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Born to Mush
Born To Mush is the story of how Dallas Seavey becomes the youngest person ever to win the grueling Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Along the way, this tenacious and dedicated athlete learns to think like a dog - focusing on the moment, and finding the joy in every challenge - from blizzards to thin ice. After becoming a world-class competitive wrestler and facing a tough decline in health, Dallas returns to the sport he was born to do...sled dog racing. This book highlights his six-year partnership with Jim and Rosanne Keller representing J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc., who believed in Dallas' dream to win the Iditarod - Alaska's largest sporting event. Enjoy the adventure with the J. J. Keller/Dallas Seavey Iditarod Racing Team!
- GenresBiography
131 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 19, 2024
Born to Mush is aptly named.
Sled Dog books are my favorite category of dog books. No other activity is so tied to working with dogs and has the same level of risk of life. I enjoyed this book however it is not one of my favorites of this type. Since I have read so many books on the topic, I may be a tougher audience and be more critical than others.
Dallas’s father and grandfather were professional sled dog racers. Dallas grew up mushing and taking care of the dogs. Children don’t always follow in their parents’ footsteps, much less do as well or better, but in this case, it does appear Dallas was born to Mush. He still had to grow into doing it well and one of the things I love about this book is how he relates his lessons learned in life on that path.
He seemed to have learned to really excel from wrestling. His dad said to him, "Dallas-the coach would really like it if you tried to win.” So that got him thinking.
‘It’s not as if I had been purposely slacking until that day. Nor was my dad's comment meant to be pushy. But Dad’s words made me start thinking competitively. I began to ask myself “Am I doing the best that I can do?” and, “If this is my best, then why can others do it better?” It was about that time, at age twelve, that a switch flipped in my young brain. I started to expect nothing less than a win from myself, and I trained for that particular goal. It was fun to push myself.’
Dallas comes up with his own strategy to sled dogs.
‘We wouldn't be the rabbit or the tortoise on the 2012 Iditarod. We’d be the fox. We could win, but we'd have to be smart to catch the rabbits.
Some of his other lessons learned:
‘I learned how important it is to drive your own team and not make decisions based on what other mushers are doing. I learned that it’s essential to be aware of other competitors, but at the end of the day to be able to answer the question: is this the best way to get my dog team to the finish line as fast as possible? If the answer is no, then it’s not the best move.’
‘This is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in mushing: think like a sled dog and focus on the challenges and joy of each moment.’
They serve him well, like when he had to wade through water to get his team through collapsed ice:
‘I sloshed up to Diesel, untangling the dogs as I went. Before reaching him, I did a face plant right into the water. When the water flooded my clothing, the cold literally took my breath away. This was bad, bad, bad. It was not okay to be wet in these temperatures. But I also knew that it was worse to panic. If we didn’t get moving soon, I knew I would die.‘
This next excerpt gives you an idea of some of the challenges in winning the Yukon Quest:
‘It was surreal. I went from nearly-dead on Birch Creek in fifth place, to nearly-dead with an ulcer going up Eagle Summit in third place. Somehow, all this nearly-dead turned into us winning the 2011 Yukon Quest. It didn’t feel like winning as much as it felt like surviving. This team had a lot of guts and determination, and that got us to the finish line first.’
Dallas talks about his major challenges, but maybe because of his ‘just do what is needed’ attitude, or maybe because the book is told in a more concise manner, I didn’t feel the impact for what those challenges really felt like in a stronger way.
Think of it - Subzero weather. You don’t have any dry clothes to change into. And you faceplant (actually several times) into freezing water. What if it was you!!!!! Still great stuff in this book, but in similar books I remember really feeling the ‘OMG I could really die here.’
The other item I would have liked to see was more of a relationship between him and the dogs. I know it is there, but I would have liked to see more. I know the dogs are great pulling engines for the sled, but more of the personality of the dogs, and his feeling for an emotional tie. Here are a few excerpts that pointed to something along those lines:
‘“One minute,” the announcer called over the loudspeaker. It was time to prepare for blast-off. I patted my lead dogs Beatle and Elim, and then made my way back to the sled, making eye contact with each dog in the team. My message was clear: I am here, I am in charge, and today is no different than any other day of our training.’
