Dallas Time Penalty

[Frozen Chosen]

Someone here might have more information on this, in particular two issues: Dallas was more concerned about his injured dog, that he did not thoroughly deal with dressing the moose as required by the rules; how exactly did he deal with the moose.

Wade Marrs analysis of the penalty on Dallas brought up something I hadn’t heard as I have been “off line” for the most part this year…the disqualification of Sass being the main reason. But Marrs brought up that Dallas, after shooting the animal, traveled up the trail then camped out before heading back into the checkpoint, then, traveled back down the trail away from the next checkpoint. This takes away the argument that he hurriedly dealt with the moose (improperly according to officials) because of his injured dog. I haven’t heard exactly how he dealt with the moose, so how the officials came to their conclusion on this, I don’t know.

[Another UK Fan]

Thanks Frozen. I didn't know the Wade Mars information. Trying to piece it together is difficult. I am mystified.

[klmobile]

I got this off the Iditarod web site

KL


Dallas Seavey penalized for Rule 34 infraction regarding dispatch of moose
Posted by Iditarod_Staff in Iditarod
Date: March 6, 2024 1:52 pm


Iditarod Race Marshal, Warren Palfrey, convened a three-person panel comprised of race officials today to discuss (bib #7) Dallas Seavey’s encounter with a moose early Monday morning enroute from Skwentna to Finger Lake.

After further investigation, the details of the event are as follows:

A moose was dispatched approximately 14 miles from Skwentna on the trail towards Finger Lake at 01:32 a.m. on Monday, March 5, 2024.
Approximately 10 minutes was spent at the site of the encounter, to which then the musher and team proceeded approximately 11 miles until 02:55 a.m. where they camped for three hours, departing approximately 05:55 a.m.
Musher and team then proceeded to Finger Lake checkpoint arriving at 08:00 a.m. The moose was later retrieved, processed and salvaged and is being distributed by Iditarod support based in Skwentna.
Rule 51 in part states: Time penalties will be imposed when determined by race officials a rule infraction has occurred and a competitive advantage has been gained. Time penalties require a majority decision of a three-member panel of race officials appointed by the Race Marshal. Time penalties may be imposed up to a maximum of eight (8) hours per infraction and will be added to either the twenty- four (24) hour layover, the eight-hour layover on the Yukon River, the eight (8) hour layover at White Mountain, or after the musher finishes in Nome.



Rule 34 states: – Killing of Game Animals: In the event that an edible big game animal (i.e., moose, caribou, buffalo), is killed in defense of life or property, the musher must gut the animal and report the incident to a race official at the next checkpoint. Following teams must help gut the animal when possible. No teams may pass until the animal has been gutted and the musher killing the animal has proceeded. Any other animal killed in defense of life or property must be reported to a race official, but need not be gutted.



As per rule 34, it has been determined that the animal was not sufficiently gutted by the musher. By definition, gutting: taking out the intestines and other internal organs of (a fish or other animal) before cooking it.



It has been determined by the panel unanimously that a 2 hour time penalty will be assessed at the musher 24 hour layover.

[Leaddog]

Someone here might have more information on this, in particular two issues: Dallas was more concerned about his injured dog, that he did not thoroughly deal with dressing the moose as required by the rules; how exactly did he deal with the moose.

Wade Marrs analysis of the penalty on Dallas brought up something I hadn’t heard as I have been “off line” for the most part this year…the disqualification of Sass being the main reason. But Marrs brought up that Dallas, after shooting the animal, traveled up the trail then camped out before heading back into the checkpoint, then, traveled back down the trail away from the next checkpoint. This takes away the argument that he hurriedly dealt with the moose (improperly according to officials) because of his injured dog. I haven’t heard exactly how he dealt with the moose, so how the officials came to their conclusion on this, I don’t know.

Cobbling together various reports (and adding a bit of skew based on the presumed reliability), it seems to me that Dallas elected to do the ABSOLUTE bare minimum - slash the abdomen and drag the guts out, and claim that he had adhered to the legal/rule requirements. And that was deemed to have been not enough to meet the legal/rule requirements. As mentioned in another thread, there is a range that can be considered subjective. At the "High Road" end of things, one considers that the point of field dressing/gutting the moose is to preserve it for human consumption. Even though it won't be YOU consuming it, you fall short of basic decency if you do a crap job of it because it isn't going in your freezer. Similarly, leaving the rest of the carcass in the middle of the trail on a blind curve for all of the subsequent mushers to run over is not exactly living up to the sportsmanship aspect that everyone says is present on a wilderness trail. So bottom line is that Dallas didn't endear himself to anyone in the way he elected to handle it.

[elsietee]

Other than quartering it and moving it in pieces, how would one move an 800-1,600 lb carcass?

(although that said, I almost wonder if that's what the penalty was about? Him leaving it in the middle of the trail for all the others to have to run over?)

[Leaddog]

Other than quartering it and moving it in pieces, how would one move an 800-1,600 lb carcass?

Wouldn't need to quarter it - halving it behind the ribs with the axe that they are required to carry would make it moveable (sliding it on snow, not lifting it). And given that this was 14 miles outside of Skwentna, we are only talking minutes before someone else is there to help. And another someone, and another someone. Looking at the times out of Skwentna, Amanda Otto was 45 min behind Dallas, and Travis Beals another 6 minutes behind her. And then there was a sizeable group made up of Jeff Deeter, Paige Drobny, Matt Hall, Mille Porsild, Pete Kaiser, Gabe Dunham, and Matts Pettersson in a group of less than 10 min. None of whom would be allowed to gain an advantage over Dallas if he was still present at the kill, cleaning things up. Some of those may have stopped just past Skwentna to rest so may not have been right on his heels, but Paige, Mille, and Matts did not stop between Skwentna and Finger Lake so arrived at the moose while it was still warm (less than an hour after it was killed).

[tanglefoot]

Video up of Dallas talking about it. Sounds like he was in shock at what happened, thought Faloo was ok, injured but better than in reality she was. He thought he had sent a text to mark (?) but when reading it back with warren wasn’t what he thought he had sent. Accepts the penalty and said it wasn’t done intentionally of course and yes he should have done a better job of gutting it. But wanted to get out of a dangerous situation and get Faloo to the vet. Was unsure at the time of where was nearer checkpoint wise. Thinking she was better than she was due to her ability to walk and bleeding had stopped, he stopped as the rest of the team needed a break. So stopped for a few hours before heading to Rainy Pass. Vets took over and discovered she was a lot worse injured than they thought. Dallas obviously beating himself up about it all keeps apologising, obviously tired rambles on going around in circles about it all.

[libby the lab]

From Dallas" FB page:
Dallas Seavey's Iditarod Journey: Shock, Penalty, and the Last Great Race
In a twist of fate that sent shockwaves through the Iditarod community, Dallas Seavey's race took an unexpected turn following a harrowing encounter with a moose earlier in the competition. Amidst the chaos that ensued, Dallas's primary concern was the welfare of his injured dog, Faloo, who was rushed to emergency veterinary care upon their arrival at the Finger Lake checkpoint.
As Dallas pressed on along the trail, he received a critical call at Rainy Pass, where a veterinarian delivered sobering news about Faloo's condition. Despite the gravity of the situation, Dallas resolved that if there was a chance of survival, he wanted them to proceed with the operation, knowing full well the indomitable spirit of sled dogs.
However, with the fate of Faloo hanging in the balance, Dallas was forced to compartmentalize his emotions and focus on the task at hand – the race and the welfare of his remaining dogs on the trail. It wasn't until he reached Cripple to take his mandatory 24-hour rest that the full weight of the situation came crashing down upon him.
It was there that Dallas learned of the penalty levied against him for failing to adequately gut the moose while attending to Faloo's injuries. Reflecting on the tumultuous events that had transpired, Dallas acknowledged the shortcomings in his response, attributing them to the shock and urgency of the moment. Humbly, he admitted that in hindsight, there were things he could have done differently and expressed his belief that the Iditarod officials had made the right call, stating “the rules are the rules”. Dallas also suggested that there was more than one penalty in this first half of the race: First being stomped by a moose, next the loss of a dog on the team (thankfully now in recovery), third the lost time dealing with the situation on the trail, and lastly the time penalty of 2 hours.
Despite the setbacks and challenges he has faced along the trail, Dallas has remained steadfast in his commitment to his team and their shared journey. While these hurdles did seem to take some wind out of his sails, his response was one of humility, a profuse apology, and desire to turn his focus on the right things; his team. He suggested that maybe it was best to just run their race and not worry about where anyone else was…before then suggesting that maybe that wasn’t a great idea either.
Clearly still unsettled by all of the news and experience, we are cheering for Dallas and his team to stay resilient and dig deep for that determination, embodying the spirit of the Last Great Race on Earth

[libby the lab]

From Dallas" FB page:
Dallas Seavey's Iditarod Journey: Shock, Penalty, and the Last Great Race
In a twist of fate that sent shockwaves through the Iditarod community, Dallas Seavey's race took an unexpected turn following a harrowing encounter with a moose earlier in the competition. Amidst the chaos that ensued, Dallas's primary concern was the welfare of his injured dog, Faloo, who was rushed to emergency veterinary care upon their arrival at the Finger Lake checkpoint.
As Dallas pressed on along the trail, he received a critical call at Rainy Pass, where a veterinarian delivered sobering news about Faloo's condition. Despite the gravity of the situation, Dallas resolved that if there was a chance of survival, he wanted them to proceed with the operation, knowing full well the indomitable spirit of sled dogs.
However, with the fate of Faloo hanging in the balance, Dallas was forced to compartmentalize his emotions and focus on the task at hand – the race and the welfare of his remaining dogs on the trail. It wasn't until he reached Cripple to take his mandatory 24-hour rest that the full weight of the situation came crashing down upon him.
It was there that Dallas learned of the penalty levied against him for failing to adequately gut the moose while attending to Faloo's injuries. Reflecting on the tumultuous events that had transpired, Dallas acknowledged the shortcomings in his response, attributing them to the shock and urgency of the moment. Humbly, he admitted that in hindsight, there were things he could have done differently and expressed his belief that the Iditarod officials had made the right call, stating “the rules are the rules”. Dallas also suggested that there was more than one penalty in this first half of the race: First being stomped by a moose, next the loss of a dog on the team (thankfully now in recovery), third the lost time dealing with the situation on the trail, and lastly the time penalty of 2 hours.
Despite the setbacks and challenges he has faced along the trail, Dallas has remained steadfast in his commitment to his team and their shared journey. While these hurdles did seem to take some wind out of his sails, his response was one of humility, a profuse apology, and desire to turn his focus on the right things; his team. He suggested that maybe it was best to just run their race and not worry about where anyone else was…before then suggesting that maybe that wasn’t a great idea either.
Clearly still unsettled by all of the news and experience, we are cheering for Dallas and his team to stay resilient and dig deep for that determination, embodying the spirit of the Last Great Race on Earth

[Alphashe]

In the interview @Cripple Dallas sounds like the race is lost. His energy is "less Dallas" than normal. For extra 2 hrs with rest? Ok, he his disappointed. I get that. But it can't be the end of the World (Race)....