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First of all, this birthday thing. Charlie Boulding goes around lying about his age. As soon as the calendar spills over into a new year, he figures he might as well roll over, too. Just round it off. What the hey. So no wonder there's confusion. Since the beginning of 2000, Boulding has been telling people he is 58. Not true. He was born on July 8, 1942, which makes him 57. Details, details. But the fact is, if Boulding wins the 28th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, it will matter. Because that would make him the oldest musher ever to do so. If you're going to be setting records, you might as well get the numbers straight. You've got to love Boulding. He is a 21st-century musher in a 19th-century body. Not to suggest that it's an ancient and decrepit body, but simply that he looks as if he belongs in that other century. Boulding is everyone's stereotype of an Alaska bush man. If you had to send a photograph of one guy to New York City for posting in Times Square and say, "Here is an Alaska trapper," you would choose a portrait of Boulding. He has long, flowing white-gray hair, braided in some spots, and a long, flowing white beard. In a pinch, he could play Santa Claus at the Dimond Center mall. Of course, he'd rather hang out in North Pole - and leave the elves behind, please - because he can do without the encroachment of too much civilization. Boulding grew up in North Carolina, but he migrated to Alaska and eventually to Manley Hot Springs years ago. He's got wife Robin and a bunch of dogs for company, but despite his frequent winter forays out of the woods onto the mushing circuit, he is much more comfortable far-removed from the masses. It would be intriguing to see how he adjusted to nationwide notoriety and celebrity if he won the Iditarod. He'd probably just dig it and ride with the flow. Winning is a very realistic possibility. Boulding finished third in the 1998 Iditarod and was fifth last year. He's getting closer. And it's not as if Boulding is a stranger to victories in 1,000-mile races. He won the Yukon Quest in 1991 and 1993. "I was pleasantly surprised last year," Boulding said recently. Indeed, when the 1999 Iditarod began, Boulding was blunt about his chances to do well. Forget about him, he said. Several of the main dogs in his "A" team had a rough trip in the Kuskokwim 300, and they were left home. So Boulding was starting the 1,100-mile run between Anchorage and Nome fueled by a group of untested huskies. "I had no choice but to go with what I had left," Boulding said. The substitute doggies turned out to be better than expected. Or was Boulding just being coy about the whole situation to lull competitors and race observers? He insists not, said he really didn't think the dogs could do what they did. Those dogs brought Boulding to Nome in 10 days, 9 hours, 19 minutes. Eleven dogs made it all the way. And Boulding earned a $34,320 payday. This means Boulding's team should be better than ever. The dogs which trotted to Nome? Rarin' to go. The top-notch dogs which needed recovery after the Kusko? Healed up and rarin' to go. "This year I'm supposed to collect on that," said Boulding. This year it seems he has - so far. Boulding won the Klondike 300 and the Kusko 300. While it is never wise to read too much into results of the mid-distance events, those are definitely heartening performances. Boulding fools you. He looks like an old geezer. Heck, he is an old geezer. He seems like an old-fashioned musher, using some materials which aren't state-of-the-art, but his dogs are state-of-the-art. You look at the operation, and you figure he can't possibly keep up with all those flashy guys with sponsor stickers splashed all over their gear. But then he does. Some Iditarod fans are probably just itching to see the plain-spoken, plainly dressed Boulding whip the young whippersnappers. And compared to Boulding, just about all the contenders, even the ones with longevity, are pups. Last year, Doug Swingley of Montana became the oldest victor in the Iditarod. He was 45 years and 10 months old. Five-time winner Rick Swenson, three-time winner Martin Buser, three-time winner Jeff King and Paul Gebhardt, sixth last year, are all in their 40s. Last year's third-place finisher, Vern Halter, is 51. Boulding, even if he is merely 57, has them beat by years. So if he wins, Boulding will be nearly 12 full years older than Swingley was in 1999 when he set the age record. "Charlie will shatter the record," said Robin Boulding, laughing. And chortle all the way back to the woods in Manley Hot Springs. * This column is the opinion of Daily News sports editor Lew Freedman. He can be reached at lfreedman@adn.com
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