Running with Champions, livre ebook

?Lisa Frederic was just your average Alaska fisherwoman when a vacation in Nome to see the burled-arch finish of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race changed her life forever. The mushers’ devotion to their dogs and the sheer grit required to complete the epic race lit a spark in Lisa. She started as a volunteer at checkpoints along the race, became an apprentice to Iditarod champion Jeff King, and, finally, mushed her own dog team in the world’s greatest sled dog race.
Running with Champions is Lisa’s riveting account of her amazing journey, from head-bashing encounters with trees along the trails to the panic of losing control of a powerful team of dogs in the wilds of Alaska, all leading to her first attempt as a forty-something at the Big One: the 1,049-mile Iditarod. Lisa’s inspiring story speaks to everyone who has ever followed a dream and found that the dream realized is even bigger than the imagined one.
In January I had raced in the Knik 200, which had followed these first few miles to Yentna Station. I’d only had twelve dogs, but now with four more, I felt like I had put another motor on my skiff. The sled hurled through the birch trees like a missile, and my hands cramped from squeezing the handle bow. After a couple of hours, we crossed Flat Horn Lake and I started seeing mushers parked in the trees. We had traveled more than forty miles, and I knew I should stop because the afternoon was getting warm, but I kept rejecting each good spot I found. As long as we were moving, things were less likely to go wrong. With young dogs most problems occur when you stop, their lines get tangled, or they get into a hassle with the dogs around them. The chances of losing the sled are also highest when you are dealing with such problems, so I was afraid to stop. But it seemed like everyone else in the race was resting in the woods.
I started growing disgusted with my fear of stopping, but just could not do it. On and on I went, arguing with myself each time I passed up a good spot to park. I knew I must have gone past Jeff by now and his warning rang in my ears.
“Do not pass me!”He had said it in a joking manner, but I knew what he had meant.
Map - 6
Introduction
Learning Curves and a Long, Long Trail - 7
Chapter 1
Not Exactly Bluegrass Country - 9
Chapter 2
A Volunteer on the Iditarod Trail - 14
Chapter 3
Good Coffee,
but Short Coffee Breaks - 20
Chapter 4
Bootie Duty and Other Chores - 31
Chapter 5
Return to the Emerald Isle - 40
Chapter 6
Back in the Dog Yard - 44
Chapter 7
More than Gee and Haw - 48
Chapter 8
The Puppies and I - 58
Chapter 9
300 Miles?in a Day or Two - 66
Chapter 10
Baby Blue Eyes - 74
Chapter 11
Adrift - 81
Chapter 12
The Christmas Bash - 88
Chapter 13
Ten Dogs, Ten Times - 99
Chapter 14
Still Just a Little Girl - 109
Chapter 15
Finally?the Iditarod Start - 124
Chapter 16
The Ring of Warnings - 129
Chapter 17
An Iditarod Twist - 134
Chapter 18
Chilling Advice - 139
Chapter 19
Alone and Yet Not - 148
Chapter 20
No, the Insane Part Isn’t Over Yet - 155
Chapter 21
A View from the Back - 163
Chapter 22
Iditarod Pion - 168
Chapter 23
Cold, Dark Trails to Ophir - 173
Chapter 24
Takotna to Cripple?the Long Way - 178
Chapter 25
Among the Best - 186
Chapter 26
The Wonder of Fine Company - 193
Chapter 27
Scent of the Sea - 198
Chapter 28
Possibilities - 205
Chapter 29
Wind - 209
Chapter 30
Final Steps - 218
Epilogue
Last Run - 222
Postscript - 223
About the Author – 224