Sponsorship information

Thanks again for visiting my blog and expressing interest in my quest to run to the 2007 Iditarod. My last posting was a welcome to all that visit this site. If you haven't read the welcome, please read that first. This posting delves into the information to sponsor one of my dogs thru the 2007 Iditarod. Running the Iditarod is an expensive endevour, even though I am running it with the help of another musher. This is why I am pursuing sponsorship, especially from the community of Fergus Falls.
To begin with, here is an estimated list of costs for my coming winter:

• Qualifying race #1 (entry fee, transportation, etc.) $500
• Qualifying race #2 (entry fee, transportation, etc.) $500
• Freight shipment of Iditarod gear bags $1000
• Replacement sled runner plastic $250
• Headlamp batteries $400
• Tranportation to and from Anchorage $250
• Transportation back from Nome $700
• Food drop gear $250
• Banquet tickets $200
• Booties (1000 of them!) $1000
• Personal food during race $400

Total = $5,450

This is an estimated expense list, but likely the expenses will be higher than lower. In order to sponsor one of the 16 dogs on my team, a donation of $340 per dog is asked. Here are some of what the potential sponsor will recieve:

• Framed picture of the sponsored dog to hang in office/home
• Weekly email updates of activities in Alaska
• Sponsorship listing on blog
• Most importantly, sponsoring a dog will help me be able to come back to Fergus Falls and talk to students in the schools on the importance of acheiving your dreams

I would greatly appreciate any support, and no support will go unnoticed. If individuals are interested in donating, partial support of a dog could be arranged.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you all! Comments, questions, or any communication as always is encouraged.

Iditarod 2007 - Chasing your Dreams

fsjjw15@uaf.edu

Welcome!

Welcome sled dog enthusiasts, Iditarod fans, Fergus Falls community members, and friends. Many of you know by now of my goal for this winter to run the famed Iditarod sled dog race. This race is the Indy 500 of sled dog races; 1,100+ miles across the Alaskan wilderness from Anchorage to Nome with 16 of your best friends in the form of Alaskan Huskies. There are few events like it in the world, and it tests the musher and dogs to their limits. It has been my dream to run this race ever since I began running sled dogs outside of Fergus Falls, MN in the wheat and corn fields. I am now going to achieve my dream this winter with the help of Iditarod musher Jeff King. Jeff King is a 4 time Iditarod winner (including the 2006 Iditarod), so working with him is comparable to a young basketball player working with Micheal Jordan. Needless to say, I am as excited as a little boy in a candy store. King will be training his main race dogs for the 2007 Iditarod, while I will be training and preparing his yearlings (could be compared to a JV team) for the race.
I begin my quest in the end of Sept. when I will arrive at the King homestead outside the entrance to the grand Denali National Park. My plan for this blog is to update it weekly. Updates will include adventures from the week, how training went, which dogs are doing well, what the weather is like, and what in general my life is like in Alaska living in a cabin in the woods with no running water. Temperatures will reach -50 degrees or colder, the winds will blow, and I will be one of the happiest people on earth. Updates will also include pictures of my activities. I want readers and followers of my quest to become involved in my adventure. Comments, questions, or any communication back to me is more than welcome and I encourage it. What do you want to hear about? What do you want more of? Furthermore, I will be writing a monthly column for the Fergus Falls Daily Journal which will be published on the 4th Saturday of each month starting in September.
I am also in the process of pursuing sponsorship to help me finically to afford this race. If individuals or businesses are interested in sponsoring one of the 16 dogs on my team, please contact me. After the race is completed, I would like to give back to the community of Fergus Falls, where I grew up, by talking to the schools on the importance of achieving your dreams. For more information on sponsoring a dog, please click on my sponsorship information posting.
I will not be posting a message again until I get back to Alaska and have settled in at the kennel, so don't expect to hear from me again until late September or early October.
Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you all!
Iditarod 2007 - Chasing your Dreams