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IDITAROD RE- START 2006

DEEDEE'S PLAN FOR THE 2006 IDITAROD
"I just want to have a nice clean run" says DeeDee as she harnesses the team for the cerimonial start in Anchorage. This is her 24th running of the Iditarod. She wants to do well by her dogs. She says she has a well matched team of dogs this year, some are experienced dogs that have seen the trail before, some are young and excited dogs, bursting with energy to keep the team "up". The plan is to get to Nome with a happy bunch of dogs, hopefully in the top 10, ideally in first.

2006 START WITH BIB # 31
DeeDee will go out bib number 31 this year. DeeDee thanked her sponsors and was glad to go out right behind Jeff king, she said "for some reason that has brought her pretty good luck in the past"

Over 2,000 fans gathered to meet & greet this years Iditarod mushers at the pre-race banquet. Hobo Jim sang to the crowd, old friends hugged, it's like family. Generations of mushers growing and passing the torch each year, year after year.


CLICK HERE FOR AUDIO


Pre Race Vet checks complete
DeeDee spent the day getting her team checked out by race veterinarians to be sure the dogs are all ready for this years Iditarod. Over the next four weeks, more than 1,400 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race canine athletes will undergo physical examinations in order to qualify for the opportunity to be a part of IDITAROD XXXIV. Each athlete receives an ECG evaluation as well as pre-race blood work (CBC’s / Chemistry Panels).

During the Race itself, well over 10,000 planned checkpoint examinations will be conducted in order to ensure the highest standards of healthcare exist all along the race trail.

AUDIO PRE - RACE INTERVIEW WITH DEEDEE





OUR 2006 IDITAROD TEAM PICK IS IN - Click Here

DeeDee shares a kiss with one of her Iditarod dogs

Training Update:
FEB 8th 2006 - I decided I needed to see all my dogs that are candidates for this years Iditarod together to help figure who is on the team, so today I ran 25 dogs. They were nuts. I now have my top 24 dogs that will the going to their ecgs on the 21st. Tomorrow we will start putting all the Iditarod food drops together and packing them in bags for the checkpoints. More soon...DeeDee






Jonrowe Kennel takes first place in both Don Bowers races - Willow, Alaska Saturday 28 Jan 2006 -

HANDLER MARIA WINNER OF THE DON BOWERS 300 photo by Bonnie Foster

DeeDee Jonrowe and Maria Mulvangh bit back at the cold temperatures this weekend when they both finished the the Don Bowers race in first place. DeeDee running the 200 mile race with a finish time of 27 hours 55 minutes and rookie musher Maria Mulvangh, who just happens to be DeeDee's handler, won the Don Bowers 300 mile race crossing the finish line at 2:32 monday morning, with the temperature at the Willow Community Center was hoovering around -21°F, a lot warmer than on the running teams on the river. Maria's total time is 62hrs 12mins, putting a nice qualifier under her belt for the Iditarod or Quest. Maria received the Humanitarian Award at the banquet (a award given from the veterinarians) sponsored by Roy and Lesley Monk.

DON BOWERS MEMORIAL RACE - Willow/Montana Creek, Alaska Jan 20th 2006
The 2006 Don Bowers race start was somewhat chilly, with temperatures around -25°F. Seventeen teams did leave however. This race is dedicated to Don Bowers, who was a member of Montana Creek Dog Mushers. As a distance musher he didn't race but attended meetings to help out in any way he could, and acted as Race Marshal on several occasions. In January, 2000 Don Bowers—author, airman, dog driver—started a combined 200/300 mile dog race in Willow. Following his death that year, a group of volunteers continued that race, now renamed in his memory. The race is a qualifier for both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest. Montana Creek Dog Mushers sponsored the Don Bowers Memorial Race in 2002, 2003 (which was canceled for lack of snow), 2004, 2005 and again in 2006. Bib no 1 is reserved for Don Bowers. Starting order was not quite bib order for the 300 and offsets will be adjusted accordingly. Kent Haltenbacker signed up for the 200 but turned his ankle this morning and withdrew. Similarly Mike Suprenant signed up and then couldn't get his truck to start and withdrew. This accounts for the missing bib numbers in the results.
Click here to follow DeeDee in the 200 mile & Maria in the 300 mile race

UPDATE ON KUSKO 300: Jan 25th 2006
With the extremely cold weather and the delay of the Kusko race I was obligated to withdraw and return to Anchorage for a contractal agreement . Tuesday I was the keynote speaker for the multicultral luncheon for the Physics Teacher Education Coalition's National Conference. Maria Mulvaugh (our handler) and I are both entered in the Don Bower's Memorial Race this weekend starting at the Willow Community center at noon on friday. Maria is in the 300 mile race and I am in the 200. The object is for her to get an Iditarod qualifier and for me to have a good training run with the younger dogs.


