by elsietee » Wed Mar 15, 2023 10:05 pm
KattiJo:
"My back!" she says, stretching it.
Talking about last year versus this year:
Once she decided she would run it again, she forgot about last year's debacle. She didn't think about last year until a couple of weeks before the race.
Then she got nervous when she got to Unk. Then it was very windy in Koyuk and she had a hellacious ride to Elim - but she was able to put it out of her mind.
She got sick, broke her sled, went afew more days, had another broken sled, but was never without a smile. How d'you maintain that attitude?
KJ: You didn't see me - I was not smiling on the coast.
I figure I'm just so lucky to be doing it, with my amazing dogs, the support network, just nuts - you'll have a terrible run and upon arrival, someone is there to feed/warm/fix your sled. So you can't have a bad attitude. And you're around ppl who are also excited about the race.
Q: What was it like not to have Jeff on the trail this year? [last year both she and Jeff ran it]
"Lonelier than she expected. "
There was a small field - so not as many ppl around you. She saw Aaron and Jessie, but there was more space, so it was more lonely.
Southern Route was new to her - what stood out?
"Man, I had always wanted to go to Iditarod, but the run from ID to Shag was wild - very technical. She got tossed off her sled so many times, doesn't know how she didn't break the sled again - until finally she stopped and switched her sled plastic.
It was like a pinball machine/bobsled luge - like being on a surfboard behind a freight train
She dropped a dog at Safety - FItzer. He was a last min decision for team - some of her A Team dogs got injured, so he was a B Team dog, and wasn't supposed to come. But he was in lead going over Topcok Hills. Moose her normal leader was not feeling it this morning, so she put FItzer in lead instead. It was a really hard run, but he led the whole way - and five miles before Safety he suddenly started to head bob, so must have stepped in a hole. She was bummed as it would have been fun to bring him to Nome.
Asked about competitiveness?
Says she realises it was a small field, but doesn't want to discredit the field since it was also a very competitive field. she also thinks Jeff would have placed higher with the team, but they made her look good.
Hugs from mom, m-in-law and "Trail mom" and a hand shake from Ryan, and hug from Jeff.
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elsietee AT ponyhill DOT org
Repotted english person in the Sierra foothills, CA
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