Neenah, WI – Alaska is home to the youngest musher to win the Yukon Quest (2011), the youngest musher to finish the Iditarod (2005), and the youngest musher to finish the Iditarod in the top 5 (2011) … Dallas Seavey.

Hosted by race team sponsors James and Rosanne Keller, Dallas Seavey took a break from his Iditarod training schedule in Alaska to visit the associates at J. J. Keller in Neenah, Wisconsin, to share race stories, footage of his dogs and their training, and his 2012 Iditarod goals.

Dallas and his wife, Jennifer, operate Alaska Sled Dog Tours and own their own kennel with 94 sled dogs. Considering the cost to just feed each dog is $1,000 per year, winning races is important to their business and racing goals. Another important component, Dallas said, is maintaining the sponsorship from James and Rosanne Keller, on behalf of J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. This sponsorship began with a vacation excursion to Mitch Seavey’s Ididaride Sled Dog Tours in 2006, where they met Dallas.

“Thanks to the Kellers, we’re able to compete in the Iditarod every year and have a realistic shot at winning the race,” Dallas said. “It’s a relief to have that support behind us in order to be able to do what we love to do.” 

Dallas is a shining example of perseverance. He has shown that setting realistic goals, modifying training, and learning from each experience is a combination for success.

When he began racing the Iditarod competitively, Dallas’ goal was to finish in the top 15 or 20. He devised his strategy and developed a training program that focused on maximizing each individual dog instead of training the team solely as a group. His training proved successful when he finished the 2009 Iditarod in 6th place, just 30 minutes behind his father’s team.

“We came close enough to scare [my dad], that’s for sure,” Dallas said, laughing. “I’m pretty sure he had second thoughts about some of the dogs he had sold me earlier.”

In 2010, Dallas had a personal goal of a top five finish, having almost achieved this goal the year before. He doubled his training efforts, and again concentrated on maximizing each individual dog to create a solid team with each dog’s unique qualities. In the end, Dallas beat his time goal, but had miscalculated what race position that time would earn him (8th place).

In 2011 Dallas stuck to his top 5 goal. He revamped training, and decided to include the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest, considered the toughest sled dog race in the world, into his training schedule.

“It was our last step to harden a very tough dog team and get them trail ready, or trail hardened,” Dallas said. “Dogs that are trail hardened get smart on the trail. They start to pace themselves properly, change their metabolism, and maintain themselves very easily while running 110-120 miles each day. I wanted to get this type of training done on the team in the Yukon Quest so they’d be trail hardened the second we started the Iditarod.”

While Dallas’ mission was to have fun, enjoy the new trail, and treat the race as a training step for the upcoming Iditarod, Dallas soon found himself training his dogs in a dangerous survival situation.

 “Dallas was in an overflow on the Yukon River. All of a sudden he was off the charts, and nobody knew where he was, and it was 50 below zero,” James Keller said. “Imagine being up to your waist in water, with your team and sled, and it’s 50 below … and you’re 30 miles from the next checkpoint. But he figured it out. He had two pair of wool socks and a sleeping bag, and his dogs got him to the checkpoint. It took 30 minutes for four men with chisels to remove his frozen boots.”

Dallas, age 23, continued in the race and won, the youngest musher to win by 7 years.

“There’s a sense of accomplishment when you make it through a situation like this,” Dallas said about his near-death experience in the Yukon Quest. “When that happened, it was one of the first times I wasn’t certain we’d make it out of there, not because of the dogs, but because of the nature of the situation. Then, after we reached the checkpoint, we realized we actually had a shot at winning. We put on a push at the end, with a lot of young dogs stepping up and taking control of the team as we closed in on the finish line to win. 

“It was my first major victory. But more than winning the race, I remember thinking, ‘wow, I have a monster of a team for the Iditarod.’ And that’s the attitude we went into the 2011 Iditarod with. I felt very strong about this incredible dog team.”

Two weeks later, Dallas (age 24) pulled out a record-breaking 4th place finish in the 2011 Iditarod, making him the youngest musher to complete the Iditarod in a top five position.

