The top five mushers have now left Shaktoolik, 758 miles down, 221 miles to go.
Here are their departing times from the checkpoint this morning:
1. Aaron Burmeister, 3:48
2. Dallas Seavey, 5:08
3. Aliy Zirkle, 6:55
4. Jessie Royer, 7:50
5. Mitch Seavey, 9:17
Did you ever wonder how much these dogs eat while they’re racing?
Each musher, of course, has his own routine and feeding rituals, but on average, a sled dog eats as much as 10,000 calories a day while he’s working. In contrast, most commercial dry foods contain between 300 and 500 calories per cup, so your 50 to 70-pound pet dog is likely eating less than 1,000 calories a day.
The core diet for a sled dog is premium kibble, specially designed to be high in both fat and protein. Fat is added to the kibble as a supplement to provide extra energy sources for their work. Meat and fish are given as snacks and to improve the taste of the dry kibble.
The ideal diet has been studied extensively by the major pet food brands and has led to big improvements in the formulation of the dogs’ diet.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!