Wearing bib #67, Tim Muto and the Yearling Race Team finished 13th in the 2016 Yukon Quest 300. This completes an outstanding race season for Tim and the Yearling Race Team in which they also competed in the Copper Basin 300 and Two Rivers 200. Throughout the season, the team was able to accomplish all their goals and live out their dreams, all will a positive attitude and huge smiles.
This year’s Yukon Quest 300 proved to be the most important experience for Tim and the team all season long. From runs through tight and curvy trails, valley’s and even up and over multiple summits, this team saw it all. As for Rosebud Summit, Tim said “The climb was not very long, but really steep, and long ENOUGH to make it a heck of a workout. The sun was rising while we were making our climb, so as we popped over the summit, the world was revealed to us. Absolute wilderness as we rode the ridge line and then down the other side of the mountain.” Rosebud was not the only summit that this team encountered, they still had Eagle Summit before heading into the Central Checkpoint for their mandatory stop and then on to Circle and back to Central for the finish line. “The trail leading up to Eagle Summit was well traveled as many teams had passed it and it was churned up, like running through sand. About a quarter of the way up Eagle, Cal and Nitro just starting going crazy and barking and hitting the harness, the whole team gets into it and we walk up the mountain. That was an incredible moment that I’ll never forget,” said Tim about the climb up Eagle Summit.
The main race goal for Tim and the team was to get every single dog to the finish line in good spirits, and through sub-zero temperatures and a couple camps under thick aurora nights, they did exactly that. After 2 days and 17 hours on the trail, they crossed the finish line in Central. Tim said, “Our success to the finish line was much more about the months leading up to the race. It’s the quality of our training and the attention we give to every single dog.” The success of this team is also more than just one musher and the dogs, it’s also about the handlers, and Tim had great support along the way from handler Kenny Malawi Eualani, from Fairbanks.
What a great way to end the race season for Tim and the Yearling Race Team, and thanks to all the fans for the tremendous support throughout the race season this year!
