The 2009 Race
A concluding message from our Race Manager.
Mon, Feb 2 04:49pm: −2.2°F Cloudy, flurries
Had to run errands, but Paul was reported as on his way back to Eaglequest at 2:03pm. Don’t know the full story on this yet,
but the race is officially ended.
See those that can make it at the banquet, 7pm tomorrow, Pioneer Lodge.
Mon, Feb 2 12:26am: Willow, −0.3°F Cloudy, snow drizzle
And Carmen has finished at 11:45.
Mon, Feb 2 Willow, −4.2°F Cloudy
Carmen out of Oilwell at 8:30.
Mon, Feb 2 08:05am: Willow, −9.0°F
Jan is second, Wade third, Karin Hendrikson fourth. Carmen camped outside of Oilwell for a while, then reached the checkpoint and is warming up there. Temps dropped to around −14°F last night, with light snow.
And I missed all the excitement! Alarm worked, I didn’t. Need a louder model.
Sun, Feb 1, 11:31pm: Willow, −11.0°F clear
Jan’s through Oilwell at 23:15. 8 dogs! Is Carmen 45 mins behind her? Edge of seat stuff! Damn, this is better than cable.
Sun, Feb 1, 9:59pm: Willow, −8.5°F clear 
A winner for the 300. Mike Santos just arrived at Joe’s (21:44) after a very fast run. Elapsed time 57hrs 42mins for about 315 miles and the fastest time (and longest distance) in the last three years. Congratulations.
The race now is between Jan and Carmen…
Sun, Feb 1, 6:41pm: Willow, −6.9°F dark again
Mike Santos has cleared Oilwell, faster than my miserable prediction! 18:11 with 12 dogs (not the 13 originally reported). So…about 26 miles to Joe’s.
Sun, Feb 1, 6:30pm: This just in…
Wow. What a beautifully written history. Don would be thrilled.
I am amazed every year the race runs that my brother is honored in this way. I cannot imagine a more fitting tribute to a man who loved this sport the way he did.
Thank you for the tribute you ALL pay him, and the things he loved, with the work you put into this race.
Ann Bowers
Sun, Feb 1, 3:25: Willow, 2.6°F Blue skies, sun
I have had some corrections to leaving times/dogs originally posted in Standings. Carmen left an hour after Jan, not at the same time, with 14 dogs.
Karin Hedrickson and Paul McLarnon left Eaglequest at 14:37 and 14:48 respectively, so that checkpoint will close soon, once it is believed no teams are returning. Plus, a few more pictures on the gallery page.
Sun, Feb 1, 12:11: Willow, 3.5°F Blue skies, sun and getting warmer
Wade Marrs has left Eagelquest, Mark Ramstead is into Willow, completing the DB200 part of the race.
Willow checkpoint is shut down
I’ve loaded Don Bowers 300 start picture’s on flickr.com, just type in Don Bowers 2009 in the search bar. Unfortunately we had to leave just before the 200 started, so wasn’t able to get 200 pic’s!
Regards,
Barb Redington & Good Job, Quinn, Sara & Heather!
Or follow this link Mike B
Sun, Feb 1, 12:11: Willow, −1.3°F Blue skies, sun
Carmen is out of Eaglequest at 10:56—the same leave time as Jan, but not reported until now. He has dropped 7 dogs and is running 8 against Jan’s 9. see 3:25 report above. Given that they left together, my prior post about second place is probably rubbish.
Sun, Feb 1, 11:26: Willow, −10.9°F Blue skies, sun
Santos and Seavey have left Eaglequest. If Mike repeats his inbound times, that should put him at Oilwell around 7:15 this evening, and at the 300 finish around 10pm. Trail is hard, temperatures are cool, but anything can happen in a dog race. Mike has a 7 hour lead over Jan Seavey, but Jan is only 3½ hours behind the current second place holder, Carmen Perzechino. So we may have another race for second place.
Sun, Feb 1, 10:40: Willow, −14.1°F Blue skies, sun
Steve Geiger into Willow 9:58
From Roy and Lesley Monk—
Congratulations to Quinn, Sarah and Heather. Great to see some new names on the podium.
Congratulations to all the mushers, trailbreakers, coms, marshals—to everyone concerned—for a job well done.
Lesley & Roy.
Sun, Feb 1, 8:58: Willow, −13.2°F, the dip before sunrise.
Alan Peck into Willow at 8:18.
Steve Geiger is camped about 25 miles out; Mark Ramstead is apparently having leader problems. These are the last two of the 200.
Sun, Feb 1, 8:30: Willow, −12.7°F, the dip before sunrise.
All teams are into Eaglequest, Karin Ramstead is into Willow.
Sun, Feb 1, 5:48: Willow, −5.3°F.
Heather is through the finish, placing third in the 200. Time in 4:19am.
Jan Seavey arrived in Eaglequest at 4:48am.
My alarm does work—I have been listening to it for the last 45 minutes.
Sun, Feb 1, 1:53: Willow, −5.5°F.
Suprised all of us, but Sarah Spinola is also into Willow at 1:35 (about two hours earlier than we had expected). That’s 3 hours faster than the outgoing leg. Total elapsed time 37hrs.
Sun, Feb1, 1:34: Willow, −5.5°F, warming, but colder than this on lakes and rivers, now overcast. 
Back from the Willow finish, and Quinn Iten is the winner of this years Bowers 200. Time in 00:15 (and would have been earlier if had not wrapped round a stop sign coming onto Willow Lake). About an hour slower than outgoing time for this leg, for a total elapsed time of 35h 40m. Must be something in the genes…
And Carmen is into Eaglequest at 1:25, ready for a 6 hour rest. Earliest leave time 7:25am.
Sat, Jan 31, 9:55pm: Willow, −11.2°F, still clear.
