Keith and Erin Aili
The beautiful northwoods of Minnesota is where both Erin and Keith began their mushing carreers. The tranquility of those woods, together with the active mushing communities they grew up in, have helped to mold them into the successful mushers they are today.
Family is very important to both Erin and Keith and they have found that blending family life with kennel life is part of their strategy. The youngest members of Miles Ahead Racing Kennel are Eve and TJ. They are fourth generation mushers with mushing dreams of their own!
Erin and Keith call Ray, MN, on the edge of the majestic Voyageurs National Park, home. Ray, is located in the far north of Minnesota; a perfect place to raise a family and build a successful racing kennel at the same time.
They share a love of spending time with their sled dogs and are committed to nurturing the dogs passion for running. With commitment and passion comes success.
The Dogs
The Alaskan Huskies at Miles Ahead Racing Kennel are the real stars. The Alaskan Husky is not an actual breed of dog, but rather a type of dog that has been bred for qualities that are important to their musher.
Mushers look for canine athletes with good appetites. Racing sled dogs need to consume an enormous amount of calories during the race season; often at times outside of their usual feeding schedule, to keep their energy at optimal levels . Picky eaters do not usually make good sled dogs!
The sled dogs put on many miles during the training and race season. Although booties are often worn by the sled dogs in extreme conditions, one of the qualities that the mushers look for in the sled dogs are tough feet - feet not prone to cuts and abrasions.
The Alaskan Husky is a working dog. Qualities the mushers look for are good work ethic and endurance (not unlike the human members of the team themselves!).
The most important quality perhaps is the ability to trust. Throughout life with their sled dogs mushers build trust between themselves and their dogs. The dogs listen to their musher's commands and encouragements. They trust that their musher would never ask more from them than they can successfully handle, and that what they are being asked to do, is for the success and safety of the entire team.
For the mushers at Miles Ahead Racing Kennel the connection with the dogs is key to their success. The dogs know they are loved, valued and respected. And if truth be told, the dogs return those same qualites to their mushers!
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Adventures on the miles ahead
When not caring for and working with their canine athletes, the human members of the team enjoying finding adventure in many ways. From hunting and fishing to running marathons themsleves, they are always up to something! Be sure to check in often to follow along on their adventures.
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Outreach
The team is always excited to teach others about the dogs and mushing! If you are a teacher or troop leader interested in having your group learn about sled dogs, please reach out to find out more about setting up a video or live presentation.