Iditarod! Rootin for Newton!

[sistacaf]

Re: 2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton

omg lookit that dog's beautiful intelligent face and wise eyes,

hey nook i wonder if we can get Newton here as a guest interview, when he's all done and rested and home.

wouldn't that be grand?

mush mush mush mon!

[Nanook]

Re: 2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton

Hey sistacaf! I'm working on trying to help Xavier get that interview...

Newton arrived in Cripple last night at 10:30pm with 14 dogs.

I read yesterday that the high was went up to -10 below so that must have felt nice for him. I know from experience that after -30 below, -10 feels almost tropical!

[SistahD]

Re: 2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton

Great updates Nan, and I don't think it will be a problem getting Newt here for a discussion, after the great job you did last year with his teammate!

[Nanook]

Re: 2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton

Good morning jamaicans.com!

Newton is doing spectacularly! He is in Ruby at the checkpoint with 12 dogs! He has moved up to 50th place. This is wonderful, as 10 mushers have now dropped out of the race so far.



The exciting news is that Newtons teammate & mentor Lance Mackey is now in FIRST place! The finish line is predicted for Tuesday night or Wednesday morning and I'll be there via the Insider watching this extraordinary feat!

Newton will be on the trail a bit longer though, but he is persevering and I'm confident that barring some unforeseen mishap, he will finish the course.

Rookie of the year???

[Nanook]

Re: 2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton



source

[SistahD]

Re: 2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton

Funny I remember last year TV specials running around the Iditarod... have not found any for this year though!



ETA After a little searching discovered that many sponsors reduced or dropped out of sponsorships, and TV coverage (including Discovery Channel) was reduced to local coverage of key points along the race. In addition, many of the staff had to take pay cuts, including their Vet.


source

[SistahD]

Re: 2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton

This looks like their standard course... guess Newton is about halfway...

[Nanook]

Re: 2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton

There are two routes for Iditarod, a northern one and a southern trail and they alternate years. This year is the Northern trail (even years)

You can read about it and see trail distances and such if you click here


Newton left Ruby around 45 minutes ago, so he's back on the move!

Ruby is 667 miles into the race, and Newton has 445 miles left to go! Wow, good job Newton!!!!

He is on his way to Galena which is 52 miles...



Go Newton!!!!!

[sistacaf]

Re: 2010 Iditarod: Larry & Newton

SisD the TV program usually comes out after the whole race is complete. can't remember if it's Discovery, History, or Nat Geo that broadcasts it, but it's usually a 3 or 4-part program with bits and pieces about the whole race and all the mushers. -kinda similar to how they do the show on those extreme-mountaineering races that take several days...

what the heck is the name a that race? it was one of Jeff Probst's projects before he got involved with 'Survivor'. in fact it was kind of similar to Survivor, but it was the 'real' version, without all the sensationalistic fake Drama-for-TV element.
<span style="font-style: italic">(ETA: dang i've looked all over the web &amp; cannot find mention of that wilderness team race anywhere. but i distinctly remember that Jeff P. hosted the tv shows they did about it over a couple years. it was long before Survivor)</span>

i guess we'll see if they do the Iditarod one this year, I really was counting on it, i wait for it and watch it every year. but it seems they may not have one based on the reductions you mentioned. bummer.

[Nanook]

Re: Send Newton a Musher gram!

I just ran across this on Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville website....

Big up Jimmy Buffet for his huge part in supporting Jamaica Dogsled Team from the beginning!

03.14.10
Rootin' For Newton Iditarod Update
Newton and the team have made it to Ruby. They have stopped for a brief rest and will be back on the trail heading towards Galena next.

Looking for a way to send a personal message of support to Newton? Call 1-907-248-6874 and leave a “Musher-Gram” with one of the kind folks from the Alaska Iditarod. They will take down your message and pass each and every one on to Newton! Let’s show him how many people he has behind him in Margaritaville “Rootin’ for Newton!”



Jimmy Buffet site with more JDT stuffs

[Nanook]

Re: Send Newton a Musher gram!

Newton has moved up to 47th position - he arrived at Nulato this morning at 2:29 AM. His run from Galena was just under 7 hours.

