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Hardcore Huskies Newsletter 08 Race Edition.pdf [ Archive ] |
| We`re Ready! | Sun, Feb. 1st, 2009 | |
After assessing her teams performance in the just completed Don Bowers 200 mile race Heather says "The team looks great!"
Heather says the dogs responded well to the run rest times. She ran this race like she plans to run the Iditarod to check her teams readiness for next months race.
"At lot of folks told me the team looks great and they performed just like I had hoped," said an excited Heather. "The new dogs I added a couple of weeks ago have made the team stronger."
Heather says she dropped two of the new dogs, Casey and Gavin, at Joe Mays checkpoint because they fell into a moose hole and she did not want to take any chances with them.
"They seem fine but I`ll give them a couple of days off and keep a close eye on them," said Heather.
Heather says she only got three good hours of sleep over the past couple of days with a few 20 minute naps thrown in. Unfortunately she has to go to work in a couple of hours.
"Not too sure how that will go," Heather joked.
So now Heather will continue to train in earnest for the Iditarod which starts on Saturday, March 7th in Anchorage.
Heather says she still needs some financial help for this year`s race.
"I know times are tough but if anyone wants to give me a hand I would really appreciate it," said Heather.
Donations can be sent to:
Heather Siirtola
P.O. Box 190
Talkeetna, Alaska, 99676
More information on sponsorships is available on this website.
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| Hardcore Team Finishes Third | Sun, Feb. 1st, 2009 | |
Heather and her Hardcore Team finished the 2009 Don Bowers Memorial Dog Sled Race in third place. They finished about 2.5 hours behind 2nd place finisher Sarah Spinola and4 hours 4 minutes behind the winner Quinn Iten.
Heather finished with nine dogs, dropping three along the race.
Spinola made two surprising runs after the 8 hour lay over, taking only 2 hours 37 minutes for the 26 mile leg to Oil Well Road and then doing the final 79 miles to Willow in only 9 hours 39 minutes. Heather took 12 hours 14 minutes for that same leg and winner Quinn Iten made it in 10 hours 8 minutes.
Heather will now put the finishing touches to her team before the start of the 2009 Iditarod which begins March 7th in Anchorage.
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| Hardcore Team Battles for Second Place | Sat, Jan. 31st, 2009 | |
The race for second is on!
With less than 75 miles to go, Heather and the Hardcore Team are in a battle for second place with musher Sarah Spinola, wife of Iditarod musher Matt Hayashida. Spinola and her 11 dog team arrived at the Oil Well Road checkpoint just two minutes ahead of Heather and her Hardcore Team.
Heather left another dog at this checkpoint so she is down to 9 dogs while Spinola still had 11 when she left the checkpoint a few minutes ago, nine minutes ahead of Heather. Still no word on which dogs are left in the race and the condition of the dropped dogs.
Race officials say "We have a race for second place which provides some excitement for the checkpoint crew in Willow."
Their ETA in Willow is around 4 tomorrow morning AKST (8 AM EST). The weather in Willow is fair with the temperature at 1 degree and getting colder.
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| Hardcore Team Back on the Trail | Sat, Jan. 31st, 2009 | |
Heather and the Hardcore Team are on their way back to Willow. They left Joe Mays Cabin at 11:57 AM AKST (3:57 EST) and are still show in 2nd place for the 200 mile race.
We spoke with Race Secretary Mike Bishop a short while ago and he said he talked to Heather a few seconds before she left the start and he "demanded" that she get back to Willow tomorrow (that is, she finish the race on Sat).
"Since she is currently second she must have heard me," said Bishop.
Race records show that two members of the Hardcore Team were left at the Joe Mays checkpoint. We have no information as to which dogs or the reason why they could not continue. We`ll provide that information as soon as it becomes available.
Heather and the Team was able to pick up 24 minutes on the leader Quinn Iten. Iten was schedule to leave the Joe Mays checkpoint at 9:25 AM AKST but did not leave until 9:49 AM. Iten`s lead on the Hardcore Team is now just over two hours.
We were able to get of picture of Heather and the Hardcore Team at the start of the race and it has been posted to the photo gallery.
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| Halfway point….2nd place | Sat, Jan. 31st, 2009 | |
At the halfway point in the Don Bowers Memorial 200 Dog Sled Race, Heather and the 12 member Hardcore Team sits in second place, 2.5 hours out of the lead and only 11 minutes ahead of the third place team.
The leader is Quinn Iten from Kotzebue, AK, who finished 3rd in last years Junior Iditarod. Iten made the 79 mile trip from Willow to Oil Well road in 9 hours 6 minutes while Heather and the hardcore Team took 11 hours and 19 minutes. Heather and her team lost another 9 minutes to Iten during the next leg, a 26 mile run to Joe Mays Cabin and a mandatory 8 hour layover. That leg took Iten 3 hours 38 minutes compared to Heathers 3 hours 47 minutes.
Heather and the Hardcore Team began their 8 hour layover at 3:55 AM AKST (7:55 EST). That means she cannot leave until 3:55 ET this afternoon. Iten should be leaving the checkpoint at anytime for the return to the Willow Community Center.
The weather in Willow is reported to be a mostly cloudy and 1 degree. The high today should reach near 7 and there is a 30 percent chance of more light snow. These are near perfect racing conditions.
If Heather and the Hardcore Teams leave exactly on time from their 8 hour rest and her run times remains about the same on her run back to Willow, she and the team should arrive around somewhere between 2 and 3 AM Sunday, Feb 1st AKST (6 and 7 AM EST).
Stay tuned for further updates.
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