‘My most vivid memory from my stay in Takotna was taking each of my dogs for a walk. I walked each dog on a leash for about a quarter of a mile. I wanted to let them stretch and sniff around, and I wanted the chance to look for signs of sore muscles or gait changes. I also wanted to spend some quality one-on-one time with each athlete.
They dragged me around the check point, enjoying the afternoon. Not one of them seemed tired! They didn’t want to walk either; they wanted to run right out of the checkpoint and down the trail toward Nome.’
So only 4 stars as I wanted more, but still a good book.
Oh yah, people want to know if Kleenex is needed at the end of the book. Only from happy tears. (But there is a part in the middle…)
Sled Dog books are my favorite category of dog books. No other activity is so tied to working with dogs and has the same level of risk of life. I enjoyed this book however it is not one of my favorites of this type. Since I have read so many books on the topic, I may be a tougher audience and be more critical than others.
Dallas’s father and grandfather were professional sled dog racers. Dallas grew up mushing and taking care of the dogs. Children don’t always follow in their parents’ footsteps, much less do as well or better, but in this case, it does appear Dallas was born to Mush. He still had to grow into doing it well and one of the things I love about this book is how he relates his lessons learned in life on that path.
He seemed to have learned to really excel from wrestling. His dad said to him, "Dallas-the coach would really like it if you tried to win.” So that got him thinking.
‘It’s not as if I had been purposely slacking until that day. Nor was my dad's comment meant to be pushy. But Dad’s words made me start thinking competitively. I began to ask myself “Am I doing the best that I can do?” and, “If this is my best, then why can others do it better?” It was about that time, at age twelve, that a switch flipped in my young brain. I started to expect nothing less than a win from myself, and I trained for that particular goal. It was fun to push myself.’
Dallas comes up with his own strategy to sled dogs.
‘We wouldn't be the rabbit or the tortoise on the 2012 Iditarod. We’d be the fox. We could win, but we'd have to be smart to catch the rabbits.
Some of his other lessons learned:
‘I learned how important it is to drive your own team and not make decisions based on what other mushers are doing. I learned that it’s essential to be aware of other competitors, but at the end of the day to be able to answer the question: is this the best way to get my dog team to the finish line as fast as possible? If the answer is no, then it’s not the best move.’
‘This is one of the most valuable lessons I have learned in mushing: think like a sled dog and focus on the challenges and joy of each moment.’
They serve him well, like when he had to wade through water to get his team through collapsed ice:
‘I sloshed up to Diesel, untangling the dogs as I went. Before reaching him, I did a face plant right into the water. When the water flooded my clothing, the cold literally took my breath away. This was bad, bad, bad. It was not okay to be wet in these temperatures. But I also knew that it was worse to panic. If we didn’t get moving soon, I knew I would die.‘
This next excerpt gives you an idea of some of the challenges in winning the Yukon Quest:
‘It was surreal. I went from nearly-dead on Birch Creek in fifth place, to nearly-dead with an ulcer going up Eagle Summit in third place. Somehow, all this nearly-dead turned into us winning the 2011 Yukon Quest. It didn’t feel like winning as much as it felt like surviving. This team had a lot of guts and determination, and that got us to the finish line first.’
Dallas talks about his major challenges, but maybe because of his ‘just do what is needed’ attitude, or maybe because the book is told in a more concise manner, I didn’t feel the impact for what those challenges really felt like in a stronger way.
Think of it - Subzero weather. You don’t have any dry clothes to change into. And you faceplant (actually several times) into freezing water. What if it was you!!!!! Still great stuff in this book, but in similar books I remember really feeling the ‘OMG I could really die here.’
The other item I would have liked to see was more of a relationship between him and the dogs. I know it is there, but I would have liked to see more. I know the dogs are great pulling engines for the sled, but more of the personality of the dogs, and his feeling for an emotional tie. Here are a few excerpts that pointed to something along those lines:
‘“One minute,” the announcer called over the loudspeaker. It was time to prepare for blast-off. I patted my lead dogs Beatle and Elim, and then made my way back to the sled, making eye contact with each dog in the team. My message was clear: I am here, I am in charge, and today is no different than any other day of our training.’
‘My most vivid memory from my stay in Takotna was taking each of my dogs for a walk. I walked each dog on a leash for about a quarter of a mile. I wanted to let them stretch and sniff around, and I wanted the chance to look for signs of sore muscles or gait changes. I also wanted to spend some quality one-on-one time with each athlete.
