Race Ready: My Iditarod Diet Revealed
Here’s Every Food Item I'll Consume While Competing in the Iditarod
Musher Quince Mountain is preparing for his second(Iditarod), an extensive sled dog race spanning across Alaska. Throughout this journey covering approximately 1,000 miles, including traversing mountains, tundra regions, sea ice, and portions of the frozen Yukon River, he along with his team of canines face formidable challenges. Curious about their sustenance during such an arduous trek, we sought insight into what provisions Musher carries for nourishment.
I enjoy imagining the Iditarod race as akin to a cruise ship vacation. Every checkpoint represents a different port of call, with meals often presented in a buffet-style format instead of being custom-made, yet still quite excellent. The selection is diverse enough to add interest to the journey. For example, dinner could include items such as chicken thighs, fresh Alaskan salmon, scrambled eggs, an assortment of cheeses, and a rich frozen treat. Breakfast might consist of succulent red beef slices, pork medallions, fluffy whole eggs, crispy snacks, and tinned fish preserved in oil.
A key item is chicken legs. For the Iditarod race, I bring more than 300 uncooked chicken legs. There's something satisfying about holding onto a leg, throwing away the bones into the snow, and seeing my fellow racers devour them almost entirely—let's just say this experience familiarizes me with the phrase "wolfing it down."
I bring along all my supplies. Occasionally, I include gummy worms or small pats of butter. If you're feeling exhausted, it can be challenging to consume sufficient calories, which is why I opt for calorie-dense items such as bacon, ham, and cheesecake. This time around, I packed an abundance of herring and frequently add lots of calcium pills too. It's crucial to have probiotics since traveling often messes with your digestive system. I prepare tiny sandwiches filled with honey. At times, I cook bacon until crispy; at others, I simply serve it uncooked.
Classic Gatorade does an excellent job with maintaining electrolyte levels. Quite frequently, I defrost it using my armpits when steering the sled.
Sometimes I go as far as using cat food. Seriously, you can't be too picky. Packets of ramen noodles are often what I end up with. Typically, I don't take the time to season or cook them properly. The crunchy texture is quite pleasing yet gentle on the teeth. Peanut butter is another staple; usually, I warm it in my armpit or keep it close in my pant pocket for convenience.
However, that's simply what I give to the dogs.
I've shipped a large amount of provisions along the route for our pups to savor at each stop. For these dogs, the competition resembles an exciting journey filled with enjoyable meals alongside many newfound companions whenever they set up camp close to other groups. This event mirrors the excitement of a Caribbean cruise, minus the tropical warmth. Instead, there’s plenty of cold weather gear; specifically, we bring containers of HEET methanol antifreeze meant for our alcohol stoves, enabling us to melt ice and warm their victuals as we trek forward.
When I mention sending a ton of dog food along the trail, I literally mean about a ton. The combined weight of my drop bags was 1976 pounds when I prepared them for shipping up the trail. While our team’s food parcels were neither the heaviest nor the lightest, they certainly added significant bulk. However, what does I eat?
What I Consume During the Iditarod
A single sled dog needs about 10,000 calories per day while running the Iditarod. Mushers run less, but we’re bigger, so I’d guess we burn about the same. We spend 12 to 16 hours a day behind the sled, often jogging, pushing it up hills, or muscling over rough terrain. Even when the dogs rest, we’re often still working: melting snow for water or chopping through ice, fixing equipment, arranging and packing up camp. I’m sure my parka will be loose by the time I reach the Bering Sea.
Fortunately, we have Sarah Hamilton, a dedicated supporter of sled dogs who also manages the Trail Center Lodge near the Gunflint Trail in Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. She creates ready-to-heat meal options known as CAMP CHOW , and if a box of them hadn't arrived just hours before my dogs and I departed for Alaska, I'd be competing with my dogs for the pork.
Of course, I’d never neglect that duty since my priority is always the dogs. Just as parents nourish their kids, mushers ensure their dogs are well-fed. It brings us great joy seeing them enjoy their meals. We strive to prepare food exactly as they prefer, allowing them to concentrate fully on racing. If needed, we even remove the metaphorical crusts for them. Compared to these capable animals, we humans might seem less useful, but this helps boost our morale somewhat. After covering several hundred miles, the dogs will consume almost anything presented to them.
Sarah’s CAMP CHOW meals can be prepared using either hot or cold water. She opts for sending me the gluten-free variety, which are fantastic. The blueberry parfaits stand out; they're incredibly tempting, despite my fatigue making it difficult to consume food at times. Out here, all I crave is hydration as my teeth feel almost fuzzy from neglect. Sleep seems like the only thing worth pursuing right now. Feeding myself ranks low on my list of priorities, yet doing so feels crucial, thanks largely to Camp Chow, which facilitates this necessity effectively.
Other mushers employ different strategies. A buddy once requested me to grab 20 McChicken sandwiches just prior to the starting line of the Iditarod a couple of years ago. He stored them in his sled and would defrost each sandwich individually under his arm when hunger struck. My spouse, who is also a musher, relies heavily on frozen cheesecakes since she often loses her appetite entirely during the race. These desserts are calorie-rich and remain soft enough even after being frozen so you can still nibble at them. Additionally, she enjoys Twizzlers; although these candies become rock-hard from freezing, she has learned to dangle one outside her mouth akin to how farmers hold grass stalks between their teeth, gradually warming and consuming small bites over time. This method provides her warmth through sugar intake and helps keep her alert due to flavor stimulation.
When it comes to beverages, we mushers consume copious amounts of steaming hot Tang. Occasionally, this is provided at checkpoints where it sits alongside coffee—whether real or with an altered flavor—in large thermoses; nobody really minds the taste at such moments. For personal provisions, I included bottles of iced tea and coconut water in my drop bags. These can be frozen and then placed into my cooking pot along with the dogs' meals. Once they partially defrost, turning into slush, I enjoy drinking them.
Unless, of course, the dogs decide they want what’s mine. Then it would be theirs. I'm content with living off the scraps.
Anchorage on Trailforks.com
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