7.18.2014

comparison of 3 long distance races: my take on two of them

See the article I am referencing here: 

http://sledehund.no/sammenligning-av-tre-langlop/  and copy it into Google translator it if you don't read Norwegian.

This is an interesting article, but I think it misses the point. The article theorizes shorter average run lengths on Iditarod compared to Finnmarksløpet's longer average run length results in a higher percentage of dogs finishing the race. The article wrongly assumes mushers stop in each of the Iditarod checkpoints (for an average run length of 48 miles), but what I think it really gets wrong is simply equating shorter run length to higher finishing rates. While 48 miles may be about average run length for Iditarod, the nice thing about Iditarod compared to Finnmarksløpet is that our runs are as long as we, the mushers, want them to be. It is quite common for mushers to blow through checkpoints, or stop before them, which is what I believe accounts for the higher percentage of dogs finishing. Mushers are able to stop and rest when their dogs need rest, and don't necessarily need to run them into the ground to the next "rest station" aka checkpoint to remain competitive. I believe Finnmarksløpet's dog statistics would improve if rather than contemplating installing "wilderness checkpoints," they did away completely with mandatory rests at specific checkpoints, and let the mushers choose when/where to rest their dogs themselves.

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