They dragged me around the check point, enjoying the afternoon. Not one of them seemed tired! They didn’t want to walk either; they wanted to run right out of the checkpoint and down the trail toward Nome.’
So only 4 stars as I wanted more, but still a good book.
Oh yah, people want to know if Kleenex is needed at the end of the book. Only from happy tears. (But there is a part in the middle…)
Read
November 15, 2021Born To Mush
Authors: by Hannah Moderow, Dallas Seavey, & James J. Keller
This true story is set in rural Alaska (Seward) where Dallas Seavey grew up. He is the son and grandson of famed Iditarod Mushers Mitch and Dan Seavey.
Dallas grew up around the dogs and loving the sport of mushing, but he also enjoyed the sport of wrestling, and was on his school wrestling team. He was a champion wrestler with a promising shot at the US Olympic team. Dallas had been balancing his love of both sports, but when his health declined, he decided to focus on mushing.
Dallas competed in his first Iditarod (sled dog race) at the age of 18. At the age of 25 (having turned 25 the day the race began) he became the youngest musher ever to win the Iditarod.
I really enjoy how this book highlights the spirit of the musher, the connection to the sport, and the love between human and canine. One of the best things though, is that despite taking place in a rural setting, the book never focuses on that, and never makes the reader feel that people who live in rural communities some how miss out on the experiences of those from urban settings.
(Recommended for Young Adult Readers, 8-12th grade)
Authors: by Hannah Moderow, Dallas Seavey, & James J. Keller
This true story is set in rural Alaska (Seward) where Dallas Seavey grew up. He is the son and grandson of famed Iditarod Mushers Mitch and Dan Seavey.
Dallas grew up around the dogs and loving the sport of mushing, but he also enjoyed the sport of wrestling, and was on his school wrestling team. He was a champion wrestler with a promising shot at the US Olympic team. Dallas had been balancing his love of both sports, but when his health declined, he decided to focus on mushing.
Dallas competed in his first Iditarod (sled dog race) at the age of 18. At the age of 25 (having turned 25 the day the race began) he became the youngest musher ever to win the Iditarod.
I really enjoy how this book highlights the spirit of the musher, the connection to the sport, and the love between human and canine. One of the best things though, is that despite taking place in a rural setting, the book never focuses on that, and never makes the reader feel that people who live in rural communities some how miss out on the experiences of those from urban settings.
(Recommended for Young Adult Readers, 8-12th grade)
March 31, 2019
In Born to Mush, author and dog musher Dallas Seavey shares his story of winning the famed Iditarod dog sled race. Dallas describes himself racing ever since he could walk and shares his most profound adventures of mushing with his family's dogs in Alaska. As Dallas grows up he decides to take on wrestling and is surprisingly extremely talented. In chasing his dream of building a professional wrestling career, he is becomes torn between wrestling and dog mushing. Through a series of events however, he turns back to his childhood dream of winning the Iditarod. This book shows the effects of hard work and determination through Dallas and his team of dogs. He is very positive, despite the real dangers of the sport. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good read as Dallas's story is truly remarkable.
March 20, 2018
2.5*
Given the mushing/racing/Iditarod legacy of the Seavey family and the current controversy around Iditarod champion Dallas and the drugged-dog results of his 2017 race, I was particularly interested to read his book at this point in time. Lots of great details here about specific Iditarod races - strategies, successes, near-death-experiences, blizzard descriptions, lessons learned, though the book (published in 2012) ends after Dallas's first historic Iditarod win in 2012 (so no details about the subsequent Iditarod races won in 2014, '15,'16). Perhaps Dallas will eventually write a second book that covers his other Iditarod races and how he responded to the challenges that arose after the drug charges of the 2017 race. In this work, the consistent highlighting of J.J. Keller & Associates, his main corporate sponsor and publisher of the book, gets a little tedious and sucky-uppy, but it's an understandable by-product of being able to compete with the longtime veteran racers of such an expensive-to-train-for-and-run race. The individual chapters don't hang together as well as some other Iditarod books, and there is no real narrative trajectory, but the dedication and work ethic of Dallas and his amazing dogs are admirable to behold.
