🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾 Congrats mama Blue on your five beautiful babies born on June 2nd. Three boys and two girls! 🐾🐾🐾🐾🐾
Nothing like sweet little puppy noises to pull at those heart strings! 😍🥰
We are so excited about this litter as it is likely Blue’s last. She is almost 9! The puppies are mostly darker colored except for one white female. (We will get more
photos soon 📸)
BLUE x RICHARD
💙💙💙💗💗
Now we just need 5 names. Who has suggestions for us? Comment below. 👇🏻 We’d love to hear them!
TRAVIS and TEAM are in NOME 🥳
Congrats! One heck of a run! 6th place. First to Kaltag. Led 300 miles of the race — and learned a heck of a lot!
Switch - Zydeco
Tsunami
Ohmer
Nyvok- Brady
We can’t wait to share some trail stories with you all.
🐾🐾 Sarah
Travis is in and out of Koyuk after a solid 5 hour rest where he and the dogs both got some good sleep.
Travis currently feels pretty good about where he is sitting. He has a nice gap between him and a chase pack of mushers. His goal is to maintain that gap.
I arrived in Nome yesterday and have spent the day getting settled.
Elias and I are super excited to get ready to welcome Travis to Nome!
If you haven’t watched it, there’s a great interview with Travis on the Insider
🐾🐾 Sarah
In and parked in UNALAKLEET in 3rd PLACE 👏🏻
What a race our guy is having 🥳
Was excited to see our good friend Lev there helping to guide the team to their parking spot after this hard run for Travis and the team.
Travis reported on the run that he was having some difficult with one of his eyes. He scratched his cornea this fall and during extreme cold it has gotten irritated a I am 🤞🏻 hoping he will get some eye drops here to help soothe it.
One thing for sure, Travis is TOUGH. He’s been dealing with a lot and yet… here he is right up front gaining valuable insight on running a competitive race as a true front runner.
Get some good rest doggos. Then it’s time to fly!
🐾🐾Sarah
In and out of KALTAG. 🔥🐾🥳
Wow. Just amazing. What a smoking run time on his last run on the River.
🔥🔥🔥4 hours 22 minutes for an average pace of 10.46 miles an hour. 🔥🔥🔥
So so so happy with how the team looked. Just absolutely beaming with pride.
I’m in Anchorage today shipping out kennels. Need to give a HUGE thanks to Scott and Debbie Janssen for helping with that. Scott and Debbie own Janssen’s funeral home and have been HUGE supporters of THK over the years and even better friends. We are so grateful.
There are a number of people who have bought merch or sponsored miles over the last few days. To each and every one of you THANK YOU. We appreciate you. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
The race is sure heating up and getting exciting.
Go dogs go! Go Travis go! 🐾🥳🐾🐕🐕🐕
🐾🐾 Sarah
Travis got into Nulato at 5:49am and took a 4 hour 50 minute rest before getting back on the trail at 10:41 AK time. IN FIRST PLACE 👏🏻
Hot on his heels are a chase pack of mushers.
Jessie Holmes arrived at 8:15
Paige Drobny arrived at 9:01
Matt Hall arrived at 9:43
These teams are all clocking faster run times right now so even though Travis has a bit of a buffer, they are slowly chipping away at.
The good news is that the dogs have now had two great rests back to back. They took 8 hours in Galena and were just shy of taking 5 hours here in Nulato. This should definitely help put a pep in their step.
What a fun race to watch.
We have a busy day getting things ready for our trip to Nome but you can imagine I will be hitting that refresh button about every 2 minutes 😂
🐾🐾 Sarah
Sorry 🫠
Just realizing my post announcing Travis was “into Galena” never published 😅 whoops 😮💨
Instead of rewriting, I’m going to share a video of the team coming in and will write some longer commentary once we see when Matt, Jessie & Dallas get in.
Hope the dogs and Travis get some good rest. (me and Elias could use some too 🫠)
🐾🐾Sarah
Out of Ruby at 8:55 in FIRST 🐾🥳
Travis reported on the insider that he is feeling better but still is having stomach issues. He’s happy with the team and just going to keep taking it one run at a time.
When the team came in, the live feed was focused on Travis and the team for quite some time. We got to watch them eat a good snack, hydrate, sleep and, in Switch’s case, pose for the camera 💁🏼♀️📸
Travis has about a 3 hour lead over the teams in front. He’s gained that through a combination of faster run teams and strategic trail maneuvers.🤓
It will be important that as he continues down the trail he works to balance maintaining his lead and giving the team rest.
It looks like La Niña and Zenik were sent home here. Way to go girls! Thanks for your hard work 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
13 dogs is a huge team!
🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕
Travis is certainly crushing this. How fun to watch.
If you haven’t, you really need to join the Iditarod Insider to watch this all first hand. The coverage has been exceptionally good this year! 🎥🐕
🐾🐾 Sarah
👏🏻🐾 INTO RUBY 🐾👏🏻
Wow. Travis and team have arrived in Ruby at 4:48 this morning after 13 hours and 42 minutes on the trail. If you recall, Travis camped for almost 4 hours exactly on the trail about 15 miles outside of Cripple.
