Whitehorse - Frank Turner and the Yukon Quest
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Whitehorse,
Yukon,
Canada
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
"Inspirational" is the word that came to mind as I made my way from the Alaska Highway to Frank Turner's Muktuk Adventures. This thought was induced by the motivational messages nailed on several trees along the forest road leading to his property as well as by the stunning scenery.
My interest in dogsled racing was piqued many years ago as a result of a gripping series about the Iditarod written by Mitch Albom in the Detroit Free Press.
Since then, Mitch Albom has gone on to bigger and better things in writing nine books including The Five People You Meet in Heaven and Tuesdays with Morrie which went to become best sellers.
http://www.albom.com/biography.html
I also like Siberian Huskies which I imagined to be the sled dogs of the North. However, the dogs which pull the heavy loads during these famous races, are far from the beautiful Siberian Huskies.
Here is a summary of some of the points made in an interview which I conducted with Frank Turner at Muktuk Adventures on September 26, 2007. The answers should not be considered as quotes but more as a synopsis.
Frank Turner:
http://www.muktuk.com/ great site!
http://www.yukonquest.com/servlet/musherprofile?id=188
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogsled_racing
(contains a photo of Frank Turner racing)
Background:
The Yukon Quest is a 1,600 km dogsled race from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon.
http://www.yukonquest.com/servlet/viewnewslist
The Iditarod is an 1,840 km dogsled race from Anchorage, Alaska to Nome, Alaska.
http://www.iditarod.com
Which of the two major dogsled races is the toughest?
The Yukon Quest is the toughest in terms of terrain but the Iditarod is the more competitive, intense, and mentally challenging and would therefore be considered the more difficult.
Why have you not competed in the Iditarod?
I am not that competitive, I do not have the competitive nature required for the Iditarod.
- located about 25 km from Whtiehors
Racing requires being in a "different zone" with your dogs which I can do for a short time during a race. In the long run, I enjoy being with my dogs in a non-competitive environment.How long does it take to run the Yukon Quest?
I held the record for the Quest of 10 day, 16 hours for 12 years.
It was broken this year by Lance McKay with a time of 10 days and 10 hours.
Do you know Lance MacKay, the man who won both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest last winter?
I know his father and brother. I placed second in a race against his brother.
How big is the story of Lance MacKay winning both races in the same year?
It is a huge story which culminated with a visit to the White House by Lance.
It is also a compelling story since 5 years ago Lance McKay was diagnosed with cancer of the salivary glands.
He overcame his cancer which is now in remission. The amazing thing is that he never won a race before his cancer.
After undergoing radiation and chemotherapy, he found the power within to beat the cancer. It was this power that he was able to transfer to his racing.
He has an incredibly strong work ethic to which was added a positive attitude and focus. Apparently his attitude can be summed up in saying that when you have battled cancer, doing the Iditarod is not such a big deal anymore. It is all relative.
He had an absolute faith (not religious) in getting better, a faith which he has transferred to his dog team.
He has been untouchable; he won the race three times and broke my old record.
How do you feel about that?
Good.
Now I know why my old record lasted so long, it was waiting for him to come along.
Do you have any desire to take the record back?
No, it doesn't work that way.
What is the physical drain on a person during the race?
It is huge; the sleep deprivation is unbelievable.
Is there any down time during the race?
No, there is no official down time during the race.
47-- the story
When to take breaks is part of your plan. You train for 6 -7 months and during that time a plan is worked out for the race. That's the big effort - the training. It is during this period that you assess the strengths and weaknesses of the team.
The training is the big part; the race is just the tail end.
The race result depends on how good a plan that you have and how well you execute your plan.
You don't go out and beat someone else; instead, it is a question of going out and not beating yourself.
In theory could you run your dogs 24 hours a day?
Have you ever heard of Maslow's hierarchy of needs?
There is no formal rule for down time, on the other hand the rule is called a veterinarian
There are 8 inspection stations in the Yukon Quest and 20 in the Iditarod.
If your dogs fail the veterinarian's inspection because they are too tired, don't eat, are too thin, or have sore feet, then you are out of the race.
Three mandatory stops in the Yukon Quest
There is no option to replace a dog during the race.