“It was just incredible to watch this team, the mixture of young and old dogs,” Dallas said. “Even though we finished in 4th place, we broke the record on the southern route trail. And we have a team that’s strong and even more experienced going into next year. This race was the execution of a master strategy, a whole year of training that led up to this one race. It was the highlight of my racing career so far.”

Looking forward to 2012, Dallas is optimistic: “It will be an exciting year. I’m totally amazed by these dogs. They are going to do well.”

Of Dallas, Keller said, “Dallas raced and trained 7,000 miles behind his sled last year  with his team of athletes (dogs). If you ever think you have a tough task in life … think about what some people do for fun!”

Dallas’ advice: “Never, ever give up. Count on your team. If you have a strong team, it’s amazing how much power you have to draw on.”

J. J. Keller-Sponsored Musher Sets Record as Youngest to Finish Iditarod in Top Five

Dallas Seavey, a musher sponsored by James and Rosanne Keller representing J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., reached Nome to finish the Iditarod on Tuesday, March 15, in fourth place … another new record for Dallas, now the youngest musher to finish the Iditarod in a top five position. Seavey completed the trail at 5:27 p.m. AKDT, finishing in 9 days, 2 hours, 27 minutes and 18 seconds.

Competing against more than 60 registered mushers, Dallas finished the 2011 race with a personal best time in his fifth run to the famed Burled Arch. Dallas has proven to be a strong contender, breaking a number of records in a few short years. He is the youngest musher in history to compete in the Iditarod (2005, when he was 18 years old), and to finish the race in a top 10 position (2009, when he was 22 years old). The 2009 race also netted him the distinction of most improved musher. In 2010, Dallas became the youngest musher to win the GCI Dorothy Page Halfway Award. And just last month, Dallas also set a record as the youngest musher ever to win the 1,000-mileYukon Quest.

Dallas represents the third generation of mushers in the Seavey family; his grandfather Dan helped to found the Iditarod in 1973 and finished third in that race. And the 2011 race is the 18th Iditarod for his father, Mitch Seavey. Mitch has nine top-10 finishes. His race this year, however, was cut short on March 10, when he was forced to withdraw following a severe injury to his hand. He was flown out of Ophir to Anchorage, where he underwent a successful two-hour surgery.

John Baker won this year's Iditarod, shattering the record set by Martin Buser in 2002. Baker reached the finish line at 9:46 a.m., shaving three hours off the previous record, finishing the race in 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds.

Defending champion Lance Mackey had been considered the frontrunner in this year's race. Mackey is the only musher to win four straight Iditarod Championships. He has also won four straight Yukon Quests.

Waiting at the finish line with his wife, Rosanne, James Keller spoke on behalf of the J. J. Keller/Seavey team: "While Baker’s win set a new record for this grueling race, another highlight of this year's Iditarod was Dallas Seavey and his remarkable fourth place finish. Dallas is an amazing athlete and we're very proud of his accomplishments this year!"

"The Iditarod — The Last Great Race on Earth® — is a world-class event. We come up to Alaska so we can share this excitement with our associates, customers and friends. Please visit our one-of-a-kind website at jjkeller.com/iditarod for news updates, photos and video you won't find anywhere else!"

At 8:00 pm AKDST Monday, March 14, eight days into the race, we might have another photo finish. Dick Mackey, Lances' dad, beat Rick Swenson by a dogs nose in 1978 for the closest race on record.

Other than the Winner, the sub-title headline will be Mushing sensation Dallas Seavey and his remarkable move into 4th place. He blew through Elim, didn't rest 2 hours like Neff & Schnuelle, hoping to get to White Mountain ahead of them so he would rest there. I don't think he can catch up but it's not over until the leader is under the burled arch in Nome.

Right now John Baker, age 48 (16th Iditarod), Ramey Smyth, age 35 (17th Iditarod), and Hans Gatt are all into White Mountain, taking an 8 hour mandatory rest. John arrived at 16:03, Ramey at 16:54 and Hans at 19:33. After racing the final 77 miles, the winner should arrive into Nome tomorrow between 11:00 am-1:00 pm. This would shatter the record set by Martin Buser in 2002 arriving in 8 days, 22 hours and 46 minutes. Mackey missed last year by 1 hour and 13 minutes. 

