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Re: Kaltag to Koyuk

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 8:36 am
by txbennett
Craig Medred -- agree or disagree this is worth your time to read

https://craigmedred.news/2019/03/11/idi ... 7oooYU5cY4

Re: Kaltag to Koyuk

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 9:51 am
by fladogfan
Seems like good ideas to me. Tell me how/if I am wrong.

Re: Kaltag to Koyuk

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 10:30 am
by txbennett
The trackers provided by Track Leaders provide even more information than the proprietary tracker created and maintained by ITC (to make money). See Mushing Tech's comments on this.

IMHO If ITC is willing to utilize state-of-the-art tracking data they could create "rules" designed to make the race safer for dogs, mushers, helpers, etc., but will they?

Re: Kaltag to Koyuk

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 11:42 am
by elsietee
The biggest drawback I can think of is that it just turns it into a “fastest team wins” situation. It doesn’t reward teams that travel slower - pacing themselves into getting away with less rest. It takes away the majority of the strategy.

Re: Kaltag to Koyuk

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:06 pm
by mira
If I was a musher I would not have like the idea of using the GPS tracker to measure mandatory resting on trail. I don't think the system are reliable enough and there so much other that might go wrong. It will also be hard for the mushers to keep track on how much rest they have done.

I think that reduscing the number of dogs to 14 is one tiny step on the right way, but i don't think the mushers have really changed their plans accordingly. That will probably happen next year.

In Finnmarksløpet they have recently done some adjustment after some discussions very similar to this. Mattilsynet, the governmental responsible for animal rights, have said that they think the dogs should rest 42% during a long distance run. This is a few years back and i have no idea how they come up with that number. FL changed the route and length last year, but the mushers didn't really adopt. This year you can see changes in running plans. FL1200 have two mandatory pots of resting, one 16 hours rest with time adjustment. In addition, they must take 10 hours mandatory rest, two of those must be taken in Karasjok, but the 8 others might be taken in Levajok II or Karasjok (compared to iditarod trail it will be Levajok2 is Elim and Karasjok is White Mountain).

So, one adjustment could be either adding a mandatory rest on the coast, let say 6 hours between Kaltag/Unalakleet and WM? Or have some pot system. Pot system will make strategy important, look at 24 hour rest and yukon.. it's much strategy involved.

Re: Kaltag to Koyuk

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 1:08 pm
by mira
..on another note, I'm really happy that Matthew Failor is on the ice, going steady at 6-7mph. He must have stayed at that cabin for at least 20 hours.

Re: Kaltag to Koyuk

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2019 2:58 pm
by elsietee
mira wrote:I think that reduscing the number of dogs to 14 is one tiny step on the right way, but i don't think the mushers have really changed their plans accordingly. That will probably happen next year.


That’s an interesting point. I was thinking about what Danny Seavey said about how he didn’t think that the 14 dog rule had worked because there had been just as many dropped dogs as in a normal year, but it could be that mushers have not adjusted yet to suit the new rule. (Certainly, I don’t think having only 14 dogs as ever impacted mushers in the Yukon Quest, for example)

. FL changed the route and length last year, but the mushers didn't really adopt [i think you mean adapt]. This year you can see changes in running plans.


Interesting. Can you be more specific about what they’re doing?

So, one adjustment could be either adding a mandatory rest on the coast, let say 6 hours between Kaltag/Unalakleet and WM?


This might work well. Think about Pete waiting until Kaltag to take his 8. He said he got a proper sleep and after the long slog up the river his dogs really needed it. And no one can dispute that he was stronger on the coast. :)

Or have some pot system. Pot system will make strategy important, look at 24 hour rest and yukon.. it's much strategy involved.


I don’t know what you mean by “pot system”. :(

Re: Kaltag to Koyuk

PostPosted: Wed Mar 13, 2019 1:46 am
by mira
Certainly I ment adapt, not adopt :lol:

According to an article on FL, mushers have been taking their long mandatory rest earlier in the race and resting more on trail. In the Norwegian races it hasn't been that common to rest on trail because you have handlers on many of the checkpoints who feed you, help you with strategy and stuff like that. The musher need to take care of all the chores regarding the dogs and the gear, but the handlers can take care of the musher. FL using a "pot system", you have 8 hours rest you can take at two checkpoints and the mushers must decide for themselves how to split it. They can take all 10 hours in Karasjok or 8 in Levajok and 2 in Karasjok or 5-5 or whatever. Two hours must be taken in Karasjok (so the amount of resting is 10 hours).

I think we see year after year teams getting problems on the coast. That's not weird, it's late in the game so the mushers (and the dogs) are tired, it's often though condition, long stretches of sea ice, head wind.. Southern route also have a very tough trail into Kaltag, more challenging than the northern route I think. So many use the 8 hour Yukon rest to rest the team before the long trek up Yukon. Kaltag to Unalakleet is also long and Unalakleet - Shaktoolik - Koyuk is two long stretches which might be very rough.