Cousins is making his 25th ONAC Appearance
Don Cousins makes the journey from Crooked Creek, Alberta, to Fairbanks every March almost every year and the veteran musher hopes to continue the tradition for as long as he is able.This year marks the 25th year Cousins has competed in GCI Open North American Championship sled dog race, considered…
Every Dog Has Its Day
Fifth-graders in Mark Gullickson’s class study the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race every year, and have heard stories from their teacher about his own winters as a dogsled musher.On Thursday, the stories came to life for everyone at Central Elementary School through a special assembly — complete with three Alaskan…
30 Seconds Separates Leaders on First Day of Open North American
The big three of sprint sled dog racing in Alaska are at the top of the heap after the first day of the GCI Open North American Championship sled dog race Friday in downtown Fairbanks.Only 30 seconds separate Willow’s Egil Ellis, Salcha’s Arleigh Reynolds and Ken Chezik of Fife Lake,…
Seavey Brings Iditarod Title Home to Willow
Dallas Seavey said that, more than anything, it’s the lifestyle that keeps him mushing.“My job is to be in the wilderness with a bunch of sled dogs,” said Seavey, 25. “My daughter thinks heaven is 90 dogs in Willow.”Seavey, who became the youngest musher ever to win the Iditarod Trail…
Iditarod Part of Valley Life Year-Round
It wasn’t so long ago in Alaska when planes, trains, automobiles — and more recently snowmachines and helicopters — replaced sled dog teams as our primary mode of conveyance.And if it weren’t for sled dog racing, this unique part of Alaska’s past may have been left behind 50 years ago,…
Father and Son Busers Arrive with Photo Finish
Martin Buser and his son Rohn crossed the burled arch today with their lead dogs side-by-side, a photo finish that was too close to call from the sidelines.While the standings on Iditarod.com say 22-year-old Rohn finished 1 second ahead of his four-time champion father, the time sheet I watched the…
Dallas Seavey’s Throwback Victory Flashes Back to Old Strategy
Former Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champ Mitch Seavey says he and son, Dallas, the new champion, didn’t plan the race the way it turned out, but things couldn’t have worked out much better for Team Seavey. Mitch ran the race in a style that’s become familiar in recent years…
Mackey: ‘It Wasn’t the Stellar Performance I was Expecting’
Four-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey wrapped Chatanika musher Jodie Bailey in a hug today as the two Yukon Quest veterans parked side-by-side on the finish line.Mackey arrived at 11:17 a.m., about 26 minutes ahead of Bailey, who chased him across the Bering Sea coast into Nome.“I knew I couldn’t catch…
High stakes: The two mistakes that derailed Ken Anderson’s Iditarod
If you made one big mistake in the merciless 2012 Iditarod, you lost your shot at the win. Two blunders? Top ten was out of the question.Just ask Ken Anderson of Fairbanks.“This was kind of the year to do really well,” Anderson, 39, said today. He’d entered the race sensing…
Goodrich Native Claims Prestigious Title of World Champion Sled Dog Racer
For Ken Chezik, playing in the snow with his dogs isn’t just fun and games. It’s a way of life.It’s something that has brought him international attention and a world championship title.Chezik, 53, formerly of Goodrich, claimed the first-place title at the 2012 Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog…