ASK THE MUSHER Vol 12: Jeff King

[Jeff King]

Welcome Jeff -- how exciting to have you on our forum.

A few years ago Cabela's opened a new store just down the road from Austin, in Buda Texas. When they first announced their plan for a store, I started lobbying for them to bring Jeff King and the Cabela's Iditarod display to the store to share that part of their product line with us Iditabuddies in Texas. They declined, very politely, since they thought there would not be much demand for sub-zero outfits and arctic sleds in Central Texas. We're great customers for their hunting, fishing, camping products, but we don't have much demand for Parkas.

They probably made a very good business decision, but we missed the chance to host you and to hear about your Iditarod experiences directly and personally. Now we have the opportunity to visit with you in the BSSD forum. Thank you for giving us this time and energy out of your precious preparation schedule.

You (and Martin) had a very different strategy than Lance and Paul in scheduling your 24-hour layover while running the southern route in 2007. Without revealing any strategic "secrets", I am wondering whether you are thinking of perhaps running a little further down the trail before "resting" for this next race, and if so how that may be reflected in your training sessions and the selection of the members of your team. Lance and Paul seemed to have more energy running up-river on the Yukon after laying over in Iditarod.

Thank You again for your time. I have already placed you on the top of my Top Ten Picks for this year's race. I believe this will be number 5 for the King.

TXbennett

Thank you for your confidence! Number 5 would be really cool. And yes, I really do know who Rick Swenson is. However grumpy at times, he truly is one of the sports all time greats and I would love to tie and go on to beat his Iditarod victory record.
As for the strategy for my 24 hour layover, there is one reason - first & foremost - that I continue to use Takotna as a default for this important, strategical decision. It's the pie they serve at Takotna. It is to die for. In addition to this, I just think it's so important to make sure I error on the side of conservativeness when it comes to expending the dogs' energy. It's just not possible to "recharge" in 24 hours if you have overextended the dogs prior. I am consistently prepared to go further than Takotna - and even give up the pie - but I am very very stingy when it comes to expending the dogs' energy and any doubt at all, I want to rest earlier than later.

[Jeff King]

Thank you so much for being here and agreeing to share your knowledge with us. I have a couple of questions:

1. Did you enjoy the Discovery filming or was it a bother? Do you think it portrayed the events accurately?

2. What do you think of the Satellite Tracking with ION Earth? Does it give an unfair advantage? Does it matter?

Thanks in advance for your answers.

Great questions. The filming during the race was a little bit of a bother from a competitive point of view, but well worth the effort considering such a fine product it offered the dog mushing viewers. I actually haven't seen the whole thing yet, but I've seen enough to know that they kinda picked out a story line and then encouraged us to 'play the part'. However I don't think it was way off base. The Discover crew certainly "baited" me to say things I would have never probably said without such bait. Overall I gotta give it a B+ and I hope they do it again.
I think the satellite tracking was one of the best additions to the Iditarod there has ever been. I have never believed that there is any advantage that the musher can get from the information beamed back to Anchorage and the viewing public around the world. I stand my ground that any "unfair advantage" argument is a crock. Especially when considered with the race fans ability to feel more in touch with the event. It was awesome and I hope it continues to grow.

[Jeff King]

Jeff, thanks so much for coming on our forum. I loved your book. I have both the audio book and the print copy, with Donna's awesome paintings. The way you wrote it--with each chapter telling a separate story--works very well. I was sad when I finished the book because I wanted it to go on forever. I have a couple of questions about the writing process:

1. How long did it take you to write the book?
2. Did anyone help you with it?
3. What was the writing process like? How did you come up with the ideas? How did you organize your thoughts?
4. Do you have any plans for a sequel?

I've been working on putting some of my mushing stories on paper for many many years. But it was a hodge podge here and there. The book came to be really, when Joe Runyan's daughter Zetdi came to work for us for the summer, and her daddy came to visit her in Denali. Joe saw the way people reacted to my stories during our summer tour and basically knocked me upside the head and said "You've got to write a book - let's start now. I will help." He basically whooped on me to get it done. I recorded my stories on a digital recorder while speaking to our guests, then with Joe's help they were transcribed onto paper and edited. We then hired a professional book editor, a wonderful lady named Trish Brown, and we put the petal to the metal. From Joe's original visit with Zetdi, to the book in hand, was just 8 months. It sure was handy to have all of Donna's artwork hanging around, ready to just drop into the book text. I'm glad you enjoyed it. As for a sequel, don't hold your breath.

[Jeff King]

Wow, just wow....thank you for joining us here, Jeff. There are so many touchpoints between you and Donna and my DH and I...he's the innovator, problem-solver, etc. and I'm the artist....we laughingly say between the two of us we have a whole brain. And your kids involvement, very cool family dynamic. Aannnyyyyway, a couple of questions:

1. What new innovations do you have in the works this year?

2. I totally felt/understood and cringed for the people in the checkpoint and totally felt gutted for you when Lance sneaked out. Was it made more dramatic in the editing process with the voiceovers than it actually felt at the time?

