Q&A with Musher Mitch Seavey

How has the race changed since your first Iditarod in 1982; Conditions, competition, and race structure?

The most obvious change since 1982 is the speed of the race, that is to say how long it takes. Rick Swenson won in 1982 in 16 1/2 days and I came along in 17 1/2 days and obviously last year, I set a new record at 8 days, 3 hours - less than half the time of my first Iditarod. All that is possible because we’ve learned a tremendous amount about dog care, training, feeding, and nutrition. As the race has sped up the genetics have also changed so the dogs have morphed into a speedier animal than what we had over 35 races ago.

A lot of people, even dog mushers don’t realize how much things have changed. It’s only been four or five years that our training has been mostly race simulation rather than a training run three or four times a week. It’s only been three years that we’ve done serious year-round training like every other elite athlete rather than starting in September with fat, out-of-shape fur balls. It’s like comparing the Kenyan Marathon elites to old Seavey as he huffs and puffs through his yearly half-marathon after a few weeks of jogging.

Nowadays you’ll hear people making judgements based on the standards of the past saying “Sled dogs can’t do this or that, or the other thing is too much for them etc.” Nobody knows what sled dogs can do and we’ve just recently started training like real athletes. 10 years ago we never thought we could break eight days. Now we’re knocking at the door of seven days with the fastest, happiest, most enthusiastic dogs ever seen at the finishing line (view last year’s live finish video). Let’s see what we’re able to do in another 10 years, then look back at today and see what we think about it.

There is much debate around whether the trail conditions were better or worse in the old days and certainly in the very first races there was almost no trail and very little, if any, snow machine traffic. But then in the 80’s and 90’s, snow machines were very popular and gasoline was cheap so parts of the trail were actually well used and very good. Then in later years with fuel approaching $9/ gallon there’s less local traffic, and snow machines themselves have changed with the advent of paddle-tracks. These high powered machines with paddletracks do more to destroy trails sometimes than to help them.

At the end of the day, the condition of the trail has much to do with the weather and in every Iditarod I’ve run I’ve been impressed and grateful to the volunteer trail crew who always gives us the best trail possible under the conditions. These guys along with the other volunteers, are the behind-the-scenes army and along with the “Iditarod Air Force” they make it all possible. The structure and format of the race really haven’t changed much, its long distance traveling with dogs as safely and quickly as you can.

Who were your mushing influences coming to and what, that they taught you, do you still use today?

My biggest mushing influence was my dad and growing up in a small kennel we learned how to maximize each dog’s potential and bring out the best in each dog by keeping them forward oriented and happy and having fun. Dad grew up with working horses in the Midwest and saw it as a challenge to show each dog how to improve. Of course, techniques have changed a lot since he was a top placer in the first Iditarod’s in the 70’s.

Joe May was a champion and top competitor when I ran my first race in 1982 and I had contact with him through a friend and he influenced me in many ways surrounding training and dog care. Joe is a very tough and can-do person and some of that rubbed off on me.

I got to know Joe Redington, Sr. when I was very young and he was a friend of my Dad’s. He was a big influence. Joe Sr. imparted to everyone around him that almost anything is possible with sled dogs.

As the Iditarod has been transforming in recent years to a speedier, more upbeat experience for the dogs, I credit Dallas and the challenge that we’ve had between us with taking the race to a new level. Dallas has certainly been an influence on me.

What is the significance of mushing in your family or the family significance in your mushing?

Mushing has been a part of our family almost as long as I can remember. It’s a focal point of our activities and conversation. I began mushing when I was four years old with my dad and helped him train for the very first Iditarod. I dreamed of winning the Iditarod my entire life until my first win in 2004.

Raising a family in a competitive sled dog kennel, our boys have been integral in every aspect of training, raising and racing sled dogs. With Dallas emerging as a stand-out champion, the family connection has been extremely rewarding and we have a lot of fun competing and trying to out-fox each other. That said, mushing is what we do but not the entirety of what we are. Our family is about integrity, caring for one another and doing the thing we love, to the best of our ability, whatever that may be.

Do race politics get in the way of good competition?

Politics surrounding the finances, rules, and structure of the Iditarod and its organization have always been a part of the race and can be either very positive to provide a good race or can turn negative when money, political power and rules are weaponized. Once out on the trail we all know what we have to do to take care of our dogs and travel to Nome and the dogs certainly don’t care about the latest blogpost.

Who do you see as Dallas’ best competition right now and in the next five years?

Dallas is running the Finnmarkslopet in Norway this year and I know there are some good mushers over there but I am confident he will make a good race of it. The real question is. . . who do I see as MY competition now and the next five years and I suppose I would say Dallas.

There are other young mushers I sincerely hope to see do well. I think Wade Marrs is learning all he can and putting it into practice so I expect him to emerge in a strong way.

If you were king for a day, what would you change about the Iditarod?

All leadership positions would be filled by all of the very best lead dogs instead of people!