WILLOW, Alaska — Matt Failor can’t wait for the stress of an 1,100-mile sled Iditarod dog race across Alaska.
That’s where the 42-year-old Mansfield native finds his calm after the storm once the race actually begins, launching his 14th journey in what’s been dubbed “The Last Great Race.”
“Obviously, there’s pressure during the race, but now you’re alone with the dogs and you’re doing your thing (once the race begins),” he said Wednesday night during a phone interview from his shop, working on his sled.
“It’s a sense of relief. All of your prior obligations are done and everything is left behind. You’re unchained and you’re kind of free from all your jobs here at the house,” Failor said.
“Yes, I’m sad to leave my wife (Liz) and son (Theo) behind, but I have a job to do and I have to go do it. Honestly, it’s easier,” said Failor, who graduated from St. Peter’s High School in 2000 before earning a degree from The Ohio State University.
His day Wednesday was filled with veterinarian checks for all of his dogs that may race in the event, which begins with a ceremonial start Saturday in Anchorage and the official re-start Monday nearly 300 miles north in Fairbanks.
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Failor also hosted two dozen school teachers Wednesday to explain his Alaskan Husky Adventures business/home in Willow, part of the Iditarod "teachers on the trail" program, as well as hosting tourists who come year-round to go on sled dog rides.
His Thursday will be spent with a mandatory musher meeting; final sled, dog and gear preparations; musher meet-and-greet with fans; and then the annual pre-race banquet at the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage.
"Everybody wants a piece of you," he said with a laugh. "There is just a lot of stuff."
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The ceremonial start in Anchorage is Saturday at 10 a.m. (AKST) in downtown Anchorage, just a few miles through town in a salute to the origins of a race that began more than 50 years ago.
After that, more than 30 mushers and their teams will be loaded up and driven to Fairbanks for the official re-start on Monday at 11 a.m., a move necessitated due to a lack of snow in southeast Alaska.
Even the ceremonial start has been changed to a shorter route, due to a lack of snow in Anchorage. But that won't stop 33 teams from heading to the starting line.
Failor will breathe easier when his 16-dog team is finally sliding across the frozen Yukon River as the 1,128-mile trek to Nome begins.
"There is a lot of stuff (in terms of preparation). But once you pull the (snow) hook and go ... it's kind of just like, "Yeah, I can go play with my dogs," Failor said of the journey with his Alaskan Husky Adventures 17th-Dog team.
All of Failor's dogs passed the test with the veterinarian, including a physical exam, EKG and blood work.
The only potential glitch involved Loot, a 3 1/2-year-old male husky who was a part of Failor's team in this year's Kuskokwim 300 race. It would be his first Iditarod race, though a sore shoulder may keep him at home.
"By the naked eye, it looks like he's 100 percent. But when the vet and I were stretching him and moving him, we could tell that his shoulder just needs a more time before this race, and I don't have that kind of time.
"He could do a 300-mile race, but not 1,000 miles, I think," Failor said. 'So he may get bumped and give an opportunity to another dog."
"He is a nice, hard-working young male dog ... strong, fast," he said.
A dog that has surged for Failor is Five Spot, Loot's brother, another member of the "Money Litter."
"He was on the 'B' team last year. But he is much more focused now. His insecurity level is down. He's not trying to show off, be a tough guy.
"He's become a great eater. He eats everything. He has shown really good qualities for a sled dog. We're just amazed at how he has grown up," Failor said.
Failor hasn't made a final decision on which 16 dogs he will take to the starting line. Dane Baker, one of his handlers, will also field a team of younger dogs from Failor's kennel, making his first Iditarod trek.
"Dane has his 16 picked out. I have my top 18. Whichever two don't make my team may move over to Dane's team. So there is some wiggle room," Failor said. "So we have the top 34 picked out, if that makes sense."
He also hasn't selected which two dogs will be in the lead the start, though his front six are all Iditarod veterans -- Theo, Saga, McClaren, Mach 10, Gail Force and Fable
"That's my front end, those six dogs. Five females and one boy. Two of those six will be in the lead at the start. It will be a game-time decision (Monday) to see how they are feeling, who's enjoying the pre-race jitters, who can handle the crowd ... that kind of stuff," Failor said.
That experience could prove vital with the revised route Iditarod officials announced Feb. 17 due to a lack of snow.
Race Marshal Warren Palfrey said the event’s trail breaker crew spent a week prepping the trail from Skwenta through to Rohn, which he said was historically the most challenging terrain of what’s been dubbed The Last Great Race.
“After a heavy discussion with our lead Trail Breaker and other friends of the race, including local knowledge, and with no new snow on the horizon, there is simply no way we can allow the teams to progress through that 20-mile stretch just before the Salmon River, 20 miles from Nikolai,” Palfrey said.
“It’s a shame because the remainder of the trail is in great shape, all the way to Nome,” he said.
The revised route is now the longest in Iditarod history and the first 600 miles are on and along the Yukon River.
Failor said he didn't think the move was necessary, but he understands the pressure placed on race organizers to stress safety for mushers and dogs.
"Most of my buddies that are in the mushing community, we kind of wanted to go this (traditional) southern route. (The revised route) is not as technical. But I am just a musher. I am not on the board," he said.
The weather forecast for the first few days of the race looks warm, Failor said, with lows in the single digits at night and highs in the high 20s and maybe up to 30 during the day.
"That's kind of warm, but it doesn't look sunny. It looks partly cloudy during the days, so at least you don't have the sun beating down on us. You want it clear at night because the colder temperatures will help freeze and set the trail up for the next day," Failor said.
"It means you're going to have to take it easy, make sure the dogs are super-hydrated. You need to stop and check on them more often, making sure they can roll in the snow (to cool off).
"No matter what, you have to make sure the dogs are doing OK. If it's warm, you make sure they're ok. If it's cold, you make sure they are OK.
"We would rather have it cold ... but this is the Iditarod ... adapt and overcome," he said.
Failor, who has said he hopes for a Top 10 finish this year, spoke via phone while also watching Baker prepare his own sled for his initial Iditarod. He recalled his own first 1,000-mile race.
"I still have jitters and nervousness for some things, but it's in different areas now. I have done the trail a bunch. I have done this (Fairbanks restart) route twice. So I know where everything's at in the checkpoints. I don't have to worry when I get in.
"When you're a rookie, you don't really know if the checkpoint is around the next corner. So you don't worry about that as a veteran, I guess.
"I just feel very comfortable with what I'm doing."
