Hey y’all! I’m changing things up a little today with a story that is very special to me!
You may have heard of the major sled dog race called The Iditarod… mushers, Alaskan huskies, sleds, sub-zero temperatures, and Northern lights… What you probably haven’t heard of is another race that has all of those things, but also happens to be the toughest, longest sled dog race in the entire world: The Yukon Quest! The Quest is a 1,000 mile race from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon run by mushers and their sled dog teams over treacherous, wintry wilderness… and I am extremely excited about it!!!
Why am I so excited, you ask?
A very dear friend who’s like a little sister to me, will be racing in it for the first time tomorrow. Laura is 19, and she’s been on a journey to this moment for the past ten years, with as much determination and passion as any Olympic athlete. It’s been an amazing journey to witness. She will be the youngest competitor in the Quest by about 15 years and is mainly running in order to gain experience and set herself up for success in future races… but given that she’s one of the fiercest, toughest, most driven people I know, there’s no doubt in my mind that she could surprise everyone and take the whole darn thing.
Laura’s parents are there in Fairbanks with her helping take care of the dogs and being as supportive as they’ve always been over the last decade, and it would mean the world if you could lift them all up in your prayers.
If you’re interested in following an awesome sporting event over the next couple of weeks (yes, it takes about two weeks to finish), check out the Yukon Quest website here and root for Laura Neese!
–SONG (one of Laura’s favorite artists)
Photo by Erin Neese
Woohoo! Go Laura! I love the title of this post (and the song you chose)! 🙂