Ariel

Sponsored by The Eddy Family

Ariel has my back, and I have hers, an incredible bond formed over the last six years. With her positive energy, beautiful red coloring and wagging tail, Ariel sticks out from the crowd.

Ariel came here as a yearling in 2015, a sweet little redhead spark plug. That team was populated with a lot of the old guard, Wembley and her family, Ellie and Gunnar, hound Maihi, and Hawkeye, and Ariel didn’t really stand out until the Mahoosuc 100. Ariel worked so hard. She was only two years old.

Slow to build in confidence, it took a few years for Ariel to get to leadership. In her first training runs in lead, she would look back at me over her shoulder, still moving forward but sending a need for confirmation back. Once she had her legs under her in training, she still wouldn’t lead in races, sitting right down on the trail. But then, a switch flipped, and in Ariel fashion of total commitment, she didn’t just start leading in general, she declared herself a single leader.

Ariel saved our finish at the UP200 in 2018, when she single-led for the entire second half of the race, on trails where she had refused to lead only the year before. The team was sick and the motivation was low and slow, but Ariel kept us moving, all by herself. Two weeks later, she solo-led the second half of the Can Am 100.

In single lead, Ariel is her best self: there’s no one to challenge her decisions, there’s no one to make her go faster or slower, it’s just her and the trail ahead. Whether it’s a 13 dog team or a 7 dog team, Ariel is exactly the same. I promise her a solo lead run once in awhile, when she seems like she needs to do her thing all by herself.

It’s tough to explain sometimes how special it feels to have a leader who can carry the water all by herself. For me, it’s probably more than just team dynamics or getting around the trail, it’s probably symbolic of the hope I have for myself at times. If Ariel can do it, so can I.

Ariel and Aurora were the ‘Disney Princess’ litter, that also includes Snow White, Jasmine, and Cinderella. With a litter of mostly girls, there was one boy and you can probably guess his name…yep, it's Prince Charming.

Born: 2013

Solomon (Little) x Swann (Stielstra)

Race Experience:

2020
Blue Mtn 20 mile team
Can Am 30

Beargrease Marathon 2019 (Leader)
Can Am 250 2019 (Leader)

UP200 2018 (Single lead)
Can Am 100 2018 (Single lead)

UP200 2017
Can Am 250 2017

UP200 2016
Can Am 250 2016
Mahoosuc 100 2016