(via Jamaica Dog Sled Team official site on facebook)

There was also an insider video of Newton explaining why he dropped lead dog Larry. There are girls in season on the team, and Larry kept stopping and trying to turn around to get at them....and also, he wouldn't sleep at rest stop and would howl all night. Poor Larry!

edit to add: I am not positive Larry is one of the dogs Newton has dropped but it sounded like it.

[MsExced]

Re: Send Newton a Musher gram!

gwan thru Netwon

[Nanook]

Re: Send Newton a Musher gram!

Here is a video on JDT facebook page where newton explains the tactic for removing his lead dogs...

watch it here

[Nanook]

Re: Newton called &quot;a hero to kids&quot; in native land...

Jamaican musher blazes trail for underdogs
Marshall called 'a hero to kids' in native land


Newton Marshall trained for sled-dog racing with stray mutts pulling a sled on wheels through the streets of Jamaica.

Now he's gliding across the snow-streaked interior of Alaska, where he faces fierce weather and competition from a world-class field of mushers in the Iditarod. The race began March 7 in Willow, Alaska, and will cover more than 1,000 miles.

The hope among Marshall's supporters is that he will inspire others who might see his accomplishments and believe they also can do great things.

Singer Jimmy Buffett is among Marshall's strongest supporters.

&quot;He's absolutely a hero to kids in Jamaica,&quot; Buffett said in an interview.

Buffett's Margaritaville restaurants are key sponsors for Marshall's dog team, and the famed songwriter said he did not hesitate to back Marshall after learning of his story. Buffett first heard of the Jamaican after meeting Danny Melville, who runs a family-owned tour business in Jamaica where Marshall was employed as a guide.

&quot;I thought from the beginning, it was just very cool what he was doing,&quot; Buffett said. &quot;I thought it was so far out there, but it made people smile when they heard about it.&quot;

Marshall, 27, once trained with mutts from the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals but now runs Alaska sled dogs. He's been training with three-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey.

During previous races in the past two years, the Jamaican's mettle has been tested.

&quot;He ran the 2009 Yukon Quest, and as a rookie he finished that race. It's a 1,000-mile race. Many rookies who later on in their careers have run all kinds of races have failed to finish that particular race,&quot; said Chas St. George, Iditarod spokesman.

Marshall's journey to the Iditarod began in Edmonton, Alberta, where Melville was looking for dune buggies for his tourism business. He spotted a sled with wheels, &quot;and I thought, we could do that, we've got thousands of dogs in Jamaica that have no home,&quot; Melville said.

In Jamaica, Marshall was guiding tours and met Shelly Kennedy, a retired school principal from Bay City, Mich., who moved to Jamaica with her husband. She taught Marshall to read during tutoring sessions after his workday ended.

When Hurricane Ivan threatened Jamaica, Kennedy fled her home with jewelry, cash and other belongings.

&quot;All Newton took was his books,&quot; she said. &quot;He's motivated, and I think that's the main thing with him.&quot;

Melville met Buffett in 2005 and told him about the dog sled on wheels. Buffett recalled how tears came to his eyes when he watched a documentary film about Marshall.

&quot;He has some kind of fortitude that is unexplainable,&quot; Buffett said.

Marshall was in 49th place Sunday. He's determined to finish the race, which supporters say would be a victory in itself.

Source:argusleader.com



Newton is now in 45th place! It was a good decision he made to drop the dogs that caused problems as he has been moving up and steady since then.

Lance Mackey is again in first place! It would be so wonderful for him to have another Iditarod win!!

Go Lance go!!!

[Nanook]

Re: Newton called &quot;a hero to kids&quot; in native land...

Lance is still in first place and is on his way to the finish 2 hour lead from the nearest competitor, Hans Gatt. My eyes will be glued to the screen this afternoon waiting for Lance to come across the finish!

Go Lance!

This is so very interesting. It is Hans Gatt who won Yukon Quest last month. Newton trained with Hans last year and it was his dogs Newton used to run Yukon Quest, so you see...Newton has been blessed to learn from the best of the best!
According to the GPS, Newton has gone 648 miles, and is on his way to Unakleet, traveling 8.2 miles per hour.

Woot woot Newton!!!!!!!