Profiles

Lachlan Clarke:

I’ve been around animals most of my life, beginning with riding a runaway pony we had named Willy on a farm my Dad had to test new feed blends as he owned and managed Verity Feeds out of Buffalo, N.Y. We always had a few horses around the farm. In high school, I started riding bulls and bareback broncs, took a break while playing college football for Principia College, and rode bulls and saddlebroncs off and on for another 12 years.

While running the horsemanship program at Fountain Valley School in Co. Springs, CO., my wife Linda and I took a sled dog tour in Feb., 2001. We then asked the tour co. to takes us on an all-day trip which started the downward spiral. By May of that year we had 16 sled dogs and were planning on running the Iditarod in ‘03. We somehow managed to qualify, completing Montana’s Race to the Sky and The Percy DeWolfe Mail Race in the Yukon; both in ‘02.

The first Iditarod was a nightmare; neither the dogs nor I had nearly enough experience or miles and I scratched at Eagle Island that year. During the following summer we just about decided to get out of dogs, and even loaned out a few as I didn’t know if I was ever going to figure this one out. After helping run a few tours that winter, I regained the enthusiasm to give sled dog racing another try. Interestingly enough, I met Dan MacEachen on the trail during the’04 Race to The Sky when he was helping Rachel Scidoris qualify for her first Iditarod as a visually impaired musher; also a first. With some good coaching from Dan and a few of his dogs, we re-qualified for Iditarod and finished 60th in ‘05. Since then we’ve continued to learn and improve but don’t think we’ll ever know enough so that keeps it interesting and challenging. Our goal is for a top 30 placing if possible ;given our growing experience and the increasing quality of our dog yard.

Linda Clarke:

When I was a 6 years old my family moved to Fairbanks, Alaska, where I lived for 3 years.  I remember watching sled dog races and even riding in a dog sled once.  I was fascinated, but never even dreamed I would own sled dogs -  let alone train sled dogs and watch my husband race the Iditarod.  Like a lot of things in our lives, it’s one of those  that you would have never even guessed you would be doing, and if someone asked me the day before we decided to buy the dogs if it was something I would do, I would have thought them crazy for asking!  But I have no regrets and I love every dog in our yard.  I enjoy training them, taking care of them,  cleaning up after them (yes you read correctly, and you probably already know what we clean up), and racing them.  I have never run the Iditarod, and I don’t really have a desire to, but I do enjoy shorter races and have competed in the Seeley 200, which I will race again this year as a prep race for the Iditarod.   I train half  the dogs who are “trying out” for the team, and I never tire of their love, enthusiasm, trust and joy for running.    We also have horses, whom I love just as much.  I enjoy riding and training young horses, playing polocrosse and barrel racing.  My other hobbies are fly-fishing, running, cross country skiing and knitting - I love to knit!  My newest addiction is road biking.  I started riding t his fall and every day I wake up, I check the weather, the wind and wait so I can ride my bike.  We have two daughters, Leigh Ann and Jennifer, and a grandson named Evan.  I am very excited for this year’s Iditarod and look forward to a great training season.  Thank you for looking at our website!