our whole "dog gang line" system ..and will be working with G-Cell harness only next winter. I'd like to thank our good friend and  wonderful handler Jody Shaw who has looked after the CSC while we went to help John in AK..also my old diving mate Colin MacKenzie for being Johns handler,his driving on the Alcan was awesome..lots of experience with 911s & Merc sportscars. And to all the people we met along the way..Al & Linda,John & Theressa (in Anchorage) Larry & Amy (Nome)GT Autos & Blue Mountain Autos (Anchorage) ..our good friend Chris (Scottish Alaskan Fed) And All John £ backers.. MacDonalds Resort,Buff,Findlater & Son,Culpepper,CSC,DSV Osprey Divers,Northern Outfitters & for Lorna who set up websites ... We will see you all next winter. Back to News & Events Archive