Sled Dog Races Part 1
If you were to ask the average person to name the most famous dog race, they would attempt to answer the Iditarod. When I say "attempt" to answer it's because most people don't even know the real name and how to pronounce it. It's some far off event in the middle of nowhere to them, so close enough.
The reality is that there are many types of dog sled races ranging from pure Sprint events up to the classic distance race known as the Iditarod. I hope this article will explain the key differences between the 2 major types of races.
Sprint Race: Sprint races generally cover a distance of 4 to 12 miles. These races are currently being raced by the fastest, hardest charging dogs and are commonly referred to as Limited Class racing. What does this mean? Limited Class refers to the number of dogs for a set number of miles. In general, limited classes will be laid out as something like, 4 Dog 4 mile, 6 dog 6 mile and so on. The most common set of races here in Western Canada and most of the USA would include 4, 6, and 10 dog class. An 8 dog 8 mile class is seen more commonly in Europe and Alaska although I have never raced it anywhere in Canada.
These races are designed for the fastest dogs, and are generally an open class, in this case referring to the dog type. You will see very houndy/pointer/greyhound type looking dogs at these races, not your traditional Siberian Husky. However, in many places with larger population centers there will be a distinct Purebred Sprint Class set up very similar to the Open style dogs. These purebred dogs compete against each other in a timed format.
The races are generally a 2 day affair, with one stage on Saturday and the other Sunday. The lowest total elapsed time will be the winner of the race. This means you could have a mediocre day 1 and make up many spots with an incredible run on day 2 of the event.
Even within the Sprint category there are sub divisions. These dogs are running at 100% maximum effort, meaning a 4 mile dog should be able to run as hard as physically possible for 4 miles and then be finished the event. If you tried to take that 4 mile dog the extra 6 miles up to 10 miles it will not pace itself properly and end up being tired very quickly. Essentially not all Sprint dogs are the same, they are trained over long periods to run at a certain pace. It is up to the owner to discover what type of dog the may have....a 4 mile super limited dog or a 10 mile dog.
Usain Bolt is an incredible 100/200m sprinter but he wouldn't do so well in an 800 m sprint, same principle with Sprint Dogs. It's all about pacing and keeping something left in the tank to finish the race at full stride.
Distance Race: This refers to races in the very long distance range(1000 miles) such as the Iditarod or Yukon Quest and even encompasses shorter 2 day stage events of say approximately 40 miles per day. These races are mostly solo unsupported events where the driver takes care and does all their own dog care and race chores. A Sprint race allows for your handlers/family members/ friends to help you with everything except the actual racing. Some of the shorter distance events are supported meaