We are so proud of our handler, Wyatt Suchecki, for his incredible performance in his first 300 mile race. These are his thoughts, written (and in some cAaes expanded upon) by Sarah.
Wyatt finished in 24th places with a total run time of 41 hours and 8 minutes.
Granger, 3 year old, female
Granger was the 16th dog on Travis’s 2015 11th place Iditarod team. She only made it about 300 miles on Last year’s Iditarod, but Travis was happy with that as she was a last-minute addition and didn’t have quite the amount of training as the rest of the team. During the Copper basin 300 this year, Granger ran 300 miles in lead. In otherwords, she led the entire race. She was a very forward oriented dog and Wyatt ran her with no neckline. Wyatt was ecstatic to have had Granger done so well with him in part because they work so frequently together last year. Why it was one of the driving forces behind Grangers development as a lead dog. It must’ve been a very special moment for him to hook her up at the start of the race and lead and an even more gratifying moment when she came in at the finish line.
Fidget, 5 year old, female
Fidget has ran and finished every Iditarod with Travis. Wyatt described her as the rock of the team. We are not surprised by this description as Fidget has always been one of the most reliable, hard-working, energetic dogs in the team. Wyatt said that whether or not she was in lead, she was clearly the backbone of the team. She ran 150 miles of the race in lead and was the team cheerleader. Fidget was a great dog for Wyatt to have as she is one of those dogs that don’t require much attention, always works hard, and helps keep the dogs around her happy and motivated
Cricket, 2 year old, female
Cricket has always been a spunky dog. As a puppy, when we let her loose during free play, we always had to keep a close watch on Cricket. She is a very sassy little dog and thinks the world of herself. Although she may be small in size, she makes up for it inheart. Don’t be fooled, the small dog packs quite the punch.
Cricket ran 150 miles in lead during the Copper basin 300. When she wasn’t in the lead, she ran in swing. Going over the hump, the big mountain in the second leg of the race, she was one of the loudest, most eager dogs going up hill. Wyatt described her enthusiasm going over the hump as a real highlight for him during the race. This is one of Cricket’s first races and one of her best leading experiences.
Although she occasionally got a little distracted upfront, whenever Wyatt moved her out of lead she always resumed her hard-working attitude. We are excited to see what this little lady and her spunky attitude will bring to the main race team this year.
Tamere, 6 year old, female
Oh Tamere. Tamere, Tamere, Tamere. So much could be said about this little princess. To me here is one of those sassy dogs that always has to get her way and always has to be in charge whether or not she is leading the team. She is a total glory hound – she loves to bark with excitement and enthusiasm in front of a crowd, even if she is dead tired.
This race, Tamere ran exclusively in swing. She also really reminded us why female dogs are called bitches as she is always very haughty to the dogs around her sa and loves keeping other dogs in line. She is a real miss manners. As a swing dog, she thoroughly enjoyed reprimanding the lead dogs whenever they started messing around. Tamere simply loves being the goody two shoes. Tamere has been on all of Travis is Iditarod teams, finishing twice and making it about 700 miles in last year’s race. We expect another big performance from Tamere this year, although she will likely be on Sarah’s team instead of Travis’ as Travis has grown tired of dealing with her princess antics.
Zeus, 15 months, male
Zeuswas the young gun of this team. The Copper basin 300 was his first race. He primarily ran in the middle of the team. When he was on point, he was on point – working hard, cheering loudly, and busting butt. As a young dog, he occasionally got A little mentally fatigued but he never got physically tired. He met our expectations for his age and we were happy to see that he made it to the finish line. Zeus is going to be a real all star in our kennel in the years to come. He is a very hard-working dog, who are shown real potential of being a leader, and often runs upfront and training. He is beautifully gaited and is a real joy to work with. We were thrilled to see him finish the Copper basin 300.
Gremlin, 4 years old, female
Gremlin is one of those tiny little females who has really come along way since she joined our kennel as an 8 week old puppy back in 2011. She and her sister Goblin have proven to be steadfast loyal hard-working dogs in our kennel — and many of the dogs in our race teams are Gremlin’s nieces and nephews.
Gremlin finished on Travis’s 11th Place Iditarod team last year and swing. For this race,Gremlin was the smallest dog on the team but she was also the dog who had the biggest heart. She was loud, reliable, and steadfast in her work ethic. Wyatt said that she was the dog he worried least about on the race trail. Gremlin simply did her job and did it well.
