Team Ineka

Mushin Down a Dream

Team Ineka

The Dog Days of Summer

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Here in the land of the midnight sun, the mosquitos are out and the dogs are enjoying their vacation. They spend their days lounging around in the barking lot and wishing for the colder days when training will start again. We are truly in the dog days of summer here at Team Ineka.

That does not mean that nothing is happening, the mushers are busy running triathlons, working their summer jobs, fishing for salmon that they will use for trail snacks and backyard BBQ’s, plenty of chores to be had, dog houses to build and kennels and fencing to be installed, bees to attended too and cord wood to be stacked.

We are already planning our season. Robert will attempt (once again) to do his Iditarod qualifiers IF the snow comes and none are cancelled like they have been for the last two seasons. Nicole will run the Junior Iditarod for the last time before she heads off to college in the fall of 2015, Michele plans to enter a small race or two and our friend Dale will too.

We are always looking for people to be a part of the team too! You can learn more about our incredible athletes, the mushers and our daily life with 40 sled dogs.

You can sponsor a dog, booties or become a race entry sponsor, or help with the daily kennel needs with your generous contributions.

It takes a small army to get to the starting line. Our sponsors and supporters are not just people that donate money, goods or services to us. They are part of the team. We appreciate your support and look forward to new partnerships.

Our sponsors receive letters and pictures directly from your favorite mushers. You have the opportunity to meet the team at race events and if you are up in Alaska we can teach you how to drive your own dog team. The mushers are always willing to travel to speak to our sponsors and supporters and to school and other groups that would like to learn more about living a life with dogs!

If you would like to find out more, comment below or check out our sponsorship page by clicking the button below.
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Nome 40 10 mile race

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Spring mushing is the best in Alaska. Last weekend, Michele and Nicole ran a 10-mile race in Knik and had a blast!

It was the first race that Michele had run for more than 13 years and the first time she raced against and with her little girl.

I (Robert), was supposed to run the Nome Sign 40 race but decided late on Thursday to let the girls run and have some fun.

We wanted to test out two new dogs we got from James Wheeler, whom we got the Kasilof Crew from two summers ago. The new dogs, Valdez a big 70 pound male and Pearl a small black, shy female hoped to make it on the team and this would be their time to shine!

The race started early so we packed up the two teams of six dogs and headed for the lake. The race is one of the most low-key races in the Valley. You meet on the lake, hand the race marshall your cash and pick up a bib. Dale, was there to give us a hand hooking up and seeing the teams off.

The musher meeting was held on the lake and Michele and Nicole picked bib 4 and 6 with the hopes of having someone in the middle to give us four minutes to get the second team on the trail.

Michele was running Vela-Cession, Scarlet-Pearl, Bodhi-Trapper. We got the team hooked up and away she went. Within 30 seconds Michele’s team was heading down the ice road towards someone’s backyard. We quickly got her turned around and on the trail and on her way.

Nicole was running TyTy-Rasp, Aussie-Gabby,Valdez-Ragnar. Nicole started second in the field and left quickly down the trail with Robert and Dale leading her out. Her race was a combination of passes and rock-n-roll as she made her way down the 10 mile trail. Having just finished the Junior Iditarod she was pretty confident on the runners, even though she was using the Sled Dog Systems sled for the first time. After the race she said it felt like a rocket with the light sled and no weight in the bag.

Nicole came in with the other mushers and finished in the middle of the pack.

Michele here: We meandered around the historic town of Knik, past the Dog Mushing Hall of Fame. The trail was icy and fast and it was quite warm. We crossed the road, up a hill and hit the moguls. It became quite a ride! At about mile 3 passes were starting to happen. At the turn around Barb and Ramey Redington were there to help us out. There was a beautiful view of Sleeping Lady (Mount Susitna) and that is were I met up with Nicole.

Nicole was rocking out to her music on her iPod and passed me in quick order. On the way back I switched out leaders and now had Bodhi and Cession in lead. This was the first time Bodhi has ever lead in a race and Cession had only lead for Robert a couple times in his sprint races earlier this season.

As we saw the lake Bodhi’s tail was flying’ high. I could see Robert and Dale as I got closer and closer and I said, “Bodhi take me home to Daddy!” He saw Robert and picked up speed.

We finished strong and waited for the last team to come in. As it turned out Michele and Nicole finished fifth and sixth with Nicole beating her mom by just eight minutes.

What we learned:

Michele here. 1. We are still struggling to find the right mix of leaders. We have plenty of team dogs but a dog team is only as good as their lead dogs. This summer and fall we will be training up several lead dogs to hopefully make our teams complete.

2. I wasn’t prepared for all the moguls! I am used to the nice groomed trails of the Haesseler-Norris trail system. My poor ankle took a beating!

3. I loved racing with and against my daughter. This is the first time I had ever run with Nicole in a race since way back when she was three years old and running her first race, a 100-yard dash with her dog Tamaya.

These low key races are excellent for getting new dogs out to experience the race vibe. I think Valdez and Pearl proved themselves enough and we just may keep them. I am saying, they just may have a chance, quoting one of my favorite movies of all time.

Most likely this is the last race of the year for Team Ineka and now our focus shifts to next year. We hope to start the season with entering a few of the shorter races like the Aurora 50-50 and the Alaska Excursions 120 in December. That is if Mother Nature blesses us with good snow!

See you on the trail!

 

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Official dog team of the Mihmiverse

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STELOGO2

We are now the official dog team of the Mihmiverse!

Our good friend, Christopher R. Mihm, is a filmmaker from Minnesota and he has graciously agreed to be one of our top sponsors for Team Ineka.

The Mihmiverse is a collection of films and fans of uber-cool 1950’s era style sci-fi films. They include such titles as The Monster from Phantom Lake, The House of Ghosts, Attack of the Moon Zombies and The Giant Spider.

Check out Saint Euphoria Pictures and become a part of the Mihmiverse today!

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