Yeah! Mike Santos is into Eaglequest at 21:33…feed the dogs and then enjoy Eaglequest’s hospitality, Mike.
I am leaving for the Community Center, hopefully to see Quinn win the 200. I can update from there, but it may be a bit slower. Mike B
Sat, Jan 31, after 8:13pm: Willow, −9.1°F, temperatures dropping, clear night.
Katherine Frederick scratched at 20:10.
Jan Steves scratched at 2013.
All teams are out of Joe’s concluding the first 100 miles and rest.
Sat, Jan 31, 7:36pm: Willow, −6.6°F, clear night, bright moon.
Dave Charette scratched at 19:26.
Sat, Jan 31, 7:36pm: Willow, −6.2°F, still dark.
Alan Peck and Mark Ramstead through Oilwell.
Sat, Jan 31, 7:20pm: Willow, −4.8°F, dark.
Karins R and H, Wade and Paul all through Oilwell.
Robert Sexton scratched with back problems, maybe a disc. Carmen is running with a bad leg (old injury), and Dave Charette managed to strike one knee in the same spot twice. Swollen. He elected to run during daylight to avoid a repetition and will consider options after rest and sleep.
Sat, Jan 31, 5:00pm: Willow, −0.6°F, getting colder.
Lots of activity at Oilwell, with Carmen and Jan through for the 300, and Heather, Sarah and Steve through for the 200.
Christine Roalofs scratched at Joe’s, at 4.26pm.
Heather is now down to 9 dogs, and two minutes behind Sarah with 11 dogs. So we have a race for second place (which provides some excitement for the checkpoint crew in Willow). ETA Willow around 4 tomorrow morning.
Sat, Jan 31, 4:00pm: Willow, 4.6°F, still sunny but getting colder.
Ramsteads, Paul McLarnon and Alan Peck all out of Joe’s. I finally found Alan’s arrival time (e-mail can be a mixed blessing) for Joe’s Cabin.
Sat, Jan 31, 2:37pm: Willow, 8.2°F, still sunny.
Okay, Quinn cleared Oilwell at 2:07. His time is close to yesterdays, so, if he keeps that up he should be back in Willow between 11 and midnight. Karin Hendrikson and Wade Marrs have left Joe’s (and now show arrival times correctly!)
Sat, Jan 31, 2:16pm: Willow, 8.2°F, still sunny.
Both Katherine and Dave have arrived at Joe’s, while Sarah has left. Robert Sexton scratched at Joe’s at 13:20…not sure why.
Sat, Jan 31, 12:47: Willow, 11.1°F, still sunny.
Carmen is on his was to Eaglequest, Heather to Willow. And, just in, Mike Santos has cleared Oilwell, Steve Geiger and Jan Seavey have left Joe’s.
Sat, Jan 31, 11:05: Willow, 2.8°F, some sun.
Quinn is now on his way to Willow. Starting photographs are now posted.
Sat, Jan 31, 10:12: Willow, 1.2°F, overcast
Mike Santos left Joe’s at 9:32 on his way to Eagelquest. He should have a packed trail after all the teams that have passed. ETA Oilwell about noon, if yesterdays performance is any indication. Quinn can leave anytime now.
Sat, Jan 31, 09:17: Willow, 2.3°F
All teams through Oilwell; standings are mostly caught up now.
Short break turned into long break…alarm clock malfunction operator error
Sat, Jan 31, 02:07: 5°F at Willow,still flurries
Sarah S (200/bib 8),Tall Paul McL (300/bib 4) into Oilwell, Iten Jr (200/bib 4) first of the 200 into Joe’s.
Have to take a short break—back in a couple of hours (if the alarm clock works—worse than a VCR).
Sat, Jan 31, 01:11: 5.3°F at Willow; doesn’t appear to be snowing, too dark to tell.
Steve G (200/bib 1), Mark & Karen R (200/bibs 6&2), Jan Seavey (300/bin 02) to Oilwell, Santos to Joe’s (elapsed 11hrs 33 mins at 11.33mph if our distances are right).
Friday Jan 30th, 11:49. 8.6°F at Oilwell, light snow.
And Carmen Perechino (300/bib 6) is through, dropping one dog.
Willow, Friday Jan 30th. 6°F and still a few flurries.
And young Quinn (200/bib 4) is the first 200 team to clear Oilwell.
Willow, Friday Jan 30th 20.40. 8°F, still flurries, but feels more line rain.
Mike Santos (300/bib 7) clears Oilwell; that’s much earlier than I expected. With 26 miles to Joe May’s Cabin, he could reach that checkpoint around midnight (and 8 hours of rest). Hey, I almost got that right.
Willow, Friday Jan 30th. 19°F, flurries/snow, around 6″ of fresh snow. Heavier snow reported near Trapper Creek.
All eighteen teams are on their way. A minor mishap on the 200, with one team leaving early. Times will be adjusted by that offset at Joe May’s. Earliest ETA for teams at Oilewell is probably around 10pm this evening.
Jim “Fearless” Kershner described the trail at last night’s mushers meeting; due to some rerouting, the “tent” checkpoint at Oilwell Road is now the guest cabin on Hal Morgans property (for those of you that know the trail). The increases the distance to that checkpoint (around 79 miles) and the total for a 100 leg to around 105 miles. The trail was in excellent condition several days ago but recent snows may have changed that. Jim and the trail crew will mark and drag the trail ahead of teams leaving the Willow start.
For those reading Outside, we had heavy snow in December, −38°F temperatures in early January, followed by 35°F temperatures, rain and a Chinook wind. Odds were 10–1 against a week ago, with open creeks, glare ice and overflow along the race route. All fixed now thanks to Jim, Hal, Joe and the rest of the crew. Just hope that that volcano doesn’t erupt!.
