Polo Players' Edition is the official publication of the U.S. Polo Association. Dedicated to the sport of polo, it features player profiles, game strategy, horse care, playing tips, polo club news and tournament results.
Issue link: https://polo.epubxp.com/i/31965
Newton Marshall with his sponsor, singer Jimmy Buffett. Marshall had to learn to care for his dogs and himself in the harshest conditions. completed Alaska’s Copper Basin 300 (Jan 10 to 13, 2009) placing 13th in a field of 27 starts and became the first Jamaican ever to qualify to run in the Yukon Quest 1,000 Mile International Sled Dog Race. The young musher was now ready to face his greatest challenge yet. The Last Great Race on Earth Well, give me a team and a good lead dog and a sled that’s built so fine, And let me race those miles to Nome, one thousand-forty-nine Then when I get back to my home, Hey I can tell my tale I did, I did, I did The Iditarod Trail. —Hobo Jim The Iditarod Trail Dogsled Race has been called “The Last Great Race on Earth” but you don’t have to go far to find another one that is equally grueling. The Yukon Quest event runs from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, to Fairbanks, Alaska, over harsher terrain and conditions for nearly the same distance. According to its website, the Yukon 36 POLO PLAYERS EDITION Iditarod winner Lance Mackey helped train Marshall for the race. Quest Trail follows historic Gold Rush and mail delivery dogsled routes from the turn of the 20th Century. Once the transportation highways of the Northern Frontier, the Yukon Quest Trail now only comes alive during February when the frosty breath and haunting howls of hundreds of sled dogs return to these historic routes. Dog teams, consisting of one musher and 12 to 16 canine athletes, travel for up to two weeks, racing across some of the last pristine wilderness remaining in North America. Canadian rancher, adventurer, and polo player Ross Adam has run both races but considers the Quest the more difficult of the two. Of his first run in the Quest in 1996 he recalls, “It’s darker, colder, and tougher. It was 50 below the first week. I lost 20 pounds.” Like any amateur polo player who is happy to play a few chukkas with the Big Boys once in a while, Adam does not seriously entertain going for the big prize. For him it’s enough just to be out there. On February 26, 2009, Marshall finished the Yukon Quest, placing 13th out of 29 racers. He brought 10 dogs to the finish line and earned $3,000. He also won the Challenge of the North Award. Race officials voted for the Jamaican musher because he best exemplified the “Spirit of the Quest,” which compels mushers to challenge themselves and persevere. His bright smile, positive attitude, and unusual origin made him a fan favorite. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is the most popular sporting event in Alaska. In the Iditarod, mushers and teams cover 1,049 miles from Willow, near Anchorage, to Nome, on the Bering Strait. It is still the only overland route between the two towns. The fastest winning record was set in 2002 by Swiss musher Martin Buser with a time of 8 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, and 2 seconds. Teams in both races frequently race through blizzards and whiteout conditions, sub-zero temperatures, and gales which can cause the wind chill to reach minus 100. The route passes through widely separated towns, villages, and small native settlements. The races are regarded as symbolic links to
