Sam Maxwell is a rookie this year. That means this is the first time he has raced the Iditarod. He came to visit our classroom before the race.
Q: What do you feed your dogs on the trail?
A: Mix ground beef with dry dog food, vitamins and fish (Salmon, Pollock and Hooligan). You get the dog to eat it by soaking it in water.
Q: How much food do you pack for the dogs?
A: Each checkpoint you feed them different ammounts. They need 10,000 to 20,000 calories a day. Sixty per cent of that comes from fat.
Q: How much food do you pack for yourself?
A: 5 pounds of food a checkpoint.
Q: What do you carry in your sled?
A: 60-70 pounds of gear and 30-40 pounds of emergency food.
Q: How much do you train your
dogs a day?
A: 8-10 hours a day with an 8 hour job.
Q: How many dogs can you start with?
A: 16 and 5 or 6 dogs to finsih.
Q: Is it better that the musher weighs more?
A: Not really, you need to have enough weight to maneuver the sled.
Q: How do you stop the dogs?
A:A verbal command and in the hard pack snow I use an ice anchor and in powder I use an aluminum anchor.
Q: Do the dogs get a check-up before the race?
A: Yes, they also get a E.C.G., a test to see if the dogs heart is fine. It makes an 80% less chance of hear failure.
Q: About how much time do you sleep at checkpoints?
A:I don't know. My friend is going to see what the top 25 people sleep. His is also going to figure out the fastest, slowest and average run time.
Q: Why did you want to run this year?
A: Because this year it is a northern route.
Q: How many dogs do you have and who is your favorite?
A: I have 21 dogs, and Jazz is my favorite. Jazz and Rhythm are my lead dogs.
Q: Are you nervous?
A: No, I know the trail well.
Q: Where do you train your dogs?
A: At Chugiak and Fort Rich.
Q: Do you think you will run next year and who are your sponsors?
A: No. My sponsors are Hempter INN, Industrial INN and Jeff's INN.
Q: What race did you qualify in?
A: The Knik 200 and The Copper Bass.
Q: Have you taken any pictures of the Iditarod?
A: Yes, for 6 years.
Q: Do you think El' Nino will effect this year's race?
A: Yes, but I am prepared for the race.