Neither John or Ramey have slept more than a few hours in the last 2 days. Both are awesome Mushers, tireless workers and deserve a victory. John was on his High School Basketball Team that won the state title in 1979. Bruce Lee, from the Iditarod Insider, said Ramey was a cross between a piranha and a pitbull when it comes to racing. Ramey has set all kinds of records for speed between Safety and Nome so this is a toss up! Rosanne & I are thrilled to be a part of this history!

Dallas is 20 miles out of White Mountain and will probably finish in 4th place. This is a real feat for the 24 year old Musher who ran his first race in 2005 at age 18, finishing 52nd with his dad's puppy team. In 2006 he was on the Olympic Wrestling Team, ranked 4th in the world after winning the nationals - the first Alaskan to win at this level. In 2007, our first year of exclusive Sponsorship, he finished 41st with his dad's puppy team. In 2008 he was married and Mitch asked if we would sponsor him until Dallas returned. In 2009 he started building his own kennel and finished 6th. After that race while in Nome, we discussed the future, and he acquired Aaron Burmeister's 7th place team to help his kennel develope at a faster pace. In 2010 he finished 8th and set an all time speed record for a Seavey. 

3 more Mushers have scratched; James Bardoner (Bib #57), Brennan Norden (Bib #44) and Jamaican Newton Marshall (Bib #6). All stated that it's in the best interests of the dogs that they are leaving the race. 

In another race to Nome, our flight from Anchorage and the only one to Nome was canceled today. So we are booked on the 6 am flight tomorrow and must go thru Kotzebue which is 26 miles north of the arctic circle. We are scheduled into Nome about 9:30 am. After all this I hope we don't miss the winner. Stay tuned for a history making finish! 

As of 8:17 AKDST Sunday, March 13, seven days into the race it is heating up to be a fantastic RACE to the Burled Arch in Nome.

John Baker has a 5 mile lead at race mile 757. For a reference point, the last checkpoint was Shaktoolik at race mile 741 where he rested and others blew through. He lost a few hours there and time will tell whether this was good move. In hot pursuit is Ramey Smyth at 752 and in his rear view mirror is Hans Gatt at 752. Hugh Neff is at 746, and Sebastian Schnuelle is also at 746. Ray Redington, Jr is at 741. DeeDee Jonrowe is at 726 and Dallas Seavey is closing in at 725.

This is the 5th year we have been covering the race. We have not had a close race for 1st place and this year looks to be a dandy. We have had teams come in minutes apart but not the leaders. 

John Baker is a native son and would be the first Inupiaq Eskimo to Win the Iditarod if he holds on. It was reported in the Anchorage Daily News that some of the Mushers said John has the toughest dogs on the planet. I believe they are called coastal dogs, are born outside and rarely see a roof. Here is an interesting fact - John lives in Kotzebue, which is 300 miles north of the finish line in Nome. He is in a southern climate running the 1,150 mile race so no wonder he is having such a good time!!

One thing for sure is that Lance Mackey will not win this year and is at race mile 700. 

There is a mandatory 8 hour rest period at White Mountain. From here it is 80 miles to the finish. We will have a very good idea what is going on based on the order they come into White Mountain.

The weather has been great, based on Iditarod standards, for the entire race and has not been a factor like most other years.

Rosanne and I just arrived in Anchorage an hour ago and will be in Nome tomorrow around 12:30 AK time. I will try to give you the latest race reports if the cell phones and computers are working.

Please stay tuned for some insite as we will wrap up this 39th edition in a few days.

At 8:00 pm CST Saturday, 3/12, 144 hours into the race, a lot has happened and this is the stretch where you can get a glimpse of the first batch of finishers.

There are 54 Mushers on the trail; 8 are out with the latest being veteran Judy Currier (Bib #29). She scratched in Anvik and had 13 dogs.

There has been decent weather throughout this race but who knows what mother nature might bring in the next 3-4 days.

