Dallas Seavey impressed Thomas Waerner by navigating his team into Huslia ahead of the Norwegian rookie. But Dallas says he’s only worrying about Dallas.
“Right now it’s about running my team and properly positioning them for their 24-hour rest. There’s a lot of fuel here. And you have to have enough room in your tank to put all that fuel,” said Seavey. “You’ve gotta run them down enough so that you can maximize the 24, but not too far. You know, there’s fuel here but not spare parts.”
The younger Seavey is playing the long game, not worrying about any awards along the way. “The only special award I want is first,” he laughed.
Dallas has been utilizing a trailer to carry dogs periodically, a strategy more mushers have been debating. “Carrying dogs is another tool,” said Seavey. “Just like speed or rest can be used to good effect or to the detriment of your team.” Seavey acknowledges that he is a younger musher, and athletic—often poling and running along with his team, but says different teams bring other advantages.
“While Jeff [King] and my dad are 30 years older, I may have an edge physically, but they have a huge edge in experience.” For Dallas, it’s about making the right decision for your individual team.
“I hope that we’re always a threat in this race,” he said. “We’re not always gonna win it, but we’re always gonna be a threat.”
