By Zoya DeNure & Jlona Richey

Gin-Gin was a formidable sled dog. A famous leader, bringing her team to victory in many major distance races, a reliable working dog, a true credit to the northern breeds of sled dogs. In order to honor this great dog’s achievements, her name was given to the All Women’s’ 120 mile race, on the Old Denali Highway. This race was founded by Zoya deNure, a former international fashion model turned dog musher and a rookie in Iditarod 2007. She lives at Maclaren River, Alaska with her husband and 50 plus sled dogs. She conceived the race as an avenue of encouragement for women who were interested in entering the sport of dog racing-----or just wanted a girls night out on the winter trails. 16 women entered the inaugural race in 2005 and there were 12 finishers.

The trail is spectacular with it’s deep coat of crunching powder snow, spectacular moonlit scenery and northern lights that take your breath away. On the trail, the silence is deafening, the occasional chink of gear, the rhythm of dog feet, bootied or bare synchronized with the heartbeat of the team and the driver. The sheer awe and inspiration one gets only from dog power, an awesome, age honored mode of transport and not so long ago a means of survival by being able to haul food and supplies over vast distances where no road exists and where air planes did not fly until the early 1900’s. River barging ceased for eight months out of the year on the Yukon. The sled and the dogs were the only way to go. Competitive or recreational mushing are very much alive in the Greatland, where mushing is also the state sport.

The Gin Gin 120 starts and finishes on the Richardson Highway at Meier’s Lake Roadhouse,, that’s milepost 170 on the Richardson Highway. From there, the trail meanders along a narrow waterway onto Paxson Lake and up the Old Denali Highway, 17 miles into the race. The halfway point is at Maclaren Lodge, where the hosts, Alan and Susie Echols provide a bed and a great meal and the racers have their mandatory rest of eight hours.
The lodge is open year round, which makes it a great stopping place for mushers as well as winter sport enthusiasts. The road is not maintained October 1 through May 15, which makes it a perfect choice for dog drivers and iron dog riders, alike.

It is truly a winter wonderland and many times it has the best early snowfall of Alaska’s Interior. Often it is the only snow out there on the road system. The Lodge grooms the trails, leaving a smooth and easy to follow route for about half of the race course.
The race is designed to allow lots of daylight running on the outbound trail. The mushers can drink in the awesome beauty of the spectacular Alaska Range, which culminates in the tallest peak of all of North America, Denali, the Great One, Mt. McKinley. The return run happens mostly at night and there the Northern Lights oftentimes dance through the rugged peaks of the Range, weaving iridescent color curtains across the deep dark sky. There is also the ghostly beauty of the moonlit alpine tundra, one can drink in as the silent dog team ghosts along the terrain on stealthy pads, their steady rhythm of ballet like motion a dance matching that of the fluid grace of the aurora borealis overhead. The steam rising from the steady breaths of the dogs creates a dreamlike fog, a fairy mist and will imprint unforgettable memories into the racer’s hearts and very souls. A cherished memory to be treasured a lifetime!

The Gin Gin 120 is the first major dog race of the 2006-2007 racing season, taking place on the weekend of Dec. 9th and 10th. Teams may start with 10 dogs, and last years’ champion, Judy Currier of Two Rivers, Alaska, finished with her entire team. The Gin Gin is a race for spectators; much of the final miles of the course is along the Richardson Highway, easily visible from the road as it traverses Paxson Lake and then onto Meiers Lake for the final one mile finishing sprint. Handlers and race watchers relax at Meiers Lake Roadhouse in the early dawn while waiting for the cry of “Dogteam!” to come from Paxson Lodge, 17 miles away. The scramble is then on to see if anyone can recognize the team as it rolls along the Gulkana River and onto Paxson Lake! The drivers are bundled against the winter’s chill, so friends and family strain to catch the color of parkas and sled bags to recognize their musher. The entire race field finished the 125 miles of the 2005 race within a 2-1/2 hour time slot, giving spectators steady action. The 2006 race has been lengthened 9 miles, to allow more room for truck parking at the start of the trek.

The Gin Gin welcomes volunteers; those interested in helping or just watching can contact Zoya DeNure:

HC 2, Box 7193
Meiers Lake, Alaska 99586
Email: [email protected]

The Meiers Lake Roadhouse telephone number is 907-822-3151 and the contact for Maclaren River Lodge is 907-822-5444