Right now, Travis is currently the front runner of the Iditarod. 👏🏻🥳👏🏻 This is so exciting but there is so much trail left and so many amazing teams and strong drivers behind him.
According to Bruce the team looked “really really solid” coming in to the checkpoint. Upon arrival, Travis gave the dogs a snack which they gobbled up and some clear cold water which they drank well — both indicators that the team is feeling good.
One thing that I’ve noticed in our dogs this year is just how focused they’ve been. They know what they are doing and nothing really seems to phase them.
Here’s where things get a little interesting with the competition…
Both Jessie Holmes and Paige Drobny went through Cripple and camped roughly around the same spot as Travis and for about the same amount of time. They’re running about 2.5-3 hours behind Travis.
Drobny’s team has slowly been building speed. She and her partner Cody have a really great training program and top notch dog care. She is definitely a team to keep an eye on. (Also, love seeing a strong woman up front!)
Jessie feels like a wild card. It seems like historically he’s often been somewhat “sluggish” the middle third of the race only to rabbit down the trail the last third. He’s been in a top position before and knows how to make a strong push. He also is a heck of an athlete himself (ultra marathoner?) and I’m sure is working hard out there, running or ski poling up every hill. His interviews this race have been at opposite ends of the spectrum: “I don’t have a team to win, I’m going to throttle back” to the exact opposite a checkpoint later. Someone like that is very hard to read 🙃
Ryan Redington opted to stay in Cripp
IN and OUT of CRIPPLE
Travis had a phenomenal run time of 13 hours and 22 minutes — and approximately 4 hours of that was rest — on his way into CRIPPLE.
He left CRIPPLE after a quick 15 minute break to gather supplies to camp along the trail. What a smart move! Doing this allows him to cut down the mileage to Ruby. I expect he will run for another hour or two depending on trail conditions before resting.
The biggest questions are what will Ryan and Jessie Holmes do?
I sort of expect both teams to follow suit, Ryan camping somewhere similar to Travis and Jessie going beyond based on his rest. Travis and Ryan should be on somewhat similar schedules because they 24’d in the same location. Jessie will likely be camping before Ruby and potentially then running straight to Galena. Hard to know.
There will lots of leapfrogging between these 3 front runners. With cold temps and high winds forecasted in the days to come, it will be extremely important to balance run & rest times to keep the team strong.
Also It appears that Travis dropped 1 dog in Cripple. We are thinking it was Rump.
I need to give some special shout outs today. First of all, huge thanks to Sam Paperman who came up this week to help out. Sam’s been with our kennel a long time and helps out whenever and however he can. Today He’s been dealing with a trailer tire that sheered off on him — fortunately at a gas station. He’s taken the reigns and I ran around for parts until Elias had enough. So many tears were had by all. 😮💨🫠🙃 Big shout out too to our friends at Stitt Construction for their help with this too.
Thanks to Ibi for stepping in and taking over. The adventures never stop 😝
REAL TALK 👉🏻My anxiety always is sky high while Travis races 🫣 — it’s definitely taking new heights with him doing so well and with a baby 😅 A Huge thanks to everyone who has sent supportive texts, messages, sponsored miles or bought merch in the last few days. I’m s
FIRST INTO TAKOTNA 🥳🐾
Wow. Just wow.
Travis has declared his 24. The dogs look great: focused and happy.
Although he’s declared his 24, he could still move
On. Cripple would be the next logical stop but I feel good about this rest spot. From here, he will split the run to Cripple into approximately (2) 50 mile runs which is perfect for a dog team.
I have a baby I need to soothe and get to bed but will provide more analysis in the morning.
💕🐾🥳 Sarah
2nd INTO NIKOLAI 🐾🐾🐾
Wow! The dogs and Travis had an amazing run last night and even led the race for some time! The team is doing well and has had consistent speed so far throughout the race, having some of the faster run times for the “front of the pack.”
Still going strong with 16 dogs, the team seemed happy and alert pulling into NIKOLAI in 2nd place. Teams are now jockeying for position as they approach the checkpoints where the front runners will typically take their 24-hour layover.
👉🏻 Takotna
👉🏻 Ophir
👉🏻 Cripple
How teams manage their run/rest going into their 24 will offer some insight on what a team plans to do.
Jessie Holmes, having grabbed supplies to camp on the way between Nikolai and McGrath is setting up for a 24 in Ophir or possibly Cripple.
Travis and the other front runners who are in Nikolai are giving themselves options.
OPTION 1 - 1 run to Takotna
Run from Nikolai to Takotna [66 Mile run]
24 in Takotna.
OPTION 2 - 2 runs to Ophir
Run from Nikolai to McGrath. [48 miles]
Rest.
Run to Ophir [41 miles].
