Yukon Quest '09

BRENT - We SO ENJOYED the past few week glued to our computer glued @ WILD & FREE'S BLOG and Quest's News and Updates. It was an exciting ride from our couch & can only imagine your trials (up and down). YOU ARE #1 - FIRST and OUR HERO, even though the stats say otherwise!

We feel your dissappointment, Brent, but really, you make us PROUD! We are honored to know you and are grateful you choose Josh to be among your prized friends.
GREAT JOB, Blog Crew and Handlers!

Horsts in Idaho
Karen & Carroll
 

Don't feel too disappointed and upset, Brent. You just accomplished something that very few people on this entire planet have accomplished. You're one of a very unique and elite group of people. Little did I know, when I met you at Susan Butcher's last summer, that I would be sitting here thinking "Hot damn, this guy and his dogs rock!" Thanks for some first class entertainment.

John, Liverpool, NY
 

Hi Brent,
I don't think there is an Iditarod or Quest champ who can look back through all their races and not remember the time that they found themselves in the exact same situation you just did. Sooo you are in good company with all the other super competitive crazy people who gave it their all and then some, learned a little and went on to win the next time.
You are a champ to all of us and you ran a really great race- we love ya dude!
Sarah & Tm & Siri
 

Thank you Brent and team for a very exciting race! We were watching, cheering, waiting for news the entire time.

Brent, you are a class act. Again, during a race you put safety and sportsmanship before your own position. We applaud you.

Thanks to all of Brent's team for sharing and updating so we could follow all the way from Kansas!

The Kansas Horst family
 

Hearing about and seeing pictures of Williams new lead dog on Eagle Summit-mushing at it's best! This sport and lifestyle thrives on people like you. Seeing you interacting with your dogs--- really not easy to describe. Thank you for ten days of excitement, great sportsmanship and seeing what it is all about. Hopefully I see you on Saturday at the banquet
Karsten
 

You ran a great race and have a lot to be proud of. Be good to yourself.

Proud to be one of your sponsors,
-Pat and Mike
 

Trish and I look forward to a visit Saturday at the banquet. Your postcard to the feedstore was very thoughtful, and much apreciated. I am proud to know you, and happy to be known as a fan of Brent Sass.

Much grace and peace,
David
 

Brent,

I've been following your training blogs all year. Of course, I followed your Yukon Quest Blog as well. Your spirit and sportsmanship are always apparent. I can't imagine what you must have felt yesterday, but you finished. A lesser person might have scratched 40 miles from the finish line. Congratulations for a great race and for digging deep when you needed to. Hey, if this was easy, then everybody would do it. :)
 

Brent -
Congrats on a great race - no regrets, every race is a learning experience and this was no different. It will make you and the team stronger in the long run. Thanks for all the great updates to you & your team. Its like having a front row seat on the trail. We've been following you since the Y300 (thanks to your website) and you are truly an inspiration. My 11 yr old daughter wants to mush and she follows all your pursuits as an inspiration. OK - let's start thinking about 2010! :) GO WILD & FREE!!!
Jim & Katie Wolfrum/Camden, Maine
 

Brent Ed, Willow. Linda and I were all so proud of you and your dogs. Every race is a learning experience, even the ones you win. We look forward to seeing you back in Eureka.
Great job

Pam
 

You are very inspirational to watch ~ you remind me of a musher that doesn't race anymore ~so it's nice to have some one to watch and cheer for. Your dogs and yourself are a remarkable team!! Keep up the good work!!
 

Well done Brent and great display of sportsmanship. Have fun up near the Itilik this year wish I could come out again!!!
 

Hey Brent,
Watching you and your team's progress through the Quest was way more fun than what I was supposed to be doing! (Thanks a bunch blog team!!) All of you guys did an amazing job. It's great to see you and the team right there with the best of them, through thick and thin. If everything were perfect every time, what fun would that be? We all know you'll do a great job at rallying for next year!!
Go Wild and Free!!
-Jenny, Fairbanks
 

Brent, We are happy to support such a great Guy, Musher, Team mate..., I'm looking forward in meeting you soon since I'm moving to Yukon in the next few weeks. So we will see you there.

Bye for now and rest well

Joel
 

Watching you pull Kleedehn over the top of Eagle Summit is something I won't soon forget. Nice job.
 

Brent,
I'd be interested in buying the rights to the picture of you being the lead dog up Eagle Summit. I could make a lot of money using that to sell inspirational posters! Success is measured by how high you bounce when you hit rock bottom. If a 7th place finish in a 1000 mile race is rock bottom for you, so be it. I am proud of you and I am certain you will bounce higher than you ever imagined, whether it be in dog racing, inspirational speaking, raising a family, or working in a factory. God has His ways in leading us through life; this is just another pothole along the way, but one that you must find a way to fill and God will not leave you alone in that journey.
Best of Luck to you my friend. Let me know if there is anything I can do to help. And thank you for being an inspiration for my students! They were glued to my computer since the start!
 

Hi Brent,
You and I have a mutual friend (Mike Miller), and he sent me your blog cite a while back. I've followed your blog, and watched your Quest race (some people did an awesome job keeping it up, by the way). I just thought you'd like to know that your sportsmanship and attitude are an inspiration to people you don't even know. Chin up, all of us commenters - and many more - think you're the sh*t.
 