John Baker (Bib #53) is the current leader at race mile 624 in Kaltag, population 234. There are 4 other Mushers also resting in Kaltag. R. Smyth is 2nd and S. Schnuelle is 3rd. There are a dozen Mushers that could possibly win this race, and by Monday morning the picture should be clearer.

Dallas is 11th at race mile 606. He is running while the leaders are resting so when he catches up they take off with fresh dogs, and he needs to rest. This leap frogging makes it hard to follow the race - sort of a slow version of NASCAR! The current leaders might be very hard to catch if the weather doesn't change.

Where is Mr. Lance Mackey (the Champion for the past 4 years)? Well he was resting with Dallas a few hours ago and is now at race mile 611. With the dog trouble he had earlier in the race, he might not be able to catch up and win his 5th in a row!

Janine Seavey called my wife Rosanne today with an update on Mitch. He had his right index finger surgically repaired, in a 2 hour operation. He has since decided to fly out and work with Bruce Lee on the trail doing onsite Iditarod reports. He was in a lot of pain but figured he might as well stay in tune with the race and help out. 

Rosanne and I are flying out tomorrow, will stay the night in Anchorage. We will arrive in Nome Monday am. We will be back home Saturday am. I will be doing 4 separate reports; radio, newspaper and internet from Nome plus Blogs if I can access the Internet. Stay tuned as we wrap up the 2011 Iditarod!

At 4:40 pm CST, 96 hours into the race, who would have thought that Mitch Seavey would be heading to the hospital, instead of Nome. Janine Seavey called me this am and gave me the unfortunate news. I said "it could have been worse" and wished them the best.

I watched the trail video and Mitch said "my knife folded and I severely cut my fingers. I agree with the Marshall that this needs attention. I was on my way to winnning the Iditarod and now I'm heading to Anchorage instead". The good news is he will probably be ok after surgery because as Dallas once said "he is a tough bugger".

The Trail Breakers are at race mile 459. Someone tried to go back and only made it a few miles so the trail could get harder to navigate.

There are 9 Mushers at race mile 405. There were six who reached the ghost town of Iditarod. Only 3 have taken their 24 hour layover and they are the leaders. 

The current leaders are Buser with 14 dogs, Neff with 13 dogs and Mackey with 10 dogs. If Lance loses any more dogs soon he might be in trouble - he was in this type of situation before and won the race - do not count him out until it's over! 

Trent Herbst (Bib #4) was the first to arrive into Iditarod; for his efforts he won the GCI Dorothy Page Halfway Award as well as $3,000 in gold nuggets. Trent has not taken his 24 hour layover so even though he arrived there first he's technically not in the lead - sounds nuts but true!

Dallas is at race mile 387 and in 11th place. Dallas told his wife, Jen, that he was getting into race mode and will be movin out soon. I expect Dallas to pick up a few positions and be in a position to win this by the weekend. Stay Tuned for these Blogs and BREAKING NEWS if necessary.

At 4:11 am this morning, 2004 Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey (Bib#28) has been withdrawn from the 2011 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race by Marshall Mark Nordman.

Seavey severely injured fingers on his hand when cutting open a bale of straw. Seavey will be flow out of Ophir at first light and will continue to Anchorage.

At 4:20 pm CST, 72 hours into the race, it is starting to take shape - for some. For others it has been carnage, according to Insider Bruce Lee, and not very good news.

Martin Buser (Bib#11) was the first into McGrath and won the Penair Spirit of Alaska Award, which includes $500 towards travel or freight shipment. He arrived with 16 dogs and left with 15.

Many Mushers are taking their required 24 hour layover in Takotna so it will be hard to find the true leader looking at the leader board standings. The rest is needed and most of the leaders are down 3-4 dogs due to various reasons. Buser arrived 1 hour and 42 minutes ahead of Mackey. Schnuelle is third. The Seavey's are only 2.5 hours off the lead and 43 minutes apart. Anyone in the top 10 could pull off a win!

