Taking in a late breakfast in Unalakleet on Sunday afternoon – sourdough pancakes with blueberry sauce – Jeff King had eating on his mind: not for himself, mind you, but for his dogs.
“Right now, I think that they don’t need rest, they just need food, and to be driven, encouraged to go the correct speed. And I think they could just go, go, go.”
In his interview with KNOM’s Laureli Kinneen, King clarified what he meant by “correct speed,” saying “it’s watching the dogs, and knowing, and recognizing… (the speed at which) they’re contributing but not exhausting themselves. It’s not a science; it’s more of an art.”
That “art” seems to be serving him well. King’s team turned a few heads when his 13 dogs pulled in to Unalakleet at 1:21pm on Sunday afternoon. His team looked strong, and King agreed: “I’m thrilled with them… they’re really happy.”
As for his strategy going forward: “I don’t know what I’m going to do, except for: read the environment, the trail, and the dogs, and go as fast as I can within those parameters.”
Hear Jeff King in Unalakleet:
As of 4pm Sunday, Jeff King remains in Unalakleet, in 3rd position.
