Video – 2015 Iditarod Ceremonial Start – Go Team Kaiser!

Thanks to everyone for their support and showing up in the rain. Lee Ryan, You are excused 🙂

Next Stop- Fairbanks! Tomorrow morning at zero-dark-thirty (Even earlier now that it is time change weekend) Team Kaiser will be taking the Parks Highway, along with more than 70 other Teams, on the road to the Restart on Monday Morning.

Stay tuned for another batch of photos and video before we get to the task of following our favorite Team on the trail to Nome (Virtually of course!) I, for one, am very excited that we will be able to see Pete and the Team in the first checkpoint of Nenana, so Monday will prove to be a busy day.

Go Team Kaiser!

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Thank You Sponsors!

 

Thank You Donlin Gold!

Thank You Donlin Gold!

The Ceremonial Start of the Iditarod is designed to give fans and sponsors a chance to see the Teams in a relaxing atmosphere. The Mardi-Gras atmosphere of the event gives everyone a chance to get to know each other.

Kaiser Racing is so thankful to have a stable of sponsors that truly support Pete’s racing spirit. Many stopped this morning to wish Pete and the Team well on the trip to Nome. Thanks for stopping everyone!

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Meet Allen Dobson – 2015 Iditarider

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This year we were pleased to have with us as our Iditarider, Allen Dobson, a Doctor from North Carolina. He had a great time and was pretty jazzed to get going. Poor fella got a bit wet, but his spirits were high. Thanks for coming along for the ride, Allen!

Here’s Allen’s Iditarider Bio:

Allen Dobson is from Mt. Pleasant, NC and his connection to the Iditarod and his IditaRider experience is through his wife, Martha, the 2011 Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™. Having ridden twice as an IditaRider, Martha wanted him to have this experience as a thank you for his support for her Iditarod race involvement over the years. A lifelong North Carolinian, Allen is a family physician, graduating from North Carolina State University and Bowman Gray School of Medicine at Wake Forest University. After completing a family medicine residency at East Carolina University, Allen and Martha moved to Mt. Pleasant where he assumed the small town practice of a retiring doctor. Because of his commitment to family medicine and the importance of serving patients, he founded Cabarrus Family Medicine Residency, served as the Medicaid Director for North Carolina, and currently is the President and CEO of Community Care of North Carolina, Inc. He was selected in 1992 as the North Carolina Family Physician of the Year. A trombonist, Allen earned spending money in college playing in his big band, The Ambassadors, and marched with NCSU’s band. Flying is another interest of his. This year, two of his three children and his granddaughter will witness his ride in the Ceremonial Start. While Allen prefers summer Alaska trips, and Martha enjoys her Iditarod experiences, Allen says, ” The race is all about the dedication of the mushers and their dogs, and I’m looking forward to getting the opportunity to see it firsthand.”

We’ve always maintained a pretty strong relationship with our Iditariders and this year was no exception! Who did we find cheering on Team Kaiser at the Campbell Creek Airstrip?? Well Connor, last year’s Make-A-Wish rider! The whole family made a Go Team Kaiser sign and gave it to Pete after he got the Team tied up. Thanks Guys!

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The Clouds Cleared and We had a Start! And then they came back!

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I’ll have to tell you that when we awoke this morning to a literal deluge of rain, I wasn’t so motivated to put on the ‘ol Bunny Boots and head out to the Start Line! But after a bit, a bit of blue sky was to be had, and by 11:48am, when Team Kaiser left the 2015 Iditarod Ceremonial Start Line, it was a beautiful day!

This is Pete’s 6th Iditarod and the mood this morning was markedly more relaxed than previous Starts. We had coffee and Pete spent time chatting with fans and sponsors as they came by to offer support. It was just a real relaxing morning and I think everyone had a pretty good time!

There is no snow in Anchorage and trucks worked through the night to put down a layer of snow that turned into an icy soggy topping to the asphalt below 4th avenue. The surface wreaked havoc on the dog booties and most were shredded by the time Team Kaiser reached the line. It was all smiles as they left the chute with bib number 54 and those smiles were tempered a bit as they headed through Anchorage on the trip to Campbell Creek Airstrip.

As Team Kaiser and their Iditarider, Allen Dobson, traveled through town, the weather took a turn for the worse and it was a driving rain storm as they reached the Campbell Creek finish to the Ceremonial Start. Our poor Iditarider didn’t stay around long, but had a good time. I’m sure he wasn’t sure what to expect, but rain probably wasn’t what he was planning for! Thanks for riding Allen!

Here are the photos from today:

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