KUSKO 300: Jan 20th 2006
DeeDee is signed up to run the Kusko 300 pulling bib number 15. The Kusko is a three hundred mile sled dog race from Bethel, Alaska to Aniak, Alaska and back has been postponed for the second day in a row due to extreme cold weather.Click here for details

COPPER BASIN UPDATE: JAN 15 2006
Both DeeDee and her handler Maria have decided to scratch from the race due to young dogs and training experience.

Maria Mulvaugh at the 2006 Copper Basin 300

The Copper Basin 300 takes off - Maria Mulvaugh, one of this years handlers for the Jonrowe racing kennel is planning to make the Copper Basin 300 a qualifier for the Iditarod. DeeDee will be running a younger group of dogs just to get some experience on them. DeeDee was upbeat and looking forward to running a relaxed race. "I am not trying to compete in this race, I want this to be a good experience for these young dogs. Just to give them a taste of running in a mid-distance race" DeeDee explains.

The Copper Basin 300 is one of the premier mid-distance sled dog races in Alaska. .At least 32 Mushers signed up with a purse of $22,000.

Click here for the Copper Basin 300 race updates

TRAINING UPDATES: Follow DeeDee's progress as she trains for the 2005/2006 race season. Click Here

 

DeeDee shows off her new puppies

It's a Dogs Life - Spring 2005
A few moments at the Jonrowe Kennel and you know it really is a dogs life. Old retired dogs wander the property with authority. Puppies, supervised by humans & dogs alike romp aimlessly through the yard, including stomping on DeeDee's freshly planted flower beds.

You might see some of the up & coming sled dogs exercising on the training wheels. Some team dogs bask in the long Alaskan summer sunshine atop their dog houses, others head for the glaciers where they train & give tours for the summer.

Retirement has it's perks

Three separate lots make up the Jonrowe Kennel on 14 acres in Willow, Alaska. Shaded by gangly birch & Alaskan spruce trees. The first dog lot you see as you come down the narrow dirt driveway is located in front of the main house, another dog lot is behind the main house and the third dog lot sits along side the handlers apartment just a rocks throw from the main house. Neatly laid out and not by mistake so each lot can be seen from the main house.

DeeDee with her sweetie

It's hard for the average person to imagine having so many dogs, let alone caring and training them. For DeeDee and her husband Mike, it is a way of life. They wouldn't have it any other way and it's not exclusive to the husky breed. Labs & Pekingese have a big say in what goes on around there.

It is the Pekingese job to wear out the puppies when they were let out for their daily romp. Playing tag, chasing and rounding them up like a border collie with a herd of sheep efficiently keeping them together. Quite a chore for a short legged lap dog. DeeDee praised the little Pekingese for her amazing skills as we walked and talked.

Exercising the pups

The black & golden labs job is a bit more distinguished.."no jumping, no spinning, no flipping...just watch us...see how you are supposed to behave?" Not that any of the pups cared as they ran circles around their tall legs...It is a dogs life, a good life, at Jonrowe Kennels.

 

Show Your Support for DeeDee Get a Wristband!
The Taco Bell's in Alaska are selling these wrist bands sporting the Taco Bell logo and DeeDee's name as a fundraising effort for Deedee's 2005 Iditarod. The money will go towards dog booties. They will be selling for $1 with a combo meal or $2 by itself.

DeeDee's supporters may also order the DeeDee Jonrowe Wristband and other support merchandise directly - Click Here for details

BLM - Iditarod Poster

BLM- IDITAROD POSTER - MAR 2005
BLM (Alaska) released a commemorative poster of the Iditarod National Historic Trail at the Iditarod sled dog race ceremonial start in Anchorage. Posters will be available while supplies last at the Alaska Public Lands Information Center at 605 W Fourth in downtown Anchorage. The28x34-inch poster features musher Dee Dee Jonrowe and her team on the trail near Rainy Pass and is the last in a series commemorating the 25th anniversary of the historic trail.

BLM offices in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Glennallen and Nome will have a limited number of copies available starting March 7.

KTUU News Archived Video Clips

Nome Nugget Inn web cam Click Here

End of the trail banquet in Nome March 20th 2005

INTO NOME!!!!! ARRIVING IN 10th PLACE 
3:42 pm March 16th - 10 days 1 hour 42 minutes & 55 seconds for the 2005 Iditarod