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“You have control over one team and only one dog team,” Martin Buser told the 43 Iditarod rookies gathered at his home.  They were there as part of the annual rookie meeting. 

“Don’t pay attention to other teams.  Don’t mimic others.  Do what’s right for your team.”

Pens and pencils flashed as rookies rushed to write down every bit of trail-proven wisdom flowing from Buser’s mouth.  After all, it isn’t every day a rookie musher gets to sit down and ask questions of a four-time Iditarod champion in his own living room. 

This is Martin Buser’s fourth year of hosting the group.  Although they had spent the day before in similar meetings in Anchorage, for many rookies this was their first visit to an Iditarod champion’s kennel. 

Rookies are always an interesting mix and the wide-eyed wonder of some was obvious.  Others, such as Copper Basin winner Allen Moore, come with a wealth of knowledge about mushing, but as a rookie in the Iditarod, understand that this is a whole different race.  Winning a mid-distance race does not automatically translate to becoming a successful Iditarod musher and Moore understands this.  “I’ve got lots of questions,” he noted, biding his time to ask them. 

“I wish they’d done this when I was a rookie,” mused Buser about the rookie meetings.  He encouraged the rookies to ask questions, questions he knew that he, as a veteran Iditarod musher, might forget to answer.  While they were initially slow in coming, once the first few questions came forth, others came more quickly and easily. 

“Finishing in Nome puts you in an elite group of athletes,” Buser told the group.  The process of becoming an Iditarod Finisher is something that those who’ve never run the race cannot understand, he noted, perhaps as much by way of cautioning the rookies as advising them.  “You’ll be changed forever.” 

Buser emphasized that the ability to get past the lows of the race is where the stories come from.  It’s also what gets you to Nome.

“You will feel like quitting,” he told them.  “When you do, go to sleep.”

Expanding on that, Buser added that fatigue and frustration can get in the way of making sound decisions.  “Shut down and rest.  Find a corner and go to sleep.  Do not scratch.”  In fact, he told them to put his name on a list of three people that they pledged to call before they made any final decision to scratch.

Video by Donna Quante

“It gives reflection time,” he explained, going on to note that so many aspects of this race are mind over matter.  “I won’t be returning calls,” he added with a grin, leaving them to figure that one out on their own. 

Of course, while mind over matter may be a vital aspect of finishing the Iditarod, there are 1049 miles that must be traveled between Anchorage and the Burled Arch in Nome.  Buser’s advice was very down to earth and practical here, with the emphasis being on being prepared, being consistent, and getting into routines now during training that would help shape a successful run to Nome. 

Watching Buser demonstrate with a family pet how he puts on booties, one of the things that immediately became apparent was the lack of wasted effort.  The movement was swift and sure, the task completed almost in the blink of an eye.  Left front, right front, turn, then repeat with the dogs’ rear legs.  Everything is practiced and fine-tuned, booties placed in the same pockets during training runs as for the race, and packaged together for ease of access.  Checkpoint routines must be the same, he noted, emphasizing the importance of nutrition, sleep and hydration for the musher, too. 

“Set rules and follow them during training,” a handout instructed.  “Become like a robot.  Don’t wait for the race to implement.”  In other words, get into the routine now, not on 4th Avenue. 

It’s the same with Buser’s Happy Trails kennel outside.  Routine is the key.  Color-coded harnesses wait on a centrally located stand, while dog houses are arranged to allow for efficiency of movement during feeding and clean-up.  Kennel runs, most containing exercise wheels designed by Buser, are interconnected, saving steps.  The Buser dogs are eating the same food they’ll be eating in March, too, something emphasized by Buser.

“You need to fuel them properly right now,” he declared.  Words of wisdom from a four-time Iditarod champion.

That’s what Martin Buser is all about:  Doing the right thing now so that success will come in Nome.

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