Mushers hit the trail for the Sheep Mountain 150

Dec. 17, 2006

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

EUREKA - A fast, hard-packed trail led to a blistering pace over the opening 50 miles of the Sheep Mountain 150 sled dog race Saturday.

&#8220Last year I was 4:16, and this year I was under four (hours),” Sebastian Schnuelle, of Whitehorse, said after reaching the Eureka Lodge checkpoint. &#822050 miles in under four hours is freaking fast.”

Schnuelle was the second musher to reach the checkpoint, coming in one minute behind fellow Whitehorse musher Gerry Willomitzer, who started in second position. The two were among four mushers to complete the opening leg in less than four hours.

Lance Mackey was the first musher to leave the Eureka Lodge checkpoint. Mackey covered the distance between Sheep Mountain and Eureka in an astounding 3 hours, 46 minutes. He flew past 23 mushers along the trail. Jessica Hendricks-Bullen left Eureka in third position, while Willomitzer was fourth.

Race director Zack Steer said the conditions were ideal for making good time.

&#8220It's hard and it's fast,” Steer said while helping mushers as they streamed into Eureka.

The early leaders are all veteran mushers with strong, experienced teams. Schnuelle finished second in last year's race, while Willomitzer was seventh. Mackey is a top-10 Iditarod finisher and two-time Yukon Quest champ, while Hendricks-Bullen was Iditarod's rookie of the year in 2003.

The race began under foggy, overcast skies with temperatures right around zero. Mushers left the Sheep Mountain Lodge two minutes apart, with the time difference added onto the first layover.

The race start progressed smoothly, as volunteer handlers and mushers worked cooperatively to ensure there were no major tangles or glitches as teams left the start/finish line at the Sheep Mountain airstrip.

The key to a good race start, said volunteer Becky Houser of Anchorage, is well-trained dogs.

&#8220These mushers really have good control of their dogs,” Hauser said.

That doesn't mean the job of the volunteer is completely stress-free she said.

&#8220You have to try and avoid the little surprises they leave along the way,” she said.

43 mushers began the race, which is looked upon by many as a key early-season training run for mushers hoping to compete in bigger races, such as the Yukon Quest and Iditarod.

&#8220It's a good competition,” Willomitzer said.

The German-born musher said he expected the pace to be fast this year because of the cold temperatures and hard, slick trail.

&#8220I told Zack I felt it could be done in under four hours,” he said.

Willomitzer and Schnuelle - who also originally hails from Germany - ran neck-and-neck over most of the opening leg and spent their layover time laughing and joking in their native tongue. Both emigrated separately to Whitehorse 10 years ago to run dogs and have forged a friendly rivalry since.

&#8220I hate the bastard,” Willomitzer joked.

&#8220It's nice. We can cuss at each other in German and nobody knows what we're saying,” Schnuelle said.

Things appeared to be running smoothly as the first leg of the race came to a close, with temperatures ideal for mushing and few reports of problems along the trail.

Mushers began leaving the Eureka Lodge checkpoint late Saturday night on their way out for the second leg, which loops around toward the Nelchina River before heading back to Eureka. The final leg follows the original trail back to the race's start/finish line at the Sheep Mountain Lodge. The winner is expected to cross the finish line sometime this afternoon.

Matt Tunseth can be reached at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com