Star, 8 years old, female
Star has consistently been a member of Travis’s main race team over the last four years. She ran as part of the 11th place Iditarod team last year although she did not finish. On this race, she was Wyatt’s favorite dog to watch. Although she was one of the slower moving dogs and the team, she helped with her incredible strength. Why it wisely used her as the pacesetter for the team, traveling at a speed that was comfortable for Star. Star ran in wheel and one above wheel it was a real team player. Throughout the race, she willingly ran next to any dog and was always happy to do her job and eat her snacks.
Ray, 10 years old, male
Ray is one of those dogs who just keep surprising us. Last year, we couldn’t believe that he made the Iditarod team. We were even more surprised when he finished on the 11th Place team. Despite his age, Ray still has it! He is a smooth moving dog who loves to eat and is notorious for being pretty lazy. This race was no exception.
Wyatt reported that he was the laziest dog on the team, ate everything, and loved marking his territory whenever given the chance. In other words, he was typical Ray. Ray was a very rowdy always happy and always ready to travel further – this is pretty usual for Ray and is partially due to the fact that he knows how to pace himself so well. Despite his age, Travis and Sarah are duking it out to determine who will get Ray for their Iditarod team. Well done, old man!
Monroe, 7 years old, male
Monroe was the 17th dog last year though he has previously made Travis’ other two Iditarod teams. He was the slowest dog on Whitestine this year, but also the loudest. He ran with Ray, as usual, and they were the real cheerleaders of the team. Although slow, Munro was a consistent hard worker.
Aldawin, 2 years old, male
Alderman was routinely the best dog in Wyatts team although he got sick. He ended up needing to ride in the sled for approximately two hours during one of the runs but then performed even stronger. His weakness seem to be more mental than physical. Why reported that he was the dog that he watched most carefully because he got sick. He had a strong performance and we look forward to seeing Aldawin as an athlete.
Havoc, 3 years old, female
Havoc ran in a wheel for 220 miles of the Copper basin 300. She was dropped due to a slight wrist and shoulder injury. Until that point, she was the most impressive dog. She was also the biggest surprise because it was her very first race. Normally, we have seen Havoc be somewhat weak headed and lack the mental focus needed for a real race dog. Despite that reputation, Havoc was anything but. Haven’t really worked hard during the race because that she was one of the biggest surprises. Wyatt wished he did not have to drop her but did it because she is in contention for an Iditarod slot.
Wyatt
Why reported that his highlights were going over top dome, The infamous hump on the second leg of the race. The straight up vertical challenge was fun for him but the best part was seeing how excited cricket got going and leading up to hell. He really enjoyed being able to run with Justin and have Justin near him throughout the race but also not really running together and having alone time out on the trail. He had fun being with his team, watching and learning from other mushers, and seeing and mushing next to the infamous Alaska pipeline. One of his true low lights of the race was when Nick Petite went to pass him and Wyatt tipped his sled over. He felt a little dumb about this but Travis and I have both assured him that we have tipped over and phone many times ourselves. On this particular race I think I tipped my sled over some two dozen times so I could really empathize with how Wyatt was feeling. For Wyatt, the hardest run was leaving sourdough and heading to Mendeltna as the run seemed to take forever. His spirits were slightly bolstered by seeing my cousin, Andy, twice who encouraged Wyatt to keep going and that he was almost there.
Great race Wyatt and team!
Thank you to Dre Langefeld for some of these wonderful photos of our dogs.
Check, 15 months, male Check was one of those dogs I thought for sure would finish. His body, however, had other plans. Check ended up getting pretty sick and had a lot of diarrhea – enough that he wasn’t really able to maintain a good level of hydration and I dropped him out of an over abundance of caution. I think he’s going to make my Iditarod team regardless so I didn’t want to push him and force him into having a bad racing experience. For their first race, it’s always very important that the dogs have fun and come off of it feeling good. While Check was in the team,he had a strong drive and really helped propel the team up the big hills. He’s a fun dog to watch because of his smooth trot. I expect some really big things out of him in the years to come. He made it about 150 miles into the race and I was happy with that. I was really excited about his great attitude and his willingness to get up and go. If it had been up to him, he would’ve stayed on the team. But that is why, we as mushers, are in charge and not the dogs.