CAVALIER, N.D. — Eva Robinson has been determined to race in the Jr. Iditarod, a sled dog race for mushers ages 14-17, since she was 5. After years of training and thousands of dollars raised selling dog treats, Eva, now 15, is in Alaska training for the 2022 race, which starts on Feb. 26.
When Robinson, of Cavalier, was 2, her parents — Janna and Justin — adopted two Alaskan Malamute puppies. Eva grew up sledding with the dogs as a recreational sport, but in kindergarten, made up her mind that she wanted to race in the Jr. Iditarod.
“My parents totally blew me off,” said Robinson. “I was 5 years old. Tomorrow I’m going to want to be a doctor and then next year a ballerina.”
But she kept bringing it up, and when she was 8, her parents realized she was serious. They helped her set a goal of raising $1,000 a year until she was 16 to fund the trip. To raise money, she started a dog treat brand, Eva Diva Puppy Snacks .
“We bumped it up ahead of time because of my dogs’ ages and my skill, as they say, so rather than running it at 16, I’m going to be running it at 15,” Robinson said.
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While the Jr. Iditarod is much shorter than its adult counterpart — the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, which measures in at 938 miles — the Jr. Iditarod is the longest race for junior mushers at 150 miles. The race starts on a Saturday, and mushers with teams of seven to 10 dogs travel 75 miles, which Robinson said will take between seven and eight hours. Then, mushers and dogs are required to take a mandatory 10-hour layover, when Robinson will feed and massage the dogs, check their paws, eat some food herself and rest. Then, it’s back to the trail for another 75 miles to the finish.
Eva and Justin got to Alaska on Jan. 7 to start training in the terrain and climate. So far, Alaska has been warmer than what the dogs are used to in North Dakota. While North Dakota temperatures has been in single digits, or below zero, for most of the month, Alaska has seen temperatures between 15 and 30 degrees.
“I expected it to be a little bit colder, but I’m not complaining,” Robinson said.
Alaska also has more hills than northeast North Dakota, but Eva says her dogs are up for the challenge.
“A good challenge is what is going to get the dogs hyped up, because they did that and they didn't fail,” she said.
The Jr. Iditarod will be her longest race yet. Previously, she competed in the Beargrease 120 Junior Class Race, a 120-mile event held in northern Minnesota on the north shore of Lake Superior. She won it last year.
During the race, there is no outside help from handlers — in this case, her parents — and no outside communication with cell phones. Race officials and veterinarians ensure mushers and dogs are safe and healthy during the race, but otherwise, it will be Robinson, the dogs and other mushers. She says competition does not get in the way of sportsmanship during the race, and that if any mushers are in a pinch, others will help.
“Unlike all the mushing movies where you have that one really bad musher who’s always cracking the whip, mushing is not really that competitive in the junior world,” she said. “If one of the other mushers needs help, I will gladly give it to them, and them to me."
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Robinson is the only competitive musher in North Dakota, and her family owns the only racing kennel in the state. No sled dog races are held in North Dakota, so the Robinsons travel to compete.
“There’s a pride that comes with that, whenever I go to my races as there are none in North Dakota,” Robinson said. “People recognize us not as our names, like Eva Robinson. They recognize that North Dakota is here.”
And while Robinson represents the state, her father says Eva’s dream of racing in Alaska would not have been possible without the support of people in Cavalier and the surrounding region. Community members helped by purchasing Eva’s dog treats or directly sponsoring her. Local businesses have helped her get gear.
“They say it takes a village to raise a child, but I can tell you it takes a region and a state to assist a family to get their daughter to the dream race of her life,” said Justin.
After the race, Eva and her family are sticking around in Alaska for a while more. They plan to leave Alaska in mid-March so they can watch the start of the Iditarod on Saturday, March 5. Eva said the race is her family’s Super Bowl, complete with snacks.
“Now I get to see the actual, in person start of the Iditarod, and it’s the 50th running, so it couldn’t have been a more perfect time,” said Eva.
Robinson updates fans on her Jr. Iditarod journey, with everything from training regimens to puppy profiles, on her Facebook page Eva Diva Puppy Snacks & Diva Dogs Racing . During the race on Feb. 26, the official Jr. Iditarod website will have race updates via GPS .
