[This article scanned and reproduced in its entirety with minimal formatting changes. It was taken from the September 1977 issue of the International Siberian Husky Club Inc., News. Reprinted with the author's permission.]

They Act Like They Can Run Forever

by John D. Tanner, Jr.

 (Printed with the permission of Siberian Husky Club of Southern California . It originally appeared in their Newsletter, April, 1977)

The standard of the Siberian Husky describes the function of the breed as “…carrying a light load at a moderate speed over great distance." The performance of this function demands a “…basic balance of power, speed and endurance." These characteristics were demanded by the Chukchi's need to travel over one hundred miles across the frozen ice-shelf to reach the breeding grounds of the fur-bearing mammals and to affect a safe return with their quarry. Yet, while speed was necessary to complete the trip as rapidly as possible, and power was required to haul the Chukchi hunter and his kill, endurance was the basic factor by which the Chukchi dog gained renown.

As far as Siberian Husky speed requirements are concerned, an examination of times recorded by Siberian teams over short distances would indicate that a team maintaining a speed of eleven and one-half miles per hour over a twenty mile trail would be most representative. From time-to-time, performances within the range would be sufficient to win short distance races. Just as frequently these speeds proved insufficient, particularly if the adversary happened to be Fred Ayers with his foxhounds or Emil St. Goddard with his team of husky-greyhound crosses. No, Siberians never came to dominate short distance racing, and as the vast majority of races today are twenty-five miles or less, it is not surprising that they still fail to dominate. Some contemporary drivers defame the ability of today's Siberian by indicating that the breed no longer has the speed necessary to win the shorter races. The records would indicate that the Siberian never had that measure of speed. Indeed, Earl Norris' 1976 Rondy team, with all but one dog registered Siberian, completed three successive twenty-five mile heats with less than ideal weather and trail conditions and averaged 14.15 mph, demonstrating that at least some Siberians maintain moderate speed. Indeed, the Norris team is likely faster at these distances than any team fielded by Leonhard Seppala, John Johnson, Charles Johnson, Julian Hurley and the like. Seppala frequently insisted the dogs were not good performers at the shorter distances and withheld his entry from the 1917 twenty-six mile Borden Marathon Race, indicating that “…the course is too short for Siberians to show their worth."  

When Siberians took to the trail in the middle distance events their speeds diminished by roughly one mile per hour and their opportunities for victories increased. A team of Siberians that could travel fifty miles at a ten and one half mile per hour pace would have been most competitive. As Seppala was fond of indicating, “…slow starting was characteristic of the Siberian dogs," but their ability to grind out the miles soon wore on their competitors.

It was in long distance racing that the Siberian made his mark, and here the key element was not speed, but rather endurance. Siberian teams in the All-Alaska Sweepstakes (408 miles) ran to victory in 1910, 1914, 1915, 1916 and 1917. Weather conditions, forcing a forty-three hour delay during the race of 1917, distort the competitors' times and thereby prevent these times from. providing any indications as to the dogs' performances. None-the-less, the returns from the 1910, 1914, 1915 and 1916 race clearly indicate that the Siberian's endurance could have provided the margin of victory.

In 1910, John Johnson maintained a net speed of 6.78 miles per hour and rested a total of fourteen hours, ten minutes. The closest non-Siberian driver, Scotty Allan, travelled the trail at 8.7 miles per hour but lost by over two hours. The reason for Allan's defeat – he was forced to rest his team twenty-nine hours and forty-one minutes during the race, over twice as long as Johnson's victorious team required. In 1914, John Johnson outdistanced Scotty Allan by nine hours and twenty-three minutes, holding a 6.62 mph pace. Allan was forced to rest his team seven and one-half hours longer than Johnson. In 1915, Seppala defeated Allan by one hour and forty-one minutes yet Allan maintained a 1.35 mph faster speed than Seppala. The margin of victory – Sepp rested his dogs only fifteen hours and seven minutes while Allan's dogs required almost twenty-eight hours of rest during the rest [sic – I presume this should read “race”]. In 1916, Seppala defeated Fay Delzene by one hour and thirty-seven minutes. Seppala rested twenty-four hours, forty-one minutes, while Delzene rested almost thirty-one hours. In victory after victory, the opposition maintained a faster pace. but the Siberians' minimum rest requirement secured the first place trophy. Endurance is the key.

