Five miles from the finish line of an 1,815-kilometre, two-week-long trek over unforgiving terrain where temperatures at times hit -40C, Connor McMahon stopped his dog sled. From the ridge he had just crested, he could see the Alaskan city of Nome and the Bering Sea in the distance.
In what has become a tradition in his races, the Georgetown native got off the sled and walked down the line of dogs, thanking each one of them for their hard work.
There was Grace, Mitchy Shake, Wolfman Grotto and Mama Mako – who started leaning into her harness to show him that she was ready to go when McMahon began having doubts a third of the way through the race.
There was Mackenzie, King Bruce, Omis, Rock and Ice – the latter two being “the big boys” whose strength kept the team on course when the howling winds slowed their progress.
There was Missy Elliott, Jay Z, Beyonce and Timo – “the brains of the operation,” the mentally strong lead dog who loved to cuddle between Rock and Ice during the rest stops.
And there was Annie R U OK, Krypto and Ned Kelly, the yapper, the team alarm clock who made sure he alerted everyone in the village that they were about to leave before the sun rose.
“I just soaked in the moment,” McMahon said of the final stop. “It’s a mixture of emotions. There’s relief that it’s over, but you know there are lots of logistics and people to deal with when you finish. I was grateful that we all got there, but I know it’s the last time where it’s just me and the dogs.”
It takes a special bond between a musher and his dogs to complete the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race – the Super Bowl (or Stanley Cup, for a Canadian like McMahon) of dog sled racing.
McMahon attempted the race last year, but pulled out due to concern for his dogs. Better trained and better prepared this year, McMahon again entered ‘The Last Great Race.’
He could have never imagined taking part in such an incredible adventure when he adopted an Alaskan Malamute named Chumie. Looking to burn off some of his new friends’ abundant energy, he built a sled and had Chumie pull him on fishing trips.
When McMahon’s work as a guide on Great Slave Lake dried up during the pandemic, he used his new-found time to start training sled dogs. It didn’t take long before he was entering races. He won his first race, the 177-kilometre Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race in 2021.
McMahon finished 20th out of the 33 teams that started the Iditarod in Fairbanks, Alaska - a significant placing as it's the cutoff between prize money for placing as opposed to just finishing.
McMahon took a conservative approach this year, finishing in 13 days, four hours, seven minutes and 47 seconds and achieving his goal of gaining experience for the future.
There are three mandatory rest stops during the race – one 24-hour and two eight-hour breaks. The remainder are up to each musher to decide. McMahon sometimes took longer breaks, sometimes by choice, others not.
“I definitely need a louder alarm clock next time,” he said.
A 1,200-kilometre stretch on the Yukon River was challenging, and a little monotonous, testing both him and the dogs mentally. That’s where he found out how much of a team race the Iditarod really is.
“It’s tough on your mental state. You’re a little sleep deprived but you have to keep that mental energy positive through the race,” he said. “The dogs are a mirror to what I’m feeling. If you start to slip you see it in them. There were times I got in my own head. I’d come down and look at the dog team and they’re all standing, ready to go. They were letting me know it was all good.”
Surprisingly, it was a Disney movie that caused McMahon the most stress.
“I was horrified to cross Norton Sound. I think I watched Togo too many times,” he said of the movie telling the story of serum being transported by dog sled through harsh weather across Alaska during a diphtheria outbreak in 1925. The dangerous, life-saving mission inspired the Iditarod.
As he reached the Bering Sea and neared the next checkpoint, McMahon got to witness the lunar eclipse as the sun set.
“That’s something I’ll never forget,” he said.
Overall, McMahon was pleased with his preparation, saying he never suffered from dehydration and didn’t lose any weight. He fully intends to return next year and move up in the standings. He mentioned that no Canadian has ever won the race, hinting at his long-term goal.
For the dogs, he said he’ll make some adjustments to their training regiment with more shorter runs. Thirteen of his 16 dogs completed the race. McMahon took three out due to minor injuries, leaving them with the veterinarians at the checkpoints, who then returned them to his support team. He said they were home getting spoiled before he crossed the finish line.
As McMahon approached the Nome city limits, he couldn’t help but get emotional.
“This is the pinnacle,” he said. “You get to explore all of these amazing villages, you learn more about the incredible capabilities of these four-legged athletes. I was crying, but they were tears of gratitude. Luckily, I got them all out by the finish line, because I was crying like a baby. I got to the finish line with 13 happy dogs barking. They didn’t want to stop.”