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2010 GOLD RUSH TRAIL DOG SLED MAIL RUN - PRESS RELEASE
December 28, 2009 - Countdown #3
January is just around the corner, this is the crucial time for Mail Run planning…at this point everything seems to be on schedule. Today the weather and snow conditions are absolutely perfect and if yesterday’s Fun Run is any indication, participants are in for a great time as they travel over the Gold Rush Trail.
Mail Run Organizers will be having their final “big” planning meeting on Tuesday January 2nd, later in the month there will be meetings with volunteers, stamping of envelopes will commence, trail grooming and marking will be ongoing and scores of other small tasks will be completed, to ensure the success of the Mail Run.
Envelopes have been on sale for over a week. Now that the Christmas season is behind us, local Mail Run advertising will commence in full force. We have printed 5000 envelopes this year and while we probably don’t expect to haul all of them over the Gold Rush Trail, it would be great if we did! Mail carriers will be officially sworn in on Friday morning in front of Quesnel’s downtown post office at 9:00 a.m. and this year we are re-activating an old Mail Run tradition that was originally started by Jo and Pete Kawa. All mail bags will be sealed with a special leather hand-tooled dog sled that will bear the official cancellation stamps…when the mail bag is turned back to the Canada Post Superintendent in Wells at the end of the journey over the Gold Rush Trail, this leather momento will be cut off the mail bag and given to the mail carrier as a very special keepsake.
Yesterday’s Fun Run saw the participation of 13 dog teams, it was a 6 dog race over a 10 km. of the Gold Rush Trail, some teams didn’t compete but just ran the route for fun. There are an increasing number of sled dog kennels in the Quesnel area, and almost all had a presence at the Fun Run, along with teams from Prince George.
Over the summer, Warren and Kate Palfrey, along with their three boys Sam, Peter and Jesse moved to Quesnel from Yellowknife, bringing their large kennel of Alaskan Huskies with them. Warren has competed in the last three Iditarod sled dog races, finishing 19th out of almost 70 starters last year. He also competed in the 2009 Yukon Quest, finishing in 9th position. Preparation for these premiere sled dog events requires a full-time commitment on the part of the whole family, and this preparation is presently ongoing as Warren gets his team ready to participate in the 2010 Iditarod, which will commence in Anchorage Alaska on March 6, 2010. But there will be time for the Palfrey dogs to take part in this year’s Mail Run and the public is encouraged to come out to the different Mail Run venues to see all the dogs and participants but especially to see the Iditarod dogs and to meet Warren and his family. The various venues where you can see the action are all listed on the Mail Run website at www.dogsledmailrun.ca
Mail Run organizers want to thank our ever-growing list of supporters and sponsors. Their names are all listed on the Mail Run website. Donations of goods and services are very much appreciated. Local businesses have opened up their doors to act as venues for envelope sales, they have donated fuel, snowmobile supplies, trail marking supplies, snow plowing services, fencing….the list is a long one. Other businesses have provided discounts on purchases of goods and of services….this is very much appreciated. The Mail Run takes shopping local very seriously. Items are only purchased away from Quesnel when it is clear that they could not be acquired locally.
2010 souvenir items will be available early in the new year. We are pleased to feature newly designed “Gold Rush Trail” toques…when you see them you will want one. And 2010 will see the fourth in our series of Mail Run mugs, featuring this year’s artwork. Any coffee drinker worth his java will tell you that coffee tastes much better when served in a Mail Run mug. It is always interesting to visit the home of a Mail Run supporter, inevitably there will be mug(s) on display and usually they are used every day.
This is a special plea to all participants to register early. The deadline for registrations foir participants in 2010 is January 18th. We would like to have all of the formalities associated with registration completed before you arrive at the Thursday night Mushers’ Meeting. Registrations are starting to come in and we say thank you to those who have taken the time to complete the paperwork. Please call or email with any questions or special requests, we want to make your participation as enjoyable as possible.
Happy New Year everyone!