Given the mushing/racing/Iditarod legacy of the Seavey family and the current controversy around Iditarod champion Dallas and the drugged-dog results of his 2017 race, I was particularly interested to read his book at this point in time. Lots of great details here about specific Iditarod races - strategies, successes, near-death-experiences, blizzard descriptions, lessons learned, though the book (published in 2012) ends after Dallas's first historic Iditarod win in 2012 (so no details about the subsequent Iditarod races won in 2014, '15,'16). Perhaps Dallas will eventually write a second book that covers his other Iditarod races and how he responded to the challenges that arose after the drug charges of the 2017 race. In this work, the consistent highlighting of J.J. Keller & Associates, his main corporate sponsor and publisher of the book, gets a little tedious and sucky-uppy, but it's an understandable by-product of being able to compete with the longtime veteran racers of such an expensive-to-train-for-and-run race. The individual chapters don't hang together as well as some other Iditarod books, and there is no real narrative trajectory, but the dedication and work ethic of Dallas and his amazing dogs are admirable to behold.
June 19, 2017
This was an excellent and quick read. Well written, simple, humorous and insightful. For anyone interested in the subject well worth a read also an excellent book for young adult readers. Very enjoyable!!!!
September 12, 2024
Read this after Dallas' 6th win. He is truly incredible! (5th...I mean 5th! wrote the review after the 6th though haha!)
February 5, 2024
What a great story ~ if you know the Iditarod at all, this is a great way to connect to it even more. If you don’t know anything, you will certainly learn about it!
I love his tenacity and drive. I thought maybe he was a bit cocky and that’s not true from the read of it. He cares for his dogs above all else and has the passion and respect for the race.
I love that he shared when he was around for the trickery of Lance Mackey to Jeff King from years back.
It is an easy read too which is nice!
I love his tenacity and drive. I thought maybe he was a bit cocky and that’s not true from the read of it. He cares for his dogs above all else and has the passion and respect for the race.
I love that he shared when he was around for the trickery of Lance Mackey to Jeff King from years back.
It is an easy read too which is nice!
May 2, 2014
I quite enjoyed this. Of course, I like the books by and about mushers. I track the Iditarod online every year.
Dallas is the son of Mitch Seavey who has won the Iditarod a couple of times. Dallas has entered before with his Dad's puppy teams to give them their first experience of the race. Dallas wants to race on his own, but he needs sponsorship and happens to find it when a couple on a cruise take an excursion to the sled dog rides that his father's kennel runs for tourists. They decide to sponsor Dallas and discuss strategies and plans with him to figure out a plan for winning. The story follows Dallas' efforts for several years to win - the efforts to build his team (made up of a lot of dogs that his father had rejected for his own team) - the preliminary races - the training....all of it is quite interesting. Dallas of course, wins finally.
He also won again this year, 2014.
An interesting additional look into preparation and the effort and desire that goes into this race.
Dallas is the son of Mitch Seavey who has won the Iditarod a couple of times. Dallas has entered before with his Dad's puppy teams to give them their first experience of the race. Dallas wants to race on his own, but he needs sponsorship and happens to find it when a couple on a cruise take an excursion to the sled dog rides that his father's kennel runs for tourists. They decide to sponsor Dallas and discuss strategies and plans with him to figure out a plan for winning. The story follows Dallas' efforts for several years to win - the efforts to build his team (made up of a lot of dogs that his father had rejected for his own team) - the preliminary races - the training....all of it is quite interesting. Dallas of course, wins finally.
He also won again this year, 2014.
An interesting additional look into preparation and the effort and desire that goes into this race.
February 5, 2016
I finished this book just in time for the start of the Yukon Quest (Feb. 6) and the Iditarod (March). Dallas Seavey (28) is the youngest participant in both dog sledding competitions and is a three time Iditarod winner and a Yukon Quest champion. Although this book is not as detailed as those of his heroes, Lance Mackey and Jeff King, both of whom I have met, it describes the disciplined, loving and detailed building of a winning dog team and the extreme challenges of the races themselves. Imagine everything from wading through freezing cold water to temporary blindness in both dogs and man caused by frozen eyelashes.
August 31, 2016
I loved this story. It was fun and fast. I laughed and even shed a wee tear. Can't wait to see if Dallas becomes the first 5 time champ!!!!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews