Iditarod teams make their start; good trail expected

WILLOW — Maybe mushing as a sport tends to breed or attract the self-confident among us.

But almost to the musher, each one interviewed on the ice at Willow Lake Sunday said there isn’t a single stretch of the nearly 1,000 miles of Iditarod Trail that is particularly worrisome this year.

“There’s no piece of the trail anywhere that I’m worried about more than any other,” said last year’s champion, Dallas Seavey, 25, of Willow, as he packed his sled bag. “Don’t let your eye off the ball even for a second, because when you do this trail will knock you on your ass. The gorge, the steps, the burn, the river, the coast, they all beat you up.”

By 2 p.m., Monday, Valley mushers were in first and last place. Inveterate Big Lake musher and four-time champ Martin Buser, who was first out of Willow, remained in first place, making it all the way to Rohn. Behind him was Matt Failor, who is racing Buser’s B team this year. Jason Mackey of Meadow Lakes and the storied Mackey racing clan was in third place. Justin Savidis and DeeDee Jonrowe, both Willow residents, were in sixth and seventh. Wasilla’s Ray Redington Jr., was in eighth. In 21st place was Jake Berkowitz of Big Lake. Cym Smyth of Big Lake was running 23rd with Seavey at 25th. At 28, 29 and 30 respectively were Kelley Griffin and Wade Marrs and Karin Hendrickson, all of Wasilla. Ramey Smyth of Willow, who finished third last year, was in 32nd. Gerald Sousa of Talkeetna was running 46. Rudy Demoski Sr., of Wasilla, was in 50th with Linwood Fielder of Willow right behind. Willow’s Bob Chlupach was in 62nd place. And bringing up the rear, in 65th place, was James Volek of Big Lake.

Back at the restart, Seavey was cagey on his chances to repeat as champion this year.

“I think this team is more than capable and is more capable than last year’s,” he said. “I’m by no means going to say this is our race because right now this is anybody’s race.”

On the other side of the parking lot, Jake Berkowitz, 26, of Big Lake, who came in fourth in this year’s Yukon Quest and whose dogs made up the sixth-place team, said he was feeling good during a lull in his race preparation work.

“We’re feeling ready to race,” he said. And his team, made up of the cream of both Quest teams is, “I think, as good as anyone else’s.”

He said he continues mushing for a couple of reasons.

“It’s the love of the dogs,” he said. “But the racing aspect is to win. That’s our goal.”

There to help him toward that goal, he said, will be his main lead dog, Pixie.

“She just never tires, she’s always happy, always ready to lead,” he said.

Justin Savidis, 38, of Willow, spoke while clipping nails on one preternaturally calm sled dog after another.

“It’s like anything, if you do it enough times they get used to it,” Savidis said of why his dogs were so at ease with the task. He said his team is looking good despite a rough training season.

“I was working full time, so training was a challenge,” he said. “Now I’m just doing dogs.”

As far as the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race goes, he finished 44th in 2012 and 39th in 2011. Between those and other races, he has an experienced team with him.

“We’ve got about 3,000 miles on them,” Savidis said.

Jason Mackey, 41, of Meadow Lakes, spoke while putting booties on his dogs. He’s the brother of four-time champion Lance Mackey and 1983 champion Rick Mackey, and son of 1978 champion Dick Mackey. Jason Mackey said he was returning to the Iditarod this year after taking a five-year hiatus to rebuild following a very tough, nearly disastrous 2008 race.

“Mentally, it got to me,” he said. “It weights on a person when you put everything on the line.”

It’s a lot to take on financially as well, he said.

“I’ve said many times, we eat beans and rice while the dogs eat steak,” Mackey said.

But he’s one of those people who is just compelled to mush dogs.

“It was born into me,” he said. “If our dad would’ve raced cars we probably would’ve raced cars.”

At the very front of the parking lot sat four-time champion Martin Buser, 54, of Big Lake, who drew the No. 2 bib this year, putting him in the lead behind the ceremonial first musher. He spoke between shaking hands and posing for photos.

“They all have raced,” he said of this year’s team. “All but one have been to Nome.”

He said he’ll leave Willow with Flash and Shere Kahn in the lead, but that’ll probably change as the race progresses.

“I’ve got 14 leaders,” he said. “Fourteen of the 16 can and will lead.”

He said his wife had set out that morning ahead of him with the intent to snowmachine to Nome.

As he spoke, David Johnston, a former president of the Wasilla Chamber of Commerce, stopped by to share some trail reports. Johnson, an inveterate marathoner, had just run in the Iditarod Trail Invitational.

“It was great,” he said of the trail.

And while Buser was the first out of Willow, his B-team, mushed this year by Matt Failor, drew bib 61 and was the last out.

Failor, 29, of Big Lake, said that mushing provides a lifestyle he can’t get elsewhere.

“I’ve done everything, flipping burgers, delivering newspapers,” he said. “This is the best thing I’ve ever done so I want to keep doing it.”

Contact reporter Andrew Wellner at andrew.wellner@frontiersman.com or 352-2270.