24 in Ophir
OPTION 3 - 3 runs to Cripple
Run from Nikolai to McGrath. [48 miles]
Rest
Run from McGrath then ~10 miles past Ophir [51 miles]
Rest
Run from the camp to Cripple [63 miles]
24 in Cripple
I prefer option 1 or option 3. The problem with taking a 24 in Ophir is that the run to Cripple is a notoriously long & difficult trail. It’s better, overall, I think to split that run up. I think that if you 24 in Ophir you then set yourself up to have to do a lot of camping. Some mushers like that. Maybe Travis will opt for that route — it is quieter — but I like the amenities checkpoints offer and you are sort of committing yourself to a few camps before getting back into a routine where you can stop in checkpoints. Checkpoints makes dog care easier and allows you more rest.
Speaking of which, Takotna is likely the “most comfortable” set up for teams. Ophir is nice and quiet but if Cripple i
After a four hour break, Travis and team are back on the trail heading to Rohn. Between Rainy Pass and Rohn, he and the dogs will descend through the Dalzel Gorge, a twisting trail that can be notoriously difficult — but the tougher the trail, the better our musher tends to do. Travis is very agile with his sled and it steers incredibly well.
Right now, the competitive field of mushers aren’t necessarily concerned with placement so much as making sure they are staying near the front while giving their team the proper amount of rest. Iditarod is not won in the first or second day of racing but many races have ended prematurely from overzealous mushers!
Striking a good balance is important. It’s generally thought that a competitive team should have approximately 10 hours of rest leaving Rainy Pass or, it a team isn’t staying in the checkpoint, upon leaving that next rest.
The run to Rohn is 35 miles. Expect it to take 3.5-5.5 hours depending on trail conditions. I expect Travis will grab supplies in Rohn but will not stay there, opting instead to go slightly further down the trail to a popular camping spot known as Tin Creek to help break up the long run from Rohn to Nikolai (75) miles. Essentially doing that turns going from Rainy Pass to Nikolai into two somewhat even runs. 👏🏻
Go dogs go!
🐾🐾🐾 - Sarah
Travis and his 16 dogs are into Rainy Pass with a really nice run time. They should be resting here for about 3-3.5 hours. This fresh snow should hopefully make the gorge more manageable but you never know.
I am trying to get Elias down for a nap and prepare for a tour — but will try to provide a longer update this afternoon :)
Thanks to our friends Dan Madelyn Walker for stopping by the house and dropping off some tasty treats. Always good to visit with friends.
🐾💕 - Sarah
Travis is IN and OUT of Fingerlake 🐾🥳🐾
He took a quick stop in the checkpoint to take advantage of a spot drilled through the lake to give the dogs some cold water before continuing through.
Hydration 💧 is just as important as calories 🍔 for our canine athletes and whenever water is available it’s a great option to be able to stop and offer them something to drink. A well hydrated team performs better. Heading into Rainy Pass is a long, steep climb 🗻and the dogs will be working HARD so this little break nd bit of water will certainly help the team.
Ruckus & La Niña led the team into this checkpoint.
We could not agree more with Sean Underwood (the camera man!) this is OUR YEAR to make a statement
🐾🥳🐾
👉🏻 Make sure to check out our stories, I’ll share some video of Travis watering the dogs. 🐾
Travis is through Yentna with 16 dogs and a run time of 4 hours and 5 minutes.
You can’t win the race on the first run and running conservative now will pay dividends later.
Switch - Keister led the team into this first checkpoint. They are an all star pair and we should be seeing a lot of these two up front.
Go dogs go!
🐾👏🏻🐾
Go Sevy! A Sevy is representing Team THK in the 2024 Goose Bay 150 Dog Sled Race.
You can follow online at
http://trackleaders.com/goosebay24f.php
Due to a glitch the trackers are slowly being activated. 😅 (I think the glitch being they were put on sleds but not turned on. Oops!)
Sevy is number 10. His tracker isn’t on…yet
We are very proud of Sevy and are lucky to have him helping our kennel this season. 😃🥳
Here is the finishing video from Ibi and her team. We are so lucky and so grateful to have Ibi as part of team Turning Heads Kennel. She followed the schedule we set out and did a great job on her camps. She took several dogs in their first race! We are so proud of her and the team!
Ibi has spent the last few days going through all the race dogs giving them a well-deserved spa day: shoulder massages, foot rubs, and lots of TLC.
Great job Ibi & team!
Wow! What a race!
The front of the pack was incredibly tight with Travis and Amanda only seconds apart. Amanda out ran Travis this go around… but definitely gives us more motivation to keep working out 💪🏻🏃♂️
We are very happy with our 5th place finish!
The dogs ran home after finishing on the lake, ate a big meal a day are now getting loved on post race with shoulder runs and foot massages.
Thanks for following along. I know there were fewer updates today — had my hands full with Elias who was so excited by his first mid-distance race and all the checkpoint shenanigans that he did not want to sleep last night 🫣😅😵💫
Now to cheer on Ibi! She just went through Eagle Quest and is going to do another camp before coming into the finish.
Big thanks to Sevy, Matt, Charly for being part of team THK and helping out. Big thanks also to Chad Stoddard, Ibi’s boyfriend, for being an honorary THK member this weekend and helping out!
🥳🥳🥳
