The inaugural Willow 300 seems to have been a success. There is much to learn for the organizers, but spirits are high and many spoke of wanting to see it happen again.
For Pete and Nik, it was not to place as much to put some miles on the Teams, get Nik an Iditarod qualifier, and get the Teams exposed to other Teams before the Iditarod. I asked Pete about it and it just comes down to exposure, he said. Without exposure to other Teams and germs, dogs can fall ill just like kids do when they first go to school each year. Like I’ve said so many times, Pete is pretty much “Doggy Yoda” and is always considering all of these small details for the success of his Teams.
For Nik, this was a grand experience. A bit more race experience under his belt as well as many more miles on the Team. He is growing to be a fine musher and dog handler. He too possesses some “Yoda” traits of his own. His calm manner is very fun to watch as he moves from animal to animal. Watching them respond to him tells you in a minute this is something special.
The weather was good and the football game was dramatic. What more could you ask for this weekend? Here are the finish photos. Thanks to the checker gals for sticking around for each Finish!
Go Team Kaiser!
