Iditarod 2009: Young Racer Update

A better title for this post might be "Bragging Rights"... Here's why:

Those of you who have read the Howler know that SP Kennel has some dynamic yearlings. The "car litter" -- Beemer, Honda, Hummer, Malibu, Olivia, Rambler, Ranger, Scout and Viper -- are a cross of ChaCha (smart, confident, tough) and Oddball (strong, nimble, driven). They are all really good, talented dogs who will be an important part of the future of the Kennel, but three of them -- Ranger, Viper and Beemer -- came along at an exceptionally fast pace and actually became candidates for Allen's Iditarod "B-Team." As the Howler article points out, running yearlings in the Iditarod has many advantages and at least as many problems!

You may recall that their first -- and only! -- race was the Solstice 50 (Posts: Part 1 & Part 2) just a couple of months ago, but they have been training with the "big dogs" ever since. At press time for the Howler, it seemed that Ranger and Viper were the leading contenders for making it to the big show, but it has turned out that Beemer -- their more reserved brother -- is the only one of them to be out on the Iditarod Trail at this very moment. By far the least vocal of the group around the Kennel in the past, you can bet that Beemer will have a lot to say to his brothers when he gets back. This will be especially true if he makes it all the way to Nome!

Giving young dogs a positive Iditarod racing experience is Allen's primary goal for his team, and he's willing to go to great lengths to make sure that happens. For example, Allen has so far stuck to a strict schedule of running 5 hours and resting 7 hours. This is because 5 hours (about 50 miles) is the farthest that Beemer has ever run, and it is important not to push him too far, too fast. If Beemer does well with these long stints back to back, Allen will "press the pace" as appropriate. For some of the older, more experienced dogs this preliminary pace may seem like a walk in the park, but having seen the way Beemer has come along in just the past couple of weeks I'd bet he'll be pushing them in no time at all!

It's truly amazing to watch a dog go from being a crazy little yearling to a confident young racer in such a short time. Frankly, I'm really rooting for the kid and I hope you are too. Here's a little video cameo from yesterday's pre-race activities, just to introduce the amazing young Beemer:

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