GLOVERSVILLE - Karen Land has always loved dogs, and her passion eventually led her to take part in the world's most famous dog-sled race.
Land, who is from Indianapolis, Ind., brought her dog, Borage, and her sled to the Gloversville Free Library to give a talk Monday about the Iditarod, a 1,150-mile race held each year in Alaska. Her audience included children, and she encouraged the kids to come to the front of the room.
While Land talked, Borage either wandered into the audience or relaxed on a mat.
"I like to let Borage walk around and visit while I talk," Land said.
Many of the children's questions were thoughtful, and Land said she knew they had researched the subject before they came.
When she asked what breed the kids thought Borage was, the kids guessed malamute or Siberian husky.
"Those are good, logical guesses," she said.
Borage is an Alaskan husky, although not a purebred. He has the blue eyes, the perky ears and the fancy markings of a husky.
A team of 16 dogs can pull a sled at 20 mph, Land said in response to a question from a youngster.
Land's interest in dog-sled racing was a logical extension of her love for dogs. While she was working in a veterinary hospital, she brought home a stray dog named Kirby who was too rambunctious to suit her parents.
"I decided I'd better figure out a way to tire this dog out," she said. "We began going on long walks, and that got me into hiking and camping."
Eventually, she and Kirby hiked the Appalachian Trail, which extends from Maine to Georgia.
As her interest in hiking grew, she went to her local library and began reading about the subject. One book she checked out was "Winter Dance" by Gary Paulsen. It was about the Iditarod, and she became fascinated by the race.
She went to graduate school in Portland, Maine, and decided to make a documentary about dog-sled racing. She found a musher - a dog-sled racer - who was willing to let her follow him around as he trained for a big race, but two days into the project, the man got sick.
She found another musher, a veterinarian named Terry Adkins, who eventually asked her to come work for him as his dog handler. She accepted, and worked for him for six years, including helping out at several Iditarod races.
Her first Iditarod race as a musher was in 2002.
"I finished in 49th place," she said. "I took just under two weeks to finish. The winner finished in eight days."
The Iditarod race starts in Anchorage and ends in Nome, a distance of more than 1,000 miles. Many of the children in the audience knew that.
Land is a veteran of three Iditarod races. Right now, she and Borage are on the lecture circuit, and she has a lot of stories to tell.
Her sled weighs about 20 pounds by itself. She adds 80 pounds of gear, including food and dry clothing for herself and her dogs, a cooker and other necessities.
Land said litters of puppies often are named in groups. Borage got his name because he was part of an "herb litter." Borage is a lesser-known herb. Borage's litter mates included puppies named Rosemary and Dill.
One litter of mostly female puppies was called the "First Lady Group," with names such as "Barbara Bush," "Jackie O" and "Ladybird."
That litter included two males, who were named "Bill Clinton" and "George Bush."
"Naturally, they can't stand each other," Land said.
John R. Becker can be reached at montco@leaderherald.com.
