September 2008
“Last Great Race on Earth” documentary proposal
An excited team at Pigeon have been given the opportunity to put forward a documentary proposal for a once in the lifetime event - The Iditarod. The event, often called “The Last Great Race on Earth”, is the world’s toughest dog sled race in Alaska, where 80 teams have to run to survive 1150 miles of jagged mountain ranges, frozen rivers, dense forest, desolate tundra and windswept coast. The documentary, working title “Wattie’s Great Race”, will follow a charismatic Scotsman in his epic quest to win the event.
On the outskirts of Stonehaven lives Wattie McDonald, a 44-year old oil rig worker who had a vision to have a filmed memento of his Huskies, his passion and his determined dream - to be the first Scotsman to participate and complete this challenge, In his kilt! Since they started breeding huskies 10 years ago, the lives of Wattie and his wife Wendy have been revolving around dogs and races, including having to move outside town where nobody could hear the huskie’s howling - now numbering eleven. Working offshore doesn’t make it easier for Wattie to pursue his dream; nor does the local climate - competing in Scotland means using his three-wheeled rig as he doesn’t get enough snow for sledding. Still, while visiting the Alaskan race in spring 2008, Wattie in his kilt became a mini-celebrity. He also found a mentor in the former Iditarod champion Dean Osmar who offered him his dog team to start with in 2010.
This film will follow charismatic Scotsman Wattie on his journey to raise much needed funds for the Kevin’s Day, SSPCA, and Scottish Siberian Husky Welfare charities (his target being almost 150,000 pounds), the completion of the qualification races in early 2009, and then finally go through frozen heaven and hell in 2010. It will be the first documentary ever to take such an intimate and long-term look at a participant of this incomparable competition.
