Introduce myself As DFC and Stoneridge have come together this year, we’ve increased our capability and our ability to help you on your journey as an organization Speaking of journeys - Love to tell stories about journeys – I’m fascinated by explorers, fascinated by geography What I love to learn about these journeys is the teamwork and tenacity that it takes to succeed when you go where no one has ever gone before, or if you go somewhere and face significant odds Today’s story talks about the team it takes to get here:
Destination
Nome
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Population – 3,800 Gold discovered in Nome, AK in 1898 Primary travel by steamboat, except in winter, ice made the voyage impassable Dog sleds delivered mail, equipment, food, gold ore and furs between the Interior and the west coast
Great Race of Mercy• 1925 serum run to Nome
• Diphtheria epidemic threated Nome and antitoxins had expired
• Located serum (made from horse’s blood) on the West Coast which was brought to Seattle and shipped up to Anchorage. There was no way to get there via boat and planes were very limited at the time
• The serum would only last around 6 days on the trail
• Took the train from Anchorage to Nenana and 20 mushers and 100 dogs brought it from Nenana to Nome (674 miles), leaving Jan 27
• On Feb 2 at 5:30am, Gunnar Kaesan and lead dog Baltocovered the final stretches and became recognized as celebrities
• Received tremendous publicity
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About 10,000 people lived in Nome and the surrounding area Curtis Welch, lone doctor in town, starting seeing people suffering from tonsillitis 3 year old boy (Billy Barla) and 7 year old girl (Margaret Ida) died before they raised the issue, 5 people total died. 27 had diphtheria by the time the serum arrived 20 people contracted diphtheria and 50 more suspected to get it 1918-1919 50% of native population around Nome died due to Spanish flu Although Leonhard Seppala and Togo traveled the largest distance Discovery channel story on the serum run: https://youtu.be/SQbJ1PNTZyo
After the Serum run
• Air travel improved greatly – Kelly Act (passed on Feb 2, 1925) allowed private pilots to deliver US mail
• Last mail delivery by dog sled occurred in 1938; trail was closed in 1963
• Snowmobile became popular in the 1960s and replaced the need for the sled dog
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Sled dog racing was an Olympic event in Lake Placid, NY in 1932, Seppala finished 2nd
An Old Way to Get to Nome• Committee formed to commemorate 100
years as a US territory• 1967 ran a 56 mile dog race in central
Alaska – only lasted until 1969• Joe Redington Sr became the driving
force behind the Iditarod• Wanted to save sled dog culture and
Alaskan Huskies and to keep the trail open to Nome
• First Iditarod race ran in 1973, took 3 weeks to complete the race
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I originally thought the Iditarod was built to reflect the serum run to Nome and while that had an impact on the final destination, it isn’t the same route
Iditarod Race
1000 miles across unforgiving terrain in Alaska
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Mitch Seavey – fastest time, 8d, 3hr, 40min, 13 sec Rick Swenson – most times won (5) Libby Riddles – first woman to win in 1985 40 people signed up this year, 13 women Typically 60-70 teams join the race Next one starts on Mar 2, 2019 in Anchorage at 10am Southern route taken in odd years (2019)
Iditarod Checkpoints
• 24 checkpoints between 11 and 85 miles apart
• Don’t stop at every checkpoint but they must stop at 3
• One mandatory, 24 hour layover
• Takes about 3-4 hours to feed and get dogs ready for rest
• Leaves very little time for musher to sleep; they sometimes sleep while moving forward
About Alaskan Huskies
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Geeta?
A Dog with a Purpose• Not considered a pure breed• Defined by its purpose, to be a sled dog• Blend of various breeds• Different purposes
• Like to run in temperatures between -20 and 20• Can be worth $3,000-$10,000• Live between 10-15 years, usually race from around
1 to between 8-11 years old• Generally very affectionate
Huskies Formation
• 8 sets of 2 dogs – 16 total
• Each position has a different job• Lead Dogs (2)• Swing Dogs (2)• Team Dogs (10)• Wheel Dogs (2)
• They try dogs in various different spots
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Lead dogs must be fast and intelligent Swing dogs job is to turn the rest of the pack when they come upon curves Wheel dogs pull the sled out and around corners and trees Typically start out with more than you end with – Ryan Redington started the John Beargrease with 14 and ended with 9 – called dropped dogs Gee – right turn Haw – left turn Implanted with microchips before starting the race
About Our Dogs
Amber Ernie Donut
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Amber – lead dog, the only one we couldn’t pet afterwards Ernie – swing dog, veteran of 3 Iditarod races, can fit in anywhere on the line Donut – 6 months old, first ride, couldn’t stop jumping – the dog next to him was put in place to be a mentor Every dog had a role and was a critical component of the team – team is only as good as the weakest member
Parallels to Business
The Journey Is Long and Hard
Draft the Right Team Put Your Team in the Best Formation
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Journey – who has too much time at work? Who doesn’t have a difficult objectives in front of them? Right People, Right Seats – Jim Collins (Good to Great) Never is it more important to have the right team in the right seats when you’re making an 1000 mile journey through unforgiving terrain in Alaska
