Elmendorf doctor to lead pack in Iditarod

  • Published
  • By Capt. Amy Hansen
  • 3rd Wing Public Affairs
ELMENDORF AIR FORCE BASE, Alaska --  Imagine working all day as chief of surgery at the base hospital, and then caring for and running 20 sled dogs before returning home at 3 a.m. to your wife and 5-month-old baby and catching whatever sleep you can.

It is all in a day's work for Maj. (Dr.) Thomas Knolmayer, of the 3rd Medical Group hospital here, who will compete in the 1,131-mile-long Iditarod dog sled race starting March 5.

Dr. Knolmayer will be the only active-duty servicemember to start the race this year in a field of 79 competitors, and is one of 28 rookies, according to the Iditarod Web site.

Getting to the finish line of the "Last Great Race" might be a challenge for Dr. Knolmayer, but he has already overcome many obstacles to earn a spot on the starting line.

Last year, a deployment took priority over a full season of training and competition for the dogs, although the team finished the Knik 200, which counted as one of two qualifying races for the 2005 Iditarod.

This year, icy conditions and lack of snow made training difficult.

"Training has been rough because of the weather -- much worse than any other year I can imagine," Dr. Knolmayer said.

He and his dogs compensated for the lack of snow in the Anchorage area by driving several hours to train on the weekends. And for much of the winter, Dr. Knolmayer had to harness the team to an all-terrain vehicle instead of a sled for training.

Besides the less-than-ideal training weather, eight of Dr. Knolmayer's 20 dogs were injured at some point this winter.

"It was more injuries than I expected, and some of it might have been because of our training in the mountains -- dogs aren't designed to run downhill. They've all improved, but a week and a half ago Tomahawk was injured. He's my best and toughest leader, but I don't think he's going to make the race," Dr. Knolmayer said.

Although there are six other lead dogs that will run the Iditarod with his 16-dog team, none are as tough and experienced as Tomahawk, he said.

Tomahawk proved his worth before his recent injury when he led the team to a 12th place finish in the Copper Basin 300 in January.

The Copper Basin finish fulfilled the two-race requirement for entry into the Iditarod, but it was not "a mush in the park" for Dr. Knolmayer's team.

"The Copper Basin 300 is known as the toughest mid-distance race in the world," he said. "Much of the trail was pure ice. You couldn't turn or use your brake. At one point there was chest-deep fresh snow, the temperature was 35 degrees below zero, and we had to walk the dogs through a river crossing. It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life."

"What Tom didn't mention was that he broke his rib the day before the race started and that he got frostbite on two of his toes," said his wife, Tina. "But he still finished."

Dr. Knolmayer said his experience with the Copper Basin 300 and his practice shuffling a very demanding schedule during a difficult training season can only help him endure the challenges of the Iditarod.

Dr. Knolmayer supervises six surgeons, two nurses and four staff members.

“He deals with all of the problems, authorizes leave and makes the on-call and duty schedules," said Capt. (Dr.) Paula Anderson, 3rd Medical Operations Squadron surgeon. "He's constantly multitasking to get everything done."

At home, Dr. Knolmayer also has demands on his time, mostly in the form of his 5-month-old son, Zane.

"My wife understands at this point that we don't get much family time," Dr. Knolmayer said. "She packs up the baby and comes out to the kennels."

"Not having him around and watching him push himself so hard has been the biggest challenge for me," Mrs. Knolmayer said. "He's been getting five hours of sleep or less a night. But I am so proud of him."

"He's the most driven person I've ever met," she said. "He had knee surgery and was in a leg brace and could barely walk for months, yet he was still training his team."

When asked why he has stuck with his plans to compete in the Iditarod despite the immense amount of time, energy and money it consumes, Dr. Knolmayer's answer was simple. "It's an adventure; it's a challenge. You can't just sit around and watch TV; you've got to do something. The dogs are a blast, too," he said.

His friends and co-workers have no doubt Dr. Knolmayer will get to the finish line, which he says is his goal.

"We first and foremost hope that he's very safe and has a wonderful experience, and of course we hope that he's able to finish," said Col. Kerry Dexter, 3rd MDG deputy commander. "That would be quite an accomplishment for a rookie musher."

"It takes a certain type of person to finish, and I think he's that kind of person," Mrs. Knolmayer said. "He has incredible drive, motivation and compassion for the dogs. He can handle anything -- no sleep, hunger, aches and pains -- but he'll take great care of his dogs, and they'll take him to (the finish line)."