08 Iditarod updates

And She's Off!! -March 02, 2008

Okay, let's see about getting this started. Laura has officially started running the Iditarod today. There have been some technical difficulties with the site so I am going to do the best I can with what I have to work with. If, at anytime, you stop seeing daily updates please go to iditarod.com for updates.

With that out of the way let me introduce myself. My name is Corrie and I am Laura's older, wiser and warmer( I am writing from Florida) sister. Well, I know I've got the older and warmer parts down, we have been debating the wiser part for a lifetime. As for my qualifications to be writing these updates, I will give you a quick resume. As long as my sister has been mushing I have been "handling" for her. In our family we all supported what the other member’s dreams were. My brother liked soccer and swimming ,so we would play in the front yard, go to games, swimteam practice in the summer, swim meets on the weekends. I liked martial arts, dancing and swimming so there was sparing in the front yard, going to dance recitals, and the swimming with my brother. My sister liked dogsledding so there was helping scoop poop in the kennel, frigid temperatures during training runs and races, being dragged by her dogs through mud(spring), ruts(summer), dust(fall), and ice(winter) as we helped her hook up to run or unhook after runs. Somehow none of us realized we were getting the short end of the stick until recently. Even now though, I wouldn't trade those years of "handling" for the world. I love being a part of my sisters passion and sharing in the effort it has taken to get her to "the dream of dreams", the Iditarod. So all that said, as I write these updates they will be laced with snippets of the past, personal updates from Mom and Dad (in Alaska for the race) and facts as I find them on the official Iditarod site. Thanks for following along on the greatest adventure "we" have had yet!

She left out #29 of 96 mushers at around 4pm western time. I was giddy all day today. I could close my eyes and see what was going on in preparation for the start. I could hear the frenzied barking of hundreds of dogs as they see the sleds being prepared to go. Laura would have on her game face, serious (not normal for her), lips pressed into a flat line, and mind 1,150 miles away. She would be repacking her sledbag making sure all of her gear was stowed in just the right place. Mom and Dad would be helping her with as much as they could but there would be little talking (again, not normal for our family) as they would not want to break her concentration. At ten minutes out they (Mom, Dad and Laura B. another handler) would start helping with hookup. The dogs would be springing straight in the air, barking their excitement and lunging forward straining to get to the trail. Five minutes till start the team would be helped into the line up of mushers in their start position. The teams start two minutes apart so as the 28th team took off Laura's team would be allowed to pull into the chute. This is it, the final check. Laura would take off her mitts and walk up the line to her leaders and squat down to talk to them. A few words of encouragement and she is checking the harnesses and lines. She works her way back towards the sled murmuring to her dogs and checking gear. As she nears the sled she would give Mom and Dad a hug and they would tell her they love her, to do her best and that they will be praying . Then it's on the runners, mitts on and the official starter says "go". She's off. Her dogs heads and tails drop and they stop barking and start pulling. There is a rooster tail of snow flinging out behind the sled as she stands on the brake and drag to control the speed. If let go the dogs would go too fast in their excitement to get going. As it is, the brake and drag are mere suggestions to these 16 dogs who can move a truck when they all pull together. I can see all of this as if I was there and I wish I was. Dad called right after she left to let me know it was a "go". He said she was relieved to finally be going and everything had gone smoothly. She's amazing, she's my sister and she's officially running the Iditarod!

This video was taken on Don Duncan's (a dear friend of the families who happens to be a musher) camera during the Ididarod banquet, ceremonial start and the actual start. It was sent to another family friend Jason Erickson of Vehicle Films who got it cleaned up and posted for us. Thanks guys! During the ceremonial start the carmera is being held by the Iditarider in Laura's basket. The 11 mile leg for the ceremonial start is auctioned off and Laura's went for $1900. The highest bidder rides in the sled basket. You'll also see a second sled attached to Laura's during this run. That is the "tag along" ridden by my dad, Bill Daugereau. Enjoy!

Pictures of packing, the Ceremonial Start and to Race Start

This is a must read!!

How did she get this way? I'll tell ya'.

Night Runner Kennel

Life with Sled Dogs