Coming into Iditarod 2015, Nicolas Petit says, “We’re all rookies.”
Nicolas talks about challenges he’s faced finding good snow for training this year. But with that, he’s still been able to put miles on his team.
Looking back at Iditarod 2014, and his scratch in Unalakleet, Petit feels that he made the right call. But he says it won’t happen again this year. Nicolas feels confident in his team’s health and his ability to maintain them at comfortable speed without going out too hard on the fast river ice.
Thomas Waerner is a rookie to Iditarod, but no rookie to mushing.
He won Norway’s premier long distance race, the Finnmarksløpet in 2013. Waerner and Iditarod’s 2003 champion, Norwegian Robert Sorlie, have partnered dog kennels in the past few years, breeding their best dogs together, hoping to create a real winning team.
Waerner talks about mushing in Norway and his dream of coming to compete in Alaska. He says there’s an evolution of interest in mushing in Norway, but an established culture in Alaska. “There are a lot of good mushers here. This is the place to do dog mushing.”
