THEIR LONG JOURNEY.
WE SIT DOWN ONCE AGAIN WITH KAREN MEYERS.
♪ KAREN: LARA RENNER COULD NOT BE MORE PROUD OF HER DOGS.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE THE FEELING IS MUTUAL.
THE 15-YEAR-OLD MOSHER AND HER TEAM OF SIBERIAN HUSKY SPURS BACK HOME -- HUSKIES BACK HOME AFTER COMPETING ONE OF THE PREMIER SLED DOG RACING EVENTS FOR TEENS, THE JUNIOR IDITAROD
KHAMENEI 150-MILE, TODAY RACE -- TWO-DAY RACE.
LARA: AT ONE POINT, LIKE, OUR HOME, SO THE DOGS HAD THEIR RUN YARDS, BACK TO OUR NORMAL ROUTINE, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, ALASKA IS SO AMAZING.
NO!
KAREN: LARA FINISHED 10TH OUT OF 11 RUSHERS AND MADE HISTORY AS THE FIRST GET FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE TO EVER RACE IN THE JUNIOR IDITAROD.
THE STATE FLAG HANGING IN HER HONOR AT THE START AND FINISH LINE.
LARA: WOW, WE DROVE ALL THE WAY UP.
? -- UP HERE?
NOBODY HAD EVER DONE THAT BEFORE, ESPECIALLY TO GO UP WITH THEIR OWN DOGS.
KAREN: 10 HUSKIES WOULD RACE, TWO SPARES, AND THEY MADE THE 5000 MILE TRIP TO ALASKA.
ONTARIO, MINNESOTA, SOUTH DAKOTA, WYOMING, MONTANA, BACK INTO CANADA, BRITISH COLOMBIA, YUKON, AND THEN FINALLY ALASKA.
>> THERE IT IS.
WELCOME TO ALASKA.
DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THE JUMP OVER?
WE MADE IT.
UNBELIEVABLY, WE MADE IT.
♪ KAREN: 17 DAYS ON THE ROAD.
THEY LOGGED 1000 DONALD WONG’S ALONG THE WAY.
LARA: YOU HAVE TO WALK THE DOGS, -- 1000 DOG WALKS ALONG THE WAY.
LARA: YOU HAVE TO WALK THE DOGS.
KAREN: IN BETWEEN, PITSTOPS OF VIEWS AND SO MUCH WILDLIFE.
>> THE VISTAS AROUND EVERY CHARM IT WAS BEAUTIFUL.
ALSO STRESSFUL -- THE ROADS.
WE DID NOT SEE PAVEMENT FROM THE TIME WE GOT TO PORT NELSON ALL THE WAY TO PALMER, ALASKA, WHERE IT WAS JUST ICE-COVERED.
KAREN: THE CONDITIONS JUST AS WILD AFTER LODGING.
LARA: THEY HAD A CABIN.
KARE LA AND HER DAD AFFECTIONATELY DUBBED IT THE SHACK.
STVE: IT WAS A LITTLE RUSTY, PRIMITIVE.
LARA: THE HEAT WAS NOT WORKING.
KAREN: THE BONUS -- ITS PROXIMITY TO THE IDITAROD TRAIL WHERE SHE WOULD SPEND ONE MONTH LEADING UP TO THE RACE, TAKING RECTUS RUNS IN GETTING THE DOGS ACCLIMATED TO ALASKA.
♪ -- TAKING PRACTICE RUNS AND GETTING THE DOGS ACCLIMATED TO ALASKA.
♪ ON RACE DAY, JITTERS KICKED IN.
LARA: I WAS SO NERVOUS.
I DID NOT EAT.
I DID NOT DRINK ANYTHING.
I TOOK TIME TO PUT MY BRACE JACKET ON, PUT ON MY CARE, THAT WAS JUST FUMBLING.
STEVE: I KNEW THAT THE DOGS COULD DO IT.
I KNEW THAT LARA COULD DO IT.
3, 2, 1.
>> TO GDITAROD!
YEAH!
KAREN: YOU DID NOT LOO -- IT DID NOT TAKE LONG BEFORE LARA HIT HER STRIDE.
STEVE: SHE MADE ABOUT 50 YARDS, TURNED AROUND, AND WAVED TO THE CROWD WAS A HUGE SMILE ON HER FACE.
I HAD A SIGH OF RELIEF AT THAT POINT.
THEN I COULD BE EMOTIONAL.
SHE IS REALLY GOING TO DO THIS.
LARA: EVERYTHING FELL INTO PLACE, AND I’M LIKE OK, I AM GOOD COME I’M WITH MY DOGS, AND WE WILL DO EVERYTHING WE HAVE BEEN DOING FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
KAREN: RIGHT THERE SENDING HER OF MAYA, THE STUFFED HUSKY TOY SHE GOT WHEN SHE WAS A FEW YEARS OLD, AND WHAT GOT HER TO FALL IN LOVE WITH DOG RACING.
AT 10, SHE GOT HER FIRST REAL HUSKY, STORM.
HE IS PART OF HER TEAM AND EVEN TOOK OVER 20 MILES BEFORE THE CHECKPOINT.
LARA: HE IS AMAZING.
IN TRAINING, WE WOULD NOT PUT HIM IN THE LEAD BECAUSE HE IS A SLOWER PACE THAN EVERYONE ELSE, BUT IN THOSE CONDITIONS, HE WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN A STEADY PACE, AND SOME OF THE OTHER GUYS DID
NOT.
KAREN: FRESH FALLEN SNOW MADE THE CONDITIONS SLOW.
THE DOGS HAD TO WORK TWICE AS HARD, BUT EVENTUALLY, THEY FOUND THEIR GROOVE.
LARA: WE DEFINITELY KEPT UP A SLOW PACE, AVERAGD ABOUT SEVEN MILES HOUR, WHICH WE WOULD NORMALLY AVERAGE NINE MILES AN HOUR.
KAREN: 75 MILES ALONG THE NATIONAL HISTORIC I DID ROCK TRAIL -- IDITAROD TRAIL.
LARA CAMPED OUTSIDE WITH HER DOGS, THE REQUIRED 10 HOURS, BEFORE HEADING OUT TO THE FINISH LINE IN WILLOW, -15.
LARA: I WAS ALMOST FALLING ASLEEP.
KAREN: ALASKA’S BEAUTY AND LARA’S COMPETITIVE DRIVE PROPELLER THE REST OF THE WAY.
LARA: IT HIT ME SEVERAL TIMES -- I AM RUNNING DOGS IN ALASKA, ON THE IDITAROD TRAIL.
I CAN NEVER REALLY EXPLAIN IT.
KAREN: LAR NEVER EXPECTED TO WIN BIG.
SHE RUNS WITH SIBERIAN HUSKIES.
EVERY OTHER TEAM RACES ALASKAN HUSKIES, A MUCH FASTER FOR YOU STEVE: PEOPLE WOULD MAKE JOKES, SLOWBERIAN HUSKIES.
KAREN: SHE CROSSED THE FINISH LINE WITH EVERYONE HAPPY AND HEALTHY.
LARA: EVERYTHING WENT PERFECT.
KAREN: LARA IS FAR FROM READY TO RIDE OFTEN TO THE SUNSET.
SHE HOPES TO ONE DAY RACE IN THE 1000-MILE IDITAROD.
♪