The Yukon Quest is started with 14 dogs, 16 for Iditarod, which can dwindle down to a minimum of 5 for the Quest and 6 for the Iditarod.
Last year I did not finish.
Over the years I have finished the Yukon Quest with an average of 10 -11 dogs.
How do you know when a dog is not pulling his weight?
You know your dogs - physically, mentally, and emotionally, and when any of those factors are not right, it is quite obvious.
Do you know every dog? (question asked in the context of the 50+ dogs in the kennel)
Do you own a dog? (answering a question with a question)
The dogs are your friends.
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You know your dogs. A dog is by nature a social animal. As far as the relationship with the dogs is concerned, you try and make it a win - win situation. My background as a social worker comes in handy in dealing with the dogs.check the dog gallery at: http://www.muktuk.com
His thoughts then drift back to Lance MacKay .......
Lance is incredible, but I wonder how the big times will affect him. Will he keep his balance, emotionally and mentally?
Where is the start of the Iditarod? (question asked in the context of the sign "Iditarod Mile 0" that I saw in Seward Alaska)
It depends on the weather.
There is usually a ceremonial start from Anchorage, Alaska which is used as a fund-raiser. For $8,000, donators can ride on a sled for part of the first stage of the Iditarod.
The Seward sign "Iditarod Mile 0" is just a tourist thing.
Depending on the weather, the official start may be at Eagle River or Willow.
(see map at: http://www.iditarod.com/
Frank Turner then mused that his business, Muktuk Adventures, was not a Tim Hortons, garnering a steady stream of income. He was living his dream but there were financial pressures. He relies heavily on his wife as his business manager.
He also waxed eloquently about the "WOOFERS".
- motivational messages along the way
No, the "WOOFERS", despite what the name may imply, are not dogs!Quite the contrary, they are young, vibrant, engaged, socially conscious, environmentally friendly, adventurous, multi-lingual high school graduates from various parts of the world.
They are a part of "World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms".
These young men and women from Germany, Switzerland, and Australia that take care of the sled dogs and the organic farm are part of a program that is detailed at: http://www.wwoof.org/
Frank Turner was very generous in his praise of the "helpers".
They are volunteers that feed the dogs, they look after their medical needs, they are just out of high school but they are amazing.
The following question was asked in the context of William J. Dempster and his frequent multi-week, 450 km patrols between Dawson City, Yukon and Fort McPherson, NWT (see Blog 60)
to Blog 60
How were the early dog mushers able to feed themselves and their dogs on these lengthy trips through desolate remote territories?
Their main source of food was the hunting they did along the trail. They would shoot, for example, a caribou and feed it to the dogs. If it was a regular trail, they could establish caches along the trail during certain times of the year for later use.
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They also relied upon the native people to some extent. Native people were knowledgeable in their use of dried fish and meat.
I notice your dogs are not Siberian Huskies. What type of dogs are they?
They are marathon athletes but they are basically of the Heinz 57 breed. They are the Alaskan Husky which has the strength and endurance for the long sled dog marathons. While they are not as pretty as the Siberian Husky, they are much better at the task of pulling heavy loads for long periods of time.
What was your worst moment in your illustrious racing career?
It happened on Eagle Summit during last year's race - a race which I did not finish.
On a steep downhill, my foot got caught on the sled. I was dragged and then lost the team. The dogs then ran into another musher at the bottom of the hill.
Which dogs are your leaders? (expecting a discourse on the praises of a select few)
They are all leaders. You can never have enough leaders. There are no favorites!
On a personal note, I know that Frank Turner cares about his dogs but he also cares about people.
When I first shook his hand to introduce myself, he noted how cold my hand was. (I had spent 20 minutes previous to the interview taking photos of the dogs on a cold day).
Upon shaking my hand at the end of the interview, he again returned to the same theme of my cold hand by suggesting that I get myself a warm pair of gloves.
I took a lot of photos of the sled dogs but in my excitement of having an interview with the legendary Frank Turner, I forgot to take a photo. So the photo I have was taken from the advertising for Muktuk Adventures.
Finally, it was a pleasure to spend a few moments with a man who had accomplished so much and who had made such a contribution to his passion - sled dogs and sled dog racing.
Coming Soon: Whitehorse - How I Lost it, but it wasn't a total loss
