Iditarod! Rootin for Newton!

[halfwaytree]

Re: Newton called "a hero to kids" in native land...

I was listening to the sports report on the CBC this morning and they were talking about the leader, Lance Mackey. Seems that he pulled into a rest stop during the race and faked setteling down for a nap. The guy who was right behind him at the time, Jeff King I think, saw this and decided he was going to get 40 winks too. Well as soon as Jeff King fell asleep Lance got up and and sneaked back out on the trail and before Jeff king woke up Lance had a one hour and ten minute lead on him.

<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-family: 'Arial Black'">Outwit, Outlast, Outplay</span></span>

[Nanook]

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

Good move Lance! Yes, I have heard stories like this and lmao every time!

I'm so thrilled for Lance and his dogs. Keep up the good work Lance and Newton!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!

[Nanook]

Re: Leader update!

As of 5 minutes ago on facebook, via Jamaica Dog Sled team..


update on the Iditarod leaders: Mackey is 12 miles ahead of Gatt. Mackey is moving at 7.8 MPH, while Gatt and his team are running at 7 MPH. King is only 4 miles behind Gatt and moving at 7.8 MPH as well.

Newton is 639 miles into the race at this moment according to his GPS tracking!

[Nanook]

Re: They're calling him&quot;Hootin Newton'!

<span style="font-weight: bold"> Jamaican having hoot on the Iditarod Trail
Craig Medred
Mar 13, 2010 </span>




CRIPPLE -- The man on the runners behind the Jamaican team in this year's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race stands out wherever he goes, and it's not simply because he's the only black man in the competition.

The fact is you don't even need to see Hootin' Newton Marshall to know that he is in a checkpoint -- just follow the laughter. In a race that happens as much in the dark of night as in the light of day, his bubbling, fun-loving, prank-playing personality stands out even more than his color.

When someone told him he'd frostbit his nose and cheeks coming into Nikolai earlier in the race, his first question was, &quot;What color is it?''

&quot;Black,'' someone said.

Newton said he knew that much. &quot;I'm a black mon, '' he joked.

Everyone laughed, and then someone explained that the black of the frostbite was blacker than the rest of him. Everyone laughed some more at that, most especially Hootin' Newton. He moves in a bubble of laughter.

In McGrath, he entertained by using his iPod to share a video of his first experience shooting a shotgun. The video is hilarious. Hootin' Newton aims, fires and gets knocked on his butt by the recoil. Everyone laughed when they watched it. Hootin' Newton laughed along with them.

His personality is such that even that which might sound like whining from others gets everyone laughing. Most of the people in the race try to put the toughman (or toughwoman) face on the 40-below, night-time cold that's stalking this Iditarod. Not Newton.

&quot;I am cold every night,'' he said, laughing in the Cripple checkpoint Saturday. &quot;I feel it coming in my pockets, all my zippers. It was like the cold was unzipping my clothes.&quot;

Still, he presses on. It is a job, he said: &quot;I got sponsored. The other (musher) in Jamaica didn't like it too much. So I said I would do it. I wasn't very smart.

&quot;(Rainy Pass) was so scary I thought I was going to die. There was zero visibility. It was dark. You could not see anything. I fell in waist-deep snow. Then my dogs got in a tangle.&quot;

He has a female in heat that's always advertising for company. That's led to lots of tangles. &quot;I get them going again after I catch my breath (in the pass),'' Marshall said. &quot;Then this keeps happening about 15 times.&quot;

Fear and perseverance, not skill, finally got him through the gap in the Alaska Range, the 27-year-old said. &quot;I consider I've been lucky,&quot; he said. &quot;I'm looking forward to getting my finisher's belt buckle. I close my eyes and click my heals and say, 'There's no place like Nome.&quot;

Then he rushed off to block the door to the checkpoint to make another musher think it was frozen shut. She banged her shoulder against it a couple times trying to get it open. Then Hootin' Newton swung it wide and laughed. She did, too.

It's hard not to when your hangin' with the funnest, funniest musher on the trail.

Craig Medred's Iditarod coverage for Alaska Dispatch focuses on the &quot;back of the pack&quot; mushers trying to reach Nome. His coverage will document the real life struggles of ordinary people when they cash in everything to chase their dream of becoming an Iditarod dog musher. The stories are a prelude to the forthcoming book, &quot;Graveyard of Dreams: Dashed Hopes and Shattered Aspirations along Alaska's Iditarod Trail.&quot; Click to pre-order a copy.

story and source

edit to add source. <span style="font-style: italic">Yikes, I can't believe I forgot that in the excitement of the finish! </span>

[Nanook]

Re: Free live Broadcast of iditarod finish!

Lance will be in within the hour if everything goes as it should. Gatt &amp; King hot on his trail though so anything can happen! It's a nail biter..

live streaming here

[Nanook]

Re: Congrats Lance on your Record Setting win!!!

Nobody has ever had 4 consecutive Iditarod wins. Until now that is!!!!!!!!!

Woot woot! Way to go!!!

Congrats Lance, rest well. Newton soon come.

[Nanook]

Re: Newton on Sports Illustrated:

via facebook JDT webpage:

Cooler Runnings

Newton Marshall, a 26-year-old from St. Anne, Jamaica, shared high fives (page 36) with onlookers just after the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race on Sunday in Willow, Alaska. Marshall, the first competitor from Jamaica in the event's 38-year history, was one of 71 mushers to tackle the Iditarod, which will cover 1,112 miles, ending in Nome.

cooler runnings source

[Nanook]

Re: Newton on Sports Illustrated:

from JDT facebook page:



A note from Danny Melville the founder of JDT about this picture:
This photo says it all.....the start at Willow last Sunday....five years since the JDT was founded and we are at the Iditarod start.

Four guys holding down the sled, as the dogs try to run for Nome.

Newton and me doing a thumbs up as the countdown starts.

The crowd in the background.

The start official glaring at Eppo as he films Newton.

AND Dee presiding over it all....thank you to all fans and sponsors...the dream is alive!

JDT facebook page. Become a fan of JDT!

[Nanook]

Re:Mush on Newton!

Newton is out of Unakleet and traveling 8.2 mph at this moment, and has gone 667 miles. He is in 49th place and so far, 15 mushers have dropped out of the race.

Mush on mon...

[SistahD]

Re:Mush on Newton!

Newton is at mile 756 traveling at 7 miles per hour just out of Koyuk if GPS is right-White Mountain is mile 840- go Newton! (posted around 11 am today -or about an hour ago)


Looks like there are 30 teams so far have finished the course in Nome... Newton in 46th position... with another 10 teams behind him... other than 15 teams out of race




Not much further to go....

[Nanook]

Re:Mush on Newton!

Thanks for the update SistahD!! My access here has been iffy. Couldn't even access j.com last night and have been on the run today!

Go Newton Go!!!!!!!!!

[Nanook]

Re:Mush on Newton!

Newton is now in Elim, 797 miles!!! Still in 46th position. You're doing great Newton, not much farther to go and you will have accomplished this great feat!

[Nylah]

Re:Mush on Newton!


kinda like the pet forum.... this is my first and probably only time u will see me in here Go Newton

[Nanook]

Re:Mush on Newton!

Nylah!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't forget to keep coming back to see the finish, Newton is getting closer!

As of this moment (I'm checking his GPS):

802 miles. 6.7 MPH. He is headed over the Kwiktalik mtns on the way to Golovin Bay. Mush on Newton!!!

[SistahD]

Re:Mush on Newton!

... the anticipation!!!