It was Day 1 of the Annamaet Limited North American Championship in Fairbanks. What a perfect day to hang out at the Alaska Dog Mushers Association race grounds. Even before we got out of our car we could hear the excitement. These dogs love to run and they were definitely letting everyone know they were ready. Unlike our sled dog friends from Cotter’s, these have relatively short hair. They are trained for a sprint rather than long distances. If they were really furry they would overheat. The first race was the Skijor Class. I had heard of this before, but I’d never seen it. Basically, a skier is attached to two dogs and they race around a 4.8-mile (7.2 km) loop. The winner finished in just over 15 minutes, so they are really flying. Once they cross the finish line they have to really snow plow with their skis to get the dogs stopped. The other races were four, six, and eight-dog teams. It was fascinating to watch the dogs run, but it was equally fascinating to watch the dogs at the starting line. Some racers give each dog a little bit of love before they take off, some keep their dogs really calm, some have dogs that start off yipping and howling. But you can tell that all the dogs really, really want to run! Before they say go 5,4,3,2,1–GO the dogs start pushing against their harnesses. They have people to hold dogs and people to hold the sled so it doesn’t pull away too soon. We heard an announcement that they were short of sled holders for the eight-dog race and no experience was necessary. Well, Ray doesn’t know a lot about dog sledding, but that didn’t stop him. He ran up and volunteered. After a quick bit of training, he was ready. He said it was exciting to be right out on the track with the dogs and feel how strong they were pulling the sled. He had to make sure he let go as soon as he heard GO! Do you think you would like to be a sled holder? Can you see Ray kneeling down in the picture? It was an exciting day. Staying warm. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom.
3 Comments
NPWE KB
3/20/2023 09:55:07 am
We loved watching the puppies work together in the races.
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Diane
3/21/2023 04:31:00 pm
I know some of the prizes were hand designed soup bowls and art…I saw it on Facebook. I’ll send a picture to Mrs. B
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Ray
3/21/2023 03:40:57 pm
We did not stay around for the award ceremony so not sure if they recieved a medal, banner or a trophy. I think they get a banner since Bill Cotter had a banner on his wall from winning the Yukon Quest. They also get some cash for winning.
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