Christian was bib #7 and literally flew out of the starting chute. Caleb was bib #12 and left the chute waving the American flag. I had several people ask why Caleb’s team seemed slower than Christian’s. I explained that I’d been preaching to them both that the second half of the race is mountainous, and they needed to make sure not to burn their teams out on the flat, easy portion.
After they left, Tammie and I drove 7 miles down the road. Christian had already passed, and Caleb pulled into sight immediately after. By the halfway mark, updates showed that Caleb had closed the gap. Eventually, the word came through: Caleb and Christian Hayes passed through the 22-mile safety point together! Caleb had executed the plan perfectly, holding back early and pushing through the mountains.
Christian’s accomplishment was equally great. At 13, he was the youngest musher in the race. Two days before, he didn’t even know he was racing, and he was doing it with dogs he hadn’t met until the day before. He was passing teams with the team that came in last the previous year!
Caleb was the first finishing rookie in the race. Only five minutes later, Christian Hayes crossed the finish line. Caleb met his little brother, and they threw their arms around one another. The exertion and cold had taken its toll on Christian’s 85 lb frame—his fingers weren’t moving and you could see the pain in his face—but he too insisted on pushing through to lavish praise on his dogs.
Despite slower trails than last year, Caleb improved our team’s finish time by 30 minutes. Christian improved his team’s time by about an hour and a half over their performance last year. These boys were brave enough to take full teams 30 miles through the frigid Maine woods alone, and they both put their dogs first. As their father, I could not be more proud.
Regarding our team: Our 2-year-old, Vodka, has officially taken over as lead, while our veteran Frost has transitioned to point dog. Druid, Frost’s son and our team’s greatest athlete, has joined Vodka in lead. Druid is the most tireless sled dog I’ve ever owned.
Our biggest decision was including Sawyer. He is blind, but he is a motivated and tireless athlete. We had the chief vet check him both before and during the race, and he received a green light both times. Sawyer pulled to the very end. While the other dogs rode home in crates, Sawyer rode home in the cab, curled up in my son’s lap.
Special thanks to my wife Tammie, the Can Am organizers, the town of Fort Kent, and the International Seppala Siberian Sleddog Club. We are already planning for next year!
— Jonathan Nathaniel Hayes