Now for the bad news - 4 more Mushers scratched: 15 time veteran, and a favorite this year, Paul Gebhardt (Bib#34) is out for the 1st time in his career. He was down to 8 strong dogs. Rather than risk injury, and not in a very good mood, he took the high road. Before the race Paul stated "I have my best Team ever in 15 years". Veteran Gerry Willomitzer (Bib#33) is out and had 12 dogs. Jessica Hendricks (Bib#36) is out and had 8 dogs. Bob Storey, age 65 (Bib#15), from New Zealand is done and had all 16 dogs.

As a side note, I have mentioned in prior Blogs that you can't train in other places for what Alaska will throw at you - Dallas will have Mushed over 4,000 Alaskan miles before this season is over. You can't replicate this anywhere on earth!

This is the type of sport & race where only the strong, physically and mentally, will survive. If there ever was a sport where training is your trump card, this is it. You can never be lucky and win this race. Over 9+ days, in an arctic climate, things sort out and those that are prepared for everything, especially the mental aspect, will end up on top.

Stay tuned because when I write my Blog tomorrow, the lead Teams will be on the move again. This is a crazy event, I'm proud to be involved and happy to provide these reports.    

At 4:40 pm CST, 48 hours into the race, there are a number of news worthy items to report on.

Melissa Owens (Bib #12) injured her leg before the race, took off a cast in Willow, and re-injured it and had to scratch. This young Musher has a lot of potential! It's too bad because the 21 year old Musher lives in Nome and was heading home! Zoya DeNure (Bib #9) also scratched based on the best interest of her team. This leaves 60 Mushers on the Trail. Based on the Live Tracker there appears to be a few more, way behind, that might be considering their options.

Yesterday's front runner, Lance Mackey, is having some trouble and had to carry and drop 4 dogs already. He was in the same position last year and won with 12 dogs at this point. He sounded down but said he was certainly not out of it. If he loses another 4 dogs quickly he will be in serious trouble.

This opens the door for 4 time champ, Martin Buser, who's Team is on the move and looks very strong. He is in the lead at race mile 249. The trail breaker is only at 307 so this could mean some weather and tougher sledding ahead. Time will tell.

There are currently 21 Mushers stopped at race mile 241. Both Dallas and Mitch are in this mix. All these Teams were within a few hours of each other, when they arrived, so the next 200 miles will tell a different story.

I will go out on a limb and state that tomorrow when I write my blog that both Dallas and Mitch will be closing in - the announcer said at the re-start "you don't want a Seavey following you". If Mackey falters this will give off a new boost of energy. Keep in mind that the last 4 years, Mackey won, and could not be caught. 

Did you know that the race follows a northern route in even years and a southern route in odd years - like 2011!!

Stay tuned and if there is BREAKING NEWS I will do a blog asap! 

A day into the 39th Iditarod, at 4:15 pm CST, looks somewhat like the past 4 years. The trail is fast and the weather is cooperating so far. Could this be the year when the race record is shattered? Can anyone catch Lance Mackey? He describes himself as "I was put on earth to train and race dogs - this is who I am". We shall see if this comes true. If he can pull off another blow out Win, the Sled Dog Racing World will be shaking their heads - again!

The 1st Musher leaving Willow Lake yesterday at 2pm AKST was veteran DeeDee Jonrowe. It was reported that she got off the trail at Finger Lake, lost a lot of time & energy, and ended up back at Finger Lake for some rest - not a good start.

The Trail Breaker is at race mile 230 and reports a good, fast trail. It was reported that those in the lead have a better trail to work with. Those in the middle to the back have a slower trail to deal with. In my opinion, there are only about a dozen Musher's who could win and they will all be in the lead so the trail conditions might not be an issue.  

Mackey and 10 others are in Rainy Pass, race mile 136, resting. Mackey was the 1st in at 8:08 am today with a 28 minute lead - and will no doubt be the 1st one out very soon.

Dallas #21 is at race mile 126 and Mitch #28 is at race mile 124. DONOT COUNT THEM OUT - they have a plan to reach Nome in record times. As long as they do not fall too far behind you-know-who this we be a very competitive race! Both Dallas and Mitch's Teams were mentioned as being very strong looking at the Re-Start. 

To be the best you must beat the best..................Stay Tuned