The mushers award banquet is starting now at the Paxson Lodge with a room full of red faced happy- to- be finished mushers. Teams are still coming in as far as I know. We had to push back the award time from 2 to 5 with trail boss John Schandelmeier barley making it in time himself as he ran back from Maclaren with the last group of dropped dogs, 42 miles in with wind and cooling temps. It's sitting at -32 on Paxson Lake.
As race organizer and director this year working from the Paxson end with minimal information coming in throughout the race, I did my best to keep concerned mothers, fathers, husbands. wives, friends and fans informed as you called in on the phone. It was Very cold out there for the mushers this year and with some brutal conditions. Theresa Daily posted some great photo's from the Maclaren checkpoint.
Congrats Jodi Bailey! 2 time Champion of the 2008 Gin Gin 200! Her team was smoking hot when they arrived the finish line, still pulling hard and ready to go. I was there anxiously awaiting to check her in ---- with this bad bug I caught over the weekend, I didn't dare give her the hug I wanted to give.
CONGRATS TO ALL THE MUSHERS OF THE 2008 GIN GIN 200.
zd
Monday, December 29, 2008
Today there are no frogs
Too cold for frogs. Minus 44 on the Maclaren. This place is emptying quickly as teams head for balmy, 20 below, Paxson. Still blowing on 13 mile, though not as hard. A load of dropped dogs just arrived in Paxson. 7 teams are in--- with another 25 or so on the trail. Jodi Bailey was the fastest overall for the 2nd year in a row---Brent Sass is the fastest guy and 2nd overall. Colleen Robertia; 3rd overall. Congratulations to these 3 teams in particular for staying focused and moving steadily in extremely adverse conditions.
john
john
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Only three teams are out as of 11:00 pm. Quite a few teams are preparing to leave within the next hour. Teams are not all leaving at their designated times----mostly due to weather issues. There are winds in the 30mph. range in the Tangle Lakes area and over 13 mile hill. The current Maclaren temperature is 39 below at 11:00 pm. There are still 5 teams out on the 110 mile loop; one is reported several miles out.
john Schandelmeier
john Schandelmeier
Gin Gin race start pic's
The GG200 2008 Start
The Army National Guard assisting the GG200
Getting cozy in Paxson
GG200
Yuka Honda Team
Paxson Lodge
John, Becca, Chris and Zoya all working the start of 2008 Gin Gin 200
Hugh Neff gearing up to go
Michelle Phillips and Ed Hopkins teams
Ken Anderson & teams
Aliy Zirkle at the start of the 2008 GG200
Colleen Robetia & team
New Trail Report
The trail crew just came in off of the 110 mile loop----It is 35 below at
the Maclaren checkpoint---the best guess is that the temperatures on the Lower Maclaren and along the Susitna are at least 10 degrees colder. Winds are calm. The trail on the Maclaren from the Lodge to the mouth is hard and fast. When we turned on the Sue we found it drifted and slower traveling; some areas aren't too bad, other sections will be punchy and tough going. The closer teams get to the Denali Highway, the better the trail will be. The Denali from the Bridge to the checkpoint is excellent; there have been quite a few machines over that part of the trail---it is smooth and fast. Expect times in the range of 12-13 hours for the fastest teams.
John Schandelmeier
the Maclaren checkpoint---the best guess is that the temperatures on the Lower Maclaren and along the Susitna are at least 10 degrees colder. Winds are calm. The trail on the Maclaren from the Lodge to the mouth is hard and fast. When we turned on the Sue we found it drifted and slower traveling; some areas aren't too bad, other sections will be punchy and tough going. The closer teams get to the Denali Highway, the better the trail will be. The Denali from the Bridge to the checkpoint is excellent; there have been quite a few machines over that part of the trail---it is smooth and fast. Expect times in the range of 12-13 hours for the fastest teams.
John Schandelmeier
Saturday, December 27, 2008
The Gin Gin 200 off to a WINDYstart.....
The 2008 Gin Gin 200 kicks off to a rough and windy ride for mushers and their teams. The women's division started at 11am with Yukon Quest musher and past Gin Gin finisher, Michelle Phillips first out of the chute. One after another, the women teams left in 2 minute intervals. Last years Gin Gin 200 champion Jodi Bailey left in good spirits with a good sense of humor seeming confident in her team. Aliy Zirkle was all smiles as she pulled up to the chute and Yuka Honda left in a hurry barely having a minute to spare! It was nice to see Colleen Robertia's team pull up ready to roll --a happy healthy bunch of dogs. I recognised her leaders from 2 years ago when they led her to 3rd place. They are back and looking good. Jen Seavey's team rolled up nice looking very professional.
The temps were hanging around -2 with minimal wind in Paxson. It's amazing how fast things can change once you head out of Paxson town and into the mountains.
With unforgiving winds just over an hour out, the trail had been beaten down to a mere sheet of thin ice making it a total scramble for the teams as they head up and over 13 mile summit, not to mention some exposed pavement creating more excitement for mushers as they are forced to drive their sled with total precision and skill. Just what they needed ---more excitement right? With winds blowing at 40 mph and the wind chill factor, we're looking at -55 out there.
They have a long way to go and a cold night ahead of them. -25 at Maclaren right now. Looks like it may get down to -35.
