RACE WEEK

The Summit Quest Sled Dog Race is scheduled to begin this Saturday at 11 am AST, leaving the Pleasant Valley Store in Two Rivers, Alaska. Our team of one SQ300 Rookie Musher and 12 dogs will be competing in this unique running of the race.  Normally leaving from Fairbanks and finishing in Central Alaska, COVID restrictions have moved the race and drastically changed up the checkpoints for the 300-mile trail. COVID has even eliminated a 1000 mile race that would have run from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, to Fairbanks, AK due to Canadian Border closures.  But as is the motto at KOAH, the race officials “adapted and overcame” to make sure this great race could happen in some form for both Canadian and American sides!

It has been a busy few days leading up to the race. In addition to maintaining her own online Master’s Program and job, Bridgett will be squeezing in the last few training miles for her team.  She will also be getting miles in on her knee as she continues every minute of physical therapy to ensure everyone is in peak performance mode for the race.

Prepping of gear and food for drop bags is almost complete.  Snacks have been cut and bagged.  Dog food is packed, and meals for Bridgett and the 4+ person handler team are in full swing.  Gear checks and prep of swag are also happening!  So much planning and logistics go into making sure everyone is safe and ready for a 300-mile adventure.

Things will really ramp up on Thursday.  Drop bags will be delivered to a warehouse in Fairbanks, where they will be taken to the checkpoints.  On Friday, a team of vets will give our more hairy team members a thorough assessment making sure they are all ready for our race.  The human teammates will also meet at the musher/handler meeting to review last-minute information from race officials and learn our bib number! Then early Saturday morning, we load up and trek from the Kennel to the race start about one hour away.

As always, big thanks to everyone who is cheering Kennel on a Hill on.  More to come on how you can follow the KOAH race tracker online.  Get your “refresh finger” ready! Stay tuned to IG/FB and the blog for the latest updates for Kennel on a Hill.  We will see you at the starting line!