Lots of snow, enthusiasm surround Knik 200

Jan. 7, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

KNIK - This is why sled dog racing is Alaska's state sport.

The Knik 200 Joe Redington Sr. Memorial sled dog race got underway Saturday morning, with 36 Skwentna-bound teams eagerly hitting the trail past an enthusiastic crowd gathered at the starting line at Knik Lake.

Race officials were expecting a cold, snowy 100-mile trip to the Skwentna Roadhouse, where a mandatory 6-hour layover awaits mushers sometime today. On Friday - reading from notes scribbled on his palm - organizer Bruce Braden gave a trail report during the evening's mandatory mushers meeting.

"The trail looks really good," Braden said.

There was no river overflow to report, he said, and the only hazard mushers should watch for is a tricky turn on the trail back to Knik off the Yentna River.

"When you come home, you're turning back onto the Big Su (River). Don't go to Willow," he warned.

A good crowd gathered at the race start Saturday despite the day's cold, overflowing the Knik Bar parking lot. In most years, spectators and mushers can park their vehicles on the ice. But this year's heavy snowfall only allowed race organizers to plow a small section of the lake. Anyone unlucky enough to get stuck while hunting for a parking space, however, was quickly pushed out by a friendly passer-by.

Teamwork and cooperation are key to successful mushing, and that attitude prevails among anyone gathered at a sled dog race start, where spirits are always high despite the confusion created by a tornado of barking dogs, handlers, spectators, mushers and officials.

This year's race start was no different. But there were only a few minor glitches, most involving amped-up dogs and quickly ironed out by the mushers themselves.

Among the field heading out Saturday were well-known stars such as Iditarod champions Jeff King and Dean Osmar, as well as fan-favorite Dee Dee Jonrowe.

But there were also a couple racers nobody has ever heard of.

For Hernan Maquiera of Argentina and Kim Franklin of England,this year's Knik 200 represents their first official race in Alaska. Both say their ultimate goal is to run in and finish the Iditarod, and are using the Knik as a stepping-stone to that goal.

Franklin has been training with Osmar and Susan Anderson in Clam Gulch all winter after catching the mushing bug as a spectator in years past. Last year she rode along with Osmar's son, Tim, during the ceremonial Iditarod start in Anchorage, and at that point decided to give the sport a try for herself.

She said she's planning on taking the Knik race easy, with her only goal to finish the race with healthy dogs. Her attitude was upbeat Friday night, though she admitted the proof will come after the weekend.

&#8220Ask me Sunday night,” she said.

Anderson praised Osmar for getting her ready to race.

&#8220I've just gotta trust Dean that I'm ready,” she said. &#8220He's been really great.”

Although Franklin is still a novice to the sport, Argentina's Maquiera has been mushing for nearly a decade. He's been training with Italian musher Fabrizio Lovati, and has run a couple stage races in the Lower-48. The Knik is his third qualifier, and Maquiera said he's using the race as a tune-up for this year's Iditarod.

&#8220As a long distance race, this is my first,” he said. &#8220I'm just running to learn.”

Maquiera said the biggest challenge he's expecting will be dealing with the lack of sleep forced by longer races.

&#8220It's the sleep deprivation, definitely,” he said.

Maquiera said he got into mushing as a way to spend time with dogs. For him, the idea of being alone in the wilderness with his animals is what brought him to the sport.

&#8220To enjoy dogs. To be out there for 10 or 12 days all alone with them, that's my dream,” he said.

Franklin and Maquiera could not have chosen a friendlier race to begin their Alaskan mushing careers. All around the starting gate Saturday were examples of what draws people from all walks of life to the sport.

Children dove and danced in the snow, oblivious to the plight of anxious handlers guiding excited canines through the starting gate. Spectators offered advice, encouragement and even friendly barbs as each musher made their way to the start.

One, noting Willow musher Gary Paulson's uncapped - and hairless - noggin, felt the need to comment.

&#8220Hey, you don't even need a headlamp,” the onlooker joked.

Paulson took the joke in stride, laughing and rubbing his bald head.

Libby Riddles, a legendary figure who became the first woman to ever win the Iditarod in 1985, made the trip to Knik from Homer simply to take in the event and chat with friends. She said she planned on sticking around through the post-race banquet, and spent much of the day Saturday watching the race start and chatting with mushers and fans as teams lined up at the gate.

She also lent a helping hand from time to time, like when one of Dean Osmar's dogs nearly broke away from the rest of the team. Riddles quickly jumped in and helped Osmar get the dog hooked back to the main line, providing fans with a scene unheard of in any other sport - one former champion helping another just moments before the start of a big race.

The faster racers were expected to pull into Skwentna sometime late Saturday night, with the winner likely to return to Knik Sunday morning. Jeff King won last year's race, and he'll be expected to among the leaders.

Also likely to challenge for the top spot are Melanie Gould, Gerry Willomitzer, Sebastian Schuelle, Ray Redington Jr., Ryan Redington, Paul Gebhardt, Jonrowe and a handful of others.

As with any sled dog race, however, winning is far from everything. In fact, the excitement generated by the Knik 200, according to organizer Kit Braden, far overshadows the competitive side of the event.

&#8220This is a big thing in Knik,” Braden said Friday evening. &#8220It's bigger for us than Christmas or New Year's.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com