Brent & team.

Congratulations. I have no problem admiting those pictures of you helping William up Eagle brought me to tears. What a wonderful ambassador you are to your sport.

Elaine Corden, Powell River, BC
 

Hey Brent, Always an epic race and exciting to follow, even over the internet. Elisabeth and I were amazed of the image of you pulling that dude's dog team up Eagle Summit. And loved to hear Ken's report of your footprints down the entire trail near Chena, running even after 1000 miles. You are are an inspirational maniac, and a true sportsman. See you next time in Fairbanks, and now get some sleep!

Carl and Elisabeth, Pasadena, CA
 

brent -

hey, no disappointment. you were strong, selfless, and brave. you never cease to amaze and inspire. you and your dogs have more heart than anybody out there. keep loving what you do and doing what you love....

so proud,
kristin
 

Hi Brent!
We are so very proud of you! What a wonderful adventure you provided for our classroom and for the other students at St. Johns! The lessons you taught us are lessons we will carry with us for a long time - knowledge, perseverance, friendship, good sportsmanship,believing in and caring for your team, and never, ever giving up! You are our hero and even more important our friend. Thank you, THANK YOU!
We continue to carry you in our thoughts, our prayers and our hearts! Happy trails until we see you again! Love, the Kindergartners and Mrs. Cates
 

Brent, as you read all of the comments, let it soak in! People aren't saying these things just to try and make you feel better -- these are TRUE comments from the HEART. We are in awe of you! Most people will never even try to run a 1,000 mile sled dog race and many who try are unable to finish. You finished very, very well under difficult circumstances. Your accomplishments so early in your mushing career are amazing!

So what's next, dude? We are looking forward to many years of hair-raising adventures with you and the awesome Wild and Free wonder dogs!

Love and congrats from your amigos in San Felipe,
Donna and Darryl, et al
 

Wow. All I can say, Brent, is WOW. You and your dogs did an awesome job. I don't think I can say anything that can rival the tremendous heartfelt words already posted by others, so suffice it to say WOW. I'm glad that I was able to join the masses cheering you and the team into the finish line Tuesday night (and to get in a little Silver love). You're amazing, dude.
Lisa (Hope and Luna, too)
 

It is hard to be excited about my daughter (handler Kyla) moving to Alaska and working for a guy that is just a wee bit extraordinary and more than a little crazy. Seeing that picture of you pulling that sled up the mountain in the middle of the race - well - thanks. I can see now that she landed herself in an awesome kennel with an awesome musher. Great race - you are winner!
Annelle
 

Brent,

I am so sorry for your last 40 miles, I can only imagine how heartbreaking that must have been after such a strong race.

But...you will come away from it wiser and better and stronger.

You and your dogs are a team to be welcomed, admired and feared.

You are to be welcomed because you demonstrate the Spirit of the North. All your competitors know that if something goes wrong, or times get tough out on the trail, if Brent and the Wild & Free pups are there, help is already at hand...and not just casual help, but someone who will do whatever it takes to solve the problem.

You and your team are to be admired for the heart that you show. Your dogs follow your enduring spirit but also your selflessness. Your dogs look up to you, as do those around you as time and again you put the needs of others ahead of your own. But also for never getting down no matter what the trail throws at you. For keeping your spirits up through the toughest of times. I bet if they looked down from the Space Station into the wilds of the north, they would see the hearts of you and your dogs shining bright for all to see.

And finally you are a team to be feared. You will win. I think that by now this is well accepted. You are still new to mushing and yet you are held up as a leading light of the sport. You have heart, spirit and ability. Some years, something just gets thrown in your way...but you learn each time and get better once more. And like the best mushers you learn and you get better. Your dogs are the toughest on the trail...and anyone who runs the last miles of the race behind their sled is driven to win and is looking out for their dogs.

We all know you will win.

And I just have to echo other sentiments...the shot of you pulling William Kleedehn's team over Eagle Summit was incredible. Such grace, generosity and determination rolled into 1!

Keep running strong, keep running wild and keep running free. And remember, no matter what else happens, there are people all over the world drawing inspiration from you and the dogs of Wild and Free.


Alastair
(currently in Vanuatu)

PS thanks for the great work of the blogging team. It is you who bring Brent's inspiring deeds to the rest of the world.
 

Hi Brent,
The fourth graders at Eagle Creek in Shakopee really enjoyed following your race. We read some of your reports and looked at the pictures.
I asked them what they wanted to say to you. They said things like"Way to go Brent, we are proud of you!" and "Thanks for sharing your story with us." "We learned a lot from you."
You earned a special place in their heart, Brent. They look up to you. The kids could see that you are the real thing. We have no doubt that you gave 150% in that race. Keep your head up and know that you made a real impression on 100 kids back in Shakopee. We will take you back for a visit any time you are available. You are a winner to these kids!
Take care,
Dwayne and the fourth graders
 

Brent, Seeing the pictures of you leading the dogs over Eagle Summit...well, it shows me and the rest of the world that while you may not have fared as well as you would have liked in the dogsled race, you are number one in the human race! You consistently put the welfare of your fellow mushers and the dogs ahead of your own personal gain. I am humbled and inspired by your ethics and integrity.
Your fans,
The Jacksons
North Carolina