Teams all departed fairly smooth and almost on time. With a very short break, we barley had enough time to run in for a cup of coffee and to warm the toes. The men rolled out in a blur..teams were lining up and heading out in an orderly fashion. Iditarod and Yukon Quest musher Sonny Linders team looked focused eyes staring down the trail, Allen Moore was smiling ear to ear, & Tom Lesatz was ready to get going by the time we counted down 4, 3, 2, 1........the longest 4 seconds....and then there's Lance Mackey. His team looked beautiful---very happy and lively.
About 3pm, we got word that some of the teams had turned around- dogs were shutting down in the hellacious winds. more to come soon....with pic's
ZD
The temps were hanging around -2 with minimal wind in Paxson. It's amazing how fast things can change once you head out of Paxson town and into the mountains.
With unforgiving winds just over an hour out, the trail had been beaten down to a mere sheet of thin ice making it a total scramble for the teams as they head up and over 13 mile summit, not to mention some exposed pavement creating more excitement for mushers as they are forced to drive their sled with total precision and skill. Just what they needed ---more excitement right? With winds blowing at 40 mph and the wind chill factor, we're looking at -55 out there.
They have a long way to go and a cold night ahead of them. -25 at Maclaren right now. Looks like it may get down to -35.
Teams all departed fairly smooth and almost on time. With a very short break, we barley had enough time to run in for a cup of coffee and to warm the toes. The men rolled out in a blur..teams were lining up and heading out in an orderly fashion. Iditarod and Yukon Quest musher Sonny Linders team looked focused eyes staring down the trail, Allen Moore was smiling ear to ear, & Tom Lesatz was ready to get going by the time we counted down 4, 3, 2, 1........the longest 4 seconds....and then there's Lance Mackey. His team looked beautiful---very happy and lively.
About 3pm, we got word that some of the teams had turned around- dogs were shutting down in the hellacious winds. more to come soon....with pic's
ZD
Friday, December 26, 2008
Wind
11-26-08
Paxson, AK
After a warm front and a new snow fall, there is always WIND.
The wind is howling like hell on wheels here in Paxson. Gusts up to 65-70 mph. The wind shakes & rattles the house. The trail in front of our kennel has been wiped clean of any trace. It could last 1-3 days. 7F at present, but this too may change. Colder temperatures are in the forecast. They are calling for -30's race weekend. Sections of the race trail may blow in due to the wind storm however the lead snow machines will be ahead of the mushers by at least an hour covering the trail once again and mushers will have trail markers to help guide the way. Those markers become your lifeline out there when racing.
Wind------------13 mile hill on the Denali is a tough place to have wind with a team, there's no cover on top of the summit and teams have been blown off the Denali. Last year coming back on that last leg of the Gin Gin 200 to the Finish line, we had a heck of a time fighting our way through a little wind storm with gusts up to 45 mph. I could barely see the headlamp of Jodi Bailey in front and more times than not, I could hardly see my leaders Sebe and Bridle. We were literally being pushed off the highway by the incredible wind. This lasted for me, 11 miles. A long 11 miles. Wind can be unforgiving, you just do your best to get your team through it as fast and safe as possible.
The river trail is in the open, again with no cover from wind.
Most mushers and race officials will be traveling all day today to get here--several hours from their home to ours. Between heavy snow fall, wind and abundant moose....we are asking everyone to drive slow and take good care. Call race headquarters if there's any problems at all.
The 4th running of the Gin Gin 200 begins tomorrow at 11am, Paxson Lodge.
Men will start at noon sharp.
You may email or phone for updates anytime during race weekend.
Zoya
race director
907-347-9013
Paxson, AK
After a warm front and a new snow fall, there is always WIND.
The wind is howling like hell on wheels here in Paxson. Gusts up to 65-70 mph. The wind shakes & rattles the house. The trail in front of our kennel has been wiped clean of any trace. It could last 1-3 days. 7F at present, but this too may change. Colder temperatures are in the forecast. They are calling for -30's race weekend. Sections of the race trail may blow in due to the wind storm however the lead snow machines will be ahead of the mushers by at least an hour covering the trail once again and mushers will have trail markers to help guide the way. Those markers become your lifeline out there when racing.
Wind------------13 mile hill on the Denali is a tough place to have wind with a team, there's no cover on top of the summit and teams have been blown off the Denali. Last year coming back on that last leg of the Gin Gin 200 to the Finish line, we had a heck of a time fighting our way through a little wind storm with gusts up to 45 mph. I could barely see the headlamp of Jodi Bailey in front and more times than not, I could hardly see my leaders Sebe and Bridle. We were literally being pushed off the highway by the incredible wind. This lasted for me, 11 miles. A long 11 miles. Wind can be unforgiving, you just do your best to get your team through it as fast and safe as possible.
The river trail is in the open, again with no cover from wind.
Most mushers and race officials will be traveling all day today to get here--several hours from their home to ours. Between heavy snow fall, wind and abundant moose....we are asking everyone to drive slow and take good care. Call race headquarters if there's any problems at all.
The 4th running of the Gin Gin 200 begins tomorrow at 11am, Paxson Lodge.
Men will start at noon sharp.
You may email or phone for updates anytime during race weekend.
Zoya
race director
907-347-9013
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