Newton:
"The people at the checkpoints were very, very nice. Sometimes on the trail I didn't know where I was going, I didn't know if I was still on the trail and it was very cold. But we find the trail again and get to the checkpoint. One man leave his house and let us take it over for a checkpoint. There was two bedroom upstairs and the downstairs for everybody to use. Everybody was very encouraging and it was a good race but it was hard. At the end people was laughin' a lot. Lance Mackey shake my hand a lot and ask me how many in my family mush. I tell him, "No one! They think I am a mad man!". People was real nice and it was cold but it was a very good race. I feel good that I did it." "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 get by it."
Hans:
"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 Quest trail that is worse than some of the things Newton saw in the Copper Basin. It was at least minus 40 at the start line. There were sections 10 miles long of deep sugar snow with no trail. Chad Lindner had to walk his dogs 20 miles into the finish line after they quit on him. He had camped 6 hours but they would not get started again. He had run out of food and people were giving him things, but finally he said it's time to go and he walked that team 20 miles to the finish line, holding the neck line of the leaders. It took him 17 hours to walk that 20 miles. That tells you about the trail." "Newton did a great job. To do a 300 mile run is one thing, but this 300 miles is something else. It is not flat, it is 300 miles of mountains, open water, deep snow at temperatures ranging down to minus 50. Normand Cassavant from Quebec, who has been running dogs for 20 years but this is his first race in the north, said this is the hardest thing he has ever done. Not just dog racing, but anything he has ever done. He just did not expect it. The Copper Basin is the toughest 300 mile race period, and this year was no different."
Crossing the finish line at 6:26am
Being hugged by Danny Melville
Being congratulated by race marshalls
Steel drum music began to filter over the river bed as the crowd awaited Jamaican musher Newton Marshall. The film crew that has been following him for over a year was on hand as well as a number of other media outlets. Champion musher Hans Gatt who has been training Newton watched the river for the familiar bob of a headlamp and the sound of his dogs. Newton rounded the bend and the crowd cheered and applauded as he came down the chute. When asked how hard his journey had been he stated that many things in life are hard and he was proud. It was an emotional finish for Danny Melville the founder of the team. "I can hardly believe it" he said "he has come so far." Newton shared a long hug and private conversation with Hans. He was smiling and waved as he headed off for the dog yard and a well deserved rest.
Posts
