Local Musher Wins Russian Dogsled Race

When he entered, Pat Moon didn't have high hopes of winning Russia's premiere dog sled race this month.

After all, the only thing he had won in the five years he's been a professional dog sledder was the "red lantern," a trophy traditionally awarded to last-place finishers.

In addition, because bringing his dogs with him would have involved "insane bribes" along large travel expenses, he had to use local dogs he'd never worked with for the 230 kilometer stage race in Russia's Kostroma region.

But win he did, with a style he described as "slow and steady," working with a randomly assigned team of six huskies who came to run.  They helped him defeat 18 Russian racers and a handful of international teams from the Nordic countries, Scotland and Ireland.

"They would have loved to have beaten the American," he said of the Russian teams. "But they were pretty happy to have us compete."

The five-year-old race, across the bitterly cold Russian wilderness, has quickly become "their Iditarod," said Moon, 34, whose wife teaches Niles students at Field School in Park Ridge-Niles School District 64. The couple live in Park Ridge. 

The eight-day race was held February 22 through March 1.

His win was remarkable enough to prompt a telephone interview from Good Morning America last Monday.

Moon chose to enter the race rather than Alaska's Iditarod, which is in its finishing stages, after his entry there last year landed him in the hospital with a stage four concussion and two broken cheekbones.

He doesn't really remember what happened, but his best guess is his dogs went one way around a curve and he went another, headlong into a tree in the infamously rugged Dalzell Gorge. A team behind him found and helped rescue him.

The Iditarod is an endurance race, making it almost as much about outdoor survival skills as it is racing, Moon said. By contrast, Russia's International North Hope race is broken up into stages, which allows the mushers to eat hot meals and sleep indoors each night.

It's run at the same time as winter carnivals are being held in each of the tiny towns along the trail, making the stopovers even more festive, Moon said.

Like many modest athletes, he downplayed his own importance and gave the credit for the win to the dogs, who take an estimated 180,000 steps in an average race day, burning 17,000 calories.

"They are the ones doing the running," he said. "I just stand back and give commands."

And because the dogs were local, he had to learn to give them commands in Russian.

His win earned him a trophy, not prize money.

Being a pro dog sledder can be a good living, but only with endorsements, Moon said. He's sponsored by Loki Outerwear, the Competitive Group, Richards Excavating in Zion, IL and dogbooties.com.

A sponsored racer can make between $15,000 and $550,000 per year, he said

Moon decided to give dog sledding a try after attending the Iditarod six years ago. He started calling around for information and linked up with Nature's Kennel in McMillan, Mich.

The company offers dog sled adventure travel and also sponsors racers at the Iditarod and other major races. Moon is gone for months at a time during the winter months, and in the summer bides his time mowing lawns.

"Mostly I am waiting around for it to get cold again," he said with a laugh.

His wife, Melanie is supportive, Moon said. But she's busy with her own career, teaching early elementary reading.

"She's interested in the dogs but she's pretty much over it," Moon said. "For her, it's just my job."