3. Your team is one of the most aesthetically matched.....what is the genetics? How many studs form the basis and what lines are they out of? I love watching your team motor along, they are so beautifully matched. I did keep asking myself if there was one or more dogs you kept in the team that kept the pace lower than it might have been, but.....obviously if they would have been holding up the team, you would have dropped them, right?

Thank you again....keep going for Rick's record!!! You class up the race, you really do!

I do have some new sled ideas that I hope to integrate before the start of this years' race, and they involve a tripod type sled which would have a single steering ski in the front. I'm going to build it off of a high quality child's jogging stroller made by Bobgear. It's still in the design stages.
As for question #2, I actually feel the Discovery media and editors downplayed the drama that they and I felt in Elim. After years of complaining about the press making crap up, they really sheltered me in their coverage by not displaying the actual intensity of my anger, embarrassment, frustration. But I repeat - it's really not Lance I had those emotions about, but myself and at the actual moment I felt it towards those people around me I felt had watched my demise without assistance. Of course within the hour of departing Elim, it was crystal clear that those same people had done the right thing by doing nothing. I'm over it. And you can bet it won't happen again.
There's not much more I feel that's in my teams best interest than training and selecting the dogs in how they move, how they feel, how they eat, their needs and their energy. Nothing is such a big turn on to me either than watching a perfectly matched team that is not fatigued, nor crazy to go. When I get it right, the team is like a single living organism - each dog a tentacle on a squid swimming in the shallows. I'm sure genetics plays some part - as does training - but I believe the most important thing I need to do to reach this sled dog nirvana has to do with the actual "driving" of the team. Cooing, coaxing, calming. Like kneading bread over and over until it's just right and ready to rise into beauty. Difficult to put into words - but that's my best shot.
Thanks for your questions.

[tanglefoot]

wow! awesome to have you jeff!

thanks so much for giving us your time to chat and answer questions!

so, do you still have the altitude barn for the dogs to sleep in? and do you think it has given you an advantage on the trail?

i was so amazed and was whoooping you on when you got your 16 dogs to white mountain did you expect them to get that far still loping along as a 16 dog unit or did you expect to have dropped a few by then. did you train any differently than other years to do this or was it just lady luck and great dog care and training that got your 16 there. i was so hoping you could make it to nome with a full 16 in first or second place and show that you can get a top ten team to nome with a full string! do you think you might be able to repeat it this year?

once again many thanks jeff!

best wishes - matt

[SuldalsXpressen]

Good evening, Jeff!
How great that you've set aside time to answer our questions!

1. I admire that you always put the team first, and do not fall for the temptation to push it too hard. Now, have you ever thought to yourself "-heck, if I had just pushed them a bit more along the coast I would have totally won this..." and known in retrospect that they would've managed the extra push? Or are you always just on the right side of the edge?

2.Do you wish there was a 2000mile race? Would you have tried a Anchorage-Nome-Anchorage race?

3.Who do you consider your hardest opponents in the I'rod 09?


Warm thanks from a norwegian fan!


Eskil

[fladogfan]

Hi Jeff, You are always on my Top Ten List. Hope you get #5 soon and go on to grab that #6.

I felt it in my gut for you when Lance pulled his trick. Because I've over slept too, missed things important, and was very angry with myself. Glad you were able to get past the bad feelings so quickly.

It's a pleasure watching your team run. Do you think it's possible to win the Iditarod with all 16 dogs? You sure looked like you could pull it off last race.

Thanks for stopping here with us.

fdf/ Gretchen

[MossyOakJW]

Hello Jeff, Awesome that you would take the time to come talk to us all. Much appreciated.

You were the first musher that I became a true fan of back when I first fell in love with the sport. The way you started was so similar to the way I did/am, a man in the construction business doing everything he can on the side to support his love of dogsledding. I just had to pull for that.

So my question to you is, having started basically from scratch in this sport, what did you find was the most difficult part of establishing that first stable and competetive dog team?

Thank you, and best of luck on getting number 5 in March.

[flowerpower]

Christmas has come early! I am honored and star struck to have so many awesome mushers joining us!
I can't even think of any profound questions to ask!
But, on the not so profound level-

Is there anything you take along that is a "must have" for you?
and
Are any of your girls planning/hoping/dreaming of running with you someday?

Oh, and I LOVED the book! It would be great for us fans if you would do another someday!

Candy in Texas
aka Flowerpower

[braider]

Last year, while broadcasting their small blip about the Iditarod, a Minneapolis TV station said that you got your start dog sledding in the parks of Minneapolis - Theodore Wirth Park. I believe they said that your Father, at the time, was a student at the UofM - I was amused. Care to comment? How old might you of been at that time? ...Dave - a former employee of the city of Minneapolis - Dept. of Planning and Design.