Canine mishap drops Iten to third in Junior Iditarod

TAMAR BEN-YOSEF

March 07, 2008 at 9:27AM AKST

With only two seconds between Jessica Klejka and Cain Carter at the Willow Lake finish line, the last moments of the Junior Iditarod dog sled race were already enough to leave the audience breathless.

Adding to the excitement was the spectacle of one of Quinn Iten’s injured dogs deciding to jump out of the sled and take off in another direction.

Iten, 16, the son of long-time musher Ed Iten and Kotzebue’s representative at the 140-mile race, chased the dog, finally bringing her back into the sled.

The incident would have been comical had it not cost Iten several precious minutes and possibly a higher standing.

"I was traveling the same speed as Cain Carter and was four minutes ahead of him," Iten said during a phone interview in Anchorage, on Thursday, Feb. 28.

"I saw him pass me by. It was a little bit depressing."

Iten followed Carter and Klejka to the finish line three minutes later, putting him in third place with a $1,500 scholarship.

Iten said he was happy for Klejka, who has ran the junior race four times, this being her first time winning.

"We are pretty good friends. She deserved to win," Iten said.

The race began a day earlier at the same place it ended, in Willow. Twenty-one teams left the start on Sunday, Feb. 23, and ran 70 miles to Yentna River station, taking a 10-hour break before heading back.

Usually the race is 160 miles long and starts at Knik. However, warm weather and overflow conditions forced the race north to the place where the Iditarod restart takes place.

This is Iten’s second time running the junior race. Last year he came in seventh.

In the past he ran the Noatak 120, Kotzebue’s local race, and if allowed, he will run the Kobuk 440 in April.

Iten has run dogs since the age of 6, training with his father’s dogs. His career as a professional musher started at the age of 10, but he began training his own team only last year.

Unlike the enthusiasm that pours from the mouths of older mushers, Iten employs a rather nonchalant approach towards the sport.

"Dog mushing is pretty dull. There is nothing worse than standing on the back of the sled for 16 hours in 40 below temperatures," he said.

Iten points at his exposure to dog sledding throughout his entire life as the sole reason for taking up the sport himself.

"I do it because he (Ed Iten) does it," he said.

"The perks are getting to run the races."

But Iten Sr. need not fear his son’s remarks on the dullness of mushing, for the words are only that.

"He isn’t too upset about this. I am a teenager, that’s how I am going to be," Iten said.

When asked if he plans to compete in the Iditarod, Iten responded, "At the rate I am going, I might as well."

Indeed, Iten’s childhood was surrounded by mushers. Raised in Fish Creek, 30 miles north of Kotzebue, his closest neighbors are the homes of long-time mushers Louis Nelson and John Baker.

That is not counting the five Icelandic horses, dozen chickens, more than 100 dogs and ever-changing dog handlers who share his family’s property.

His future, it appears, will continue to have dogs in it, perhaps after college and a few years break, according to Iten.

He may even live in the exact same house he grew up in, if things go his way.

With a proclaimed preference for the rural life, Iten is no stranger to the hard work it takes to live in such a distant environment.

Living at what most people would consider a beautiful spot for a summer vacation home didn’t leave him much time to miss having friends close by.

Iten, a 10th-grader, was home-schooled much of his life and is involved in academic activities in Kotzebue, such as "The Battle of the Books," which his team won just last week.

Between training and caring for the dogs, cleaning up and feeding the other animals and other such chores, his hands are full. Then there are the family pets – a slightly obese beagle and a black Lab.

"You can get bored but if you ever tell anyone that you’re bored they’ll find something else for you to do," Iten said.

Part of Iten’s success at the race is credited to his lead dog, Zoey – an 8-year-old mushing machine who used to be the star leader of his father’s team. An injury to her leg caused by a moose did not stop the female dog from running, though these days Iten fears she might be turning a bit senile.

Another favorite of Iten’s is a 3-year-old member of the team.

"He is extremely stupid, but loves to run."

Tamar Ben-Yosef can be reached at (907) 348-2419 or toll-free at (800) 770-9830, ext. 419.