Stressing the importance of pacing oneself over the course of the 1,000-mile dog sledding race, veteran Iditarod musher Paul Gebhardt told reporters Thursday that he always makes sure to limit himself to eating just one husky per day. The Iditarod is a long, strenuous race, and youre going to find yourself in serious trouble if you eat up all your sled dogs too early, said Gebhardt, noting that he has long restricted himself to butchering, skinning, and devouring only a single husky at the end of a long day on the trail, making sure to always finish the entire dog before slaughtering a new one. A lot of the younger guys dont know how to ration their dogs; theyre wolfing down three or four a day at the get-go, and then they get themselves into a situation where theyve got nothing left to eat down the stretch. I always tell them: Slow down, or youre going to be kicking yourself when youre still 80 miles from the finish line and youre gnawing on your last hind leg. You need to stay disciplined. Gebhardt added that following the Iditarod, theres nothing more rewarding than getting home and immediately slaughtering and feasting on his remaining dogs. 