by sc-race-fan » Wed Mar 06, 2019 1:38 pm
Just posted in Facebook from Danny Seavey:
What About Aliy Zirkle?
Aliy Zirkle jumped into the #iditarod lead this morning, pushing toward Iditarod to take her 24 hour break. Watch her tracker for the next 12 hours, and you'll see why she's considered one of the toughest people alive.
She's the first - and so far only - team to go over a notoriously remote, slow and challenging trail. Very few people travel there in the winter, so there is no 'base' to the trail, often just a couple snow machine tracks in feet of powder. She left Ophir after only a two hour stop, so she didn't have time to sleep or dry out her gear. Aliy likely last slept for one hour from 10-11pm yesterday. Her sled is loaded down with enough food and straw for at least one remote camp plus reserves, 70+ extra pounds.
In three hours since leaving, she's only covered 18 miles. At six miles an hour, she's running or walking up every incline, helping push the heavy sled. It's above freezing, so the snow is melting into her clothing, and she sweating from the inside, already wet and getting wetter.
The snow is deep and soft, like trying to run in sand. No matter how hard she tries, she can only go so fast. Her GPS will tell her she still has 62 miles to go, estimated arrival time 10 hours and 20 minutes. Shut up, Siri! She'll toss the stupid thing in the sled where she doesn't have to see the depressing numbers and can remember why she's out here.
It's not about getting there, or racing, or winning, or anything else. It's just being here. Just her and the dogs, and miles of nothing. Ironically, as miserable as she appears on the outside, she loves this stuff. She's living. She's got her dogs, a big chunk of country to herself, and hopefully some coffee, what more can an Alaskan girl ask for.
Danny
Proud PaPa of the triplet litter; Aidan (B), Bailey (G), and Cameron (B). Cameron is on top in picture; Bailey, of course, is the bowhead!!