Interestingly enough, an examination of the ten races covering the sixty-five mile distance from Nome to Solomon and return would indicate that 9.96 mph could be very competitive as it is the average of the victor's times. In 1913, during the course of the 408 mile Sweepstakes race, John Johnson covered the initial sixty-four miles to Timber in six hours and seventeen minutes, a 10.17 mph pace. In 1914, he travelled the same distance in six hours, thirty-seven minutes, maintaining a 9.68 mph pace. In 1916, Seppala sped the initial sixty-four miles in six hours and thirty-nine minutes, holding a 9.62 mph pace, and continued right on, running the first one hundred and twenty-one miles with only seven minutes rest and maintaining a 9.49 mph pace. Averaging a 9.82 mph for sixty-four miles during these three years, these Siberian teams were maintaining a pace almost equal to what we would expect during the sixty-five mile Solomon Race, and then continuing on for another three hundred and forty-four miles! Endurance!

Yet another interesting factor was introduced when efforts were made to substantially speed up the Siberians. In 1911, Teddy Eastaugh placed his Siberians under tremendous pressure attempting to run stride for stride with the faster teams. The dogs broke down under this sped up pace and he was forced to quit the race.

"The Siberian is more noted for his endurance than his speed, and it is generally the former quality which made this dog a winner in long distance races. The Siberian can travel for miles and miles at a reasonable clip but once he is broken from this pace into a sprint, his strength is rapidly spent…dog men knew that the Siberian dogs would not maintain the awful pace he (Eastaugh) was holding them to." Nome Daily Nugget ( 4-11-1911 )

In 1913, John Johnson pulled out all of the stops allowing himself and his dogs only two hours and forty-three minutes rest on the 204 mile drive to Candle, arriving in record time of thirty hours, ten minutes. Like Eastaugh, he attempted to secure too much speed from his Siberians and they burned themselves out. Johnson learned his lesson, and in 1914, with a thirteen year old leader and a team averaging ten years of age, he paced himself and his team to the most one-sided victory in the history of the event.

Yes, the Siberians forte was never speed, but rather endurance. The Chukchi developed a dog with the ability to work almost to the limit and with a quick recovery, to continue working once again.         

Sprint Races (26 miles or less)

Middle Distance Races (27 – 100 miles)

All Alaska Sweepstakes (Four Hundred and eight miles Nome to Candle and return.)  

1909

L. Thrustrup, 89:46:15, time to Candle 38:49. Total break­down unavailable. Thrustrup rested three hours and thirty.eight minutes at Candle, his longest stop on the outgoing leg of the race.

1910

J. Johnson ( First Place ) 74:14:22, time to Candle 30:23. Rested 14:10 during the race, 6.78 net mph.

F. Ramsay, 76:09:22, time to Candle 32:15, rested 15:36 during the race, 6.74 net mph.

Third place finisher, Scotty Allan (non-Siberian team) completed the course 76:33:26 and rested 29:41, 8.7 net mph.

  1911

C. Johnson, 82:54:46, time to Candle 32:07. Time rested unavailable.

J. Johnson, withdrew from race at Safety (386 mi.) due to snowblindness. Time to Candle 32:08.

T. Eastaugh, withdrew from race at Timbaer (340 mi.) Time to Candle 31:45.

 1912

A. Holmsen, 87:58:17, time to Candle 34:46, rested 24:23 during race, 6.41 net mph.

C. Johnson, 88:55:38, time to Candle 35:19, rested 24:39 during race, 6.35 net mph.

First place finisher, Scotty Allan (non-Siberian team) completed the course in 87:27:46 and rested 33:44, 7:59 mph.

1913

J. Johnson, 77:18:10, time to Candle, 30:10, rested. 12:28 during race. 6.28 net mph. Johnson rested only two hours and forty-three minutes on the two hundred and four mile leg to Candle. He travelled the first sixty-four miles to Timber in 6:17:30 at 10.17 mph.

F. Delzene (non-Siberian team) captured first place, completing the course in 75:42:27. He rested 28:57, 8.72 net mph.

1914

J. Johnson (First Place), 81:03:45, time to Candle 42:53, rested 18 hours during race, 6.62 net mph. Defeating Scotty Allan by nine hours and twenty-three minutes. Allan rested 25:35. Johnson travelled the first sixty-four miles to Timber in 6:37 at 9.68 mph.

1915

L. Seppala ( First Place ) 78:44:57, time to Candle 32:29, rested 15:07 during the race. 6.41 net mph, defeating Scotty Allan by one hour and forty-one minutes. Allan rested 27:52, 7.76 mph.

1916

L. Se