First Jamaican Musher In Yukon Quest Sled Dog Finals
The Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race is not a day out with the dogs in the park. This is the toughest 1000 Miles for man and dogs ever! Now tell me what on earth is a Jamaican doing on that icy trek? Well he’s Dog Sledding. Dog what? And what the devil is a musher anyway? Remember last year when I told you the story about Sun Dogs in Jamaica Dog Sled Team: Coolest Sun Dogs On Ice?
Well the ‘story come to bump’ as we’d say in Jamaica.
Newton Marshall has now gone down in history as Jamaica’s first musher to make it to the Finals of the 1000 Yukon Quest. Newton was born, raised, and lived all his life in Jamaica. What this man know bout ice? Well, apparently enough to have finished ahead of half of the competitors in the Copper Basin 300 Championship on Monday January 19, 2009. He came in 13th out of 27 mushers with a time of 61hrs and 41mins. Did I mention the snow?
From Glen Allen’s report on the race, Newton and his team of dogs set out in 48-below zero conditions. Newton drew bib number 1 to start the race. Now this was no laughing matter. Newton’s teacher/trainer Hans Gatt who finished second in the race gave a very clear picture of the Copper Basin.
Gatt said the Copper Basin lived up to its reputation, “As usual with the Copper Basin it was the worst trail and the toughest conditions imaginable for a 300-mile race. There is nothing on the Yukon Quest trail that is worse than some of the things Newton saw in the Copper Basin. There were sections 10 miles long of deep sugar snow with no trail.”
It’s already 48 below 0 ..and then there is No trail? Not even a way to find the nearest airport to Jamaica? (Sorry that’s me thinking out loud.) So we see why Newton is now in the Yukon Quest 1000 miles finals. The young man has…guts! He stuck it out and in his own words had this to say in describing the darkest moments on the trail.
“The open water was the worst thing on the trail. I was really scared when I saw that, we had to go so close to it. It was cold, cold, and there was black water open in the ice, running under the ice. Would we go too close and would the ice break? I had to not think and I had to just get by it. Everybody was very encouraging. It was cold and hard, but it was a good race. I feel very good that I did it.”
Just look at the smile! And the dogs in their Jamaican colours too. Go deh Newton! A so we dweet yes. Or let me be as proper as Jimmy Buffet (Margaritaville), team sponsor and god-father who at the end of the race was reduced to a single word (every song flew out his head!). All he could say was, ‘Unbelievable!’ How true.
My eyes will be peeled for the latest updates on the Jamaica Dog Sled Team website where you can get up to the minute stories when the race is on.
Photo Credits: Thanks to Danny Melville (Chukka Caribbean) for the photos and updates.
Send out your love by joining the Jamaican Dog Sled Facebook Fan Club.
Yukon Quest 1000 Miles quick facts from their webiste -
- Event starts Saturday February 14th and runs over 2 weeks!
- There are about 35 Mushers competing (8 of them are women. Yeaaaa)
- Winner takes home a $35,000 purse. Every finisher gets $1000.
- Most Mushers come from America & Canada with 5 single entries from Britain, Germany, Japan, France ( all snowy places) and then Jamaica. As the Copper Basin 300 has shown us don’t judge a man by his country of origin!
Mush!
Marvia
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