Sarah Richards is no stranger to dog mushing. She founded her kennel, Deja Vu Sled Dogs in 2017 and has competed in sled dog races before. But this year, she decided to take on her longest race yet, the T-Dog 200.
Beyond the challenge of a longer race, she said she chose the T-Dog for its unique vibe.
“It kind of encompasses the spirit of mushing and brings back some of those components that maybe get lost in more competitive races,” Richards said.
A highlight for Richards was interacting with mushers along the trail – mushers she had known through social media but hadn’t met in person.
“Being able to talk with other mushers and get to know them a little bit more, people that maybe I've been Facebook friends with for years, but haven't ever met. That was really great,” Richards said.
Joining Richards on trail was Jessica Lemaire, who moved to Nome five years ago and runs Comstock Kennel with her husband, Tim Lemaire.
Lemaire said she got lost near Old Minto, a checkpoint about 70 trail miles from the race’s start in Manley.
“Which seems funny, because Old Minto is not very big, but despite that, I think somehow that is still kind of one of my favorite moments,” Lemaire said.
The unexpected adventure added tens of miles to her race, prompting her to scratch at the Nenana checkpoint.
“Dog care is the most important thing, and my dogs being happy and having a good time, and having fun is the most important thing to me,” Lemaire said.
Richard’s race had an unexpected twist too. She said she picked up a knee injury just before crossing the Fairbanks-finish line.
“Tipped my sled a little bit, put a leg out, and my knee just popped, and I wasn't able to stand up,” Richards said. “Basically, my knee was collapsing on me.”
The diagnosis was a full ACL tear. Despite the accident, she said she was proud to receive an award for taking exceptional care of her team.
“Winning the Vet’s Choice award is the biggest honor that I could possibly ask for, even far above like actually winning a race or anything like that,” Richards said.
Nome’s Kamey Kapp Worland also joined in on the race. Like many racers she wears two hats- working during the day as an optometrist and evenings and weekends as a dog musher.
“It's a lot, it's a lot to work, you know, at least eight hours a day or traveling to the villages, and then also training for this race was a challenge in a normal year. Just getting the hours in would be tough enough,” Worland explained.
Like her fellow mushers from Nome, Worland said she enjoyed the friendly interactions on the trail.
“It was also a lot of fun, spending time in the checkpoints, just kind of hanging out with everybody, getting to talk to them, talk about our dogs,” Worland said.
Worland finished 19th with a time of 41 hours and 31 minutes. Richards finished 12th, completing the 173 mile course in 39 hours and 2 minutes.
The T-Dog had its first official event in 2024. It was created by Trail Breaker Kennel’s Tekla Butcher Munson. She’s the daughter of four-time Iditarod champion, Susan Butcher and Yukon-Quest champion Dave Munson.
