Close finish a competitive start to mushing season

SHEEP MOUNTAIN — The mushing season’s first race didn’t disappoint this past weekend, with a nail-bitter ending and at least one Jamaican taking part in the Sheep Mountain 150.

Jessica Hendricks of Two Rivers won the race Sunday with a time of 1 day 30 minutes. The field got so close near the finish line that the second- through fourth-place finishers were only separated by three minutes.

Race organizer and Sheep Mountain Lodge owner Zach Steer said the 2008 race lived up to expectations.

“The race course turned out really well, actually,” Steer said.

Heavy snows a week before the race made trail officials work hard to have the trail ready for the race.

“It got snowed in and blown in,” Steer said of the conditions.

But when race weekend came, clear skies, a full moon and even some shooting stars greeted a field of 47 mushers. Forty-two mushers ended up finishing the race, which last about 24 hours.

It was the largest group to race in the Sheep Mountain 150 ever, which is a sign of the times, Steer said.

“I think there’s a renewed interest in these mid-distance races,” he said. “It’s not very expensive to participate and go in.”

Many mushers at the Iditarod Sled Dog Race sign-up picnic this summer complained the economy and a $4,000 sign-up fee to run the world-famous race have put the hurt on the sport. News like that makes Steer’s race look more inviting, since mushers don’t have to shell out the expense it takes to run the Iditarod, he said.

Iditarod musher Hans Gatt brought along Jamaican musher Newton Marshall, who is apprenticing under the Whitehorse musher this season.

Marshall is part of the Jamaica Dogsled Team, which, like the Jamaica Bobsled Team, is comprised of Jamaicans participating in a winter sport seldom seen in tropical climates. Steer said he was impressed with the islander’s mushing ability.

“The dogs did well and he was very competent,” Steer said.

Many rookies also participated in the Sheep Mountain race for the first time, as well as some notable mushers.

Vern Halter, Jeff King and Aliy Zirkle, all well-known mushing names, raced at Sheep Mountain for the first time.

Steer said before the race began he asked all the rookies to raise their hands to show newcomers to the sport that even grizzled veterans were running the Sheep Mountain for the first time.

“I was trying to point out that even experienced mushers become rookies too,” Steer said.

Sheep Mountain 150

Results

Jessica Hendricks 12:30

Allen Moore 12:36

Hans Gatt 12:38

Jon Little 12:39

Jeff King 12:55

Jason Mackey 13:03

Sebastian Schnuelle 13:09

Judy Currier 13:18

Gerry Wilomitzer 13:23

Micah Dagelund 13:30

Ken Anderson 13:42

Aily Zirkle 13:56

Colleen Robertia 13:58

Jim Lanier 14:02

Robert Bundtzen 14:03

Matt Hayashida 14:04

DeeDee Jonrowe 14:11

Louis Bissonette 14:22

Dallas Seavey 14:24

Anjanette Steer 14:27

Newton Marshall 14:31

Cindy Barrand 14:34

Jeff Deeter 14:34

Thomas Lesatz 14:43

Sarah Spinola 14:44

Kyla Johnson 14:49

Jake Berkowitz 14:54

Robert Tasso 15:03

Lucas Cramer 15:05

Clint Warnke 15:19

Rich Savoyski 15:35

Ryan Redington 15:34

Dave Decaro 16:10

Mark Sleighthome 16:53

Travis Fuller 17:00

Vern Halter 18:16

Jonathan Cox 14:29

Ray Edwards 18:37

Nancy Yoshida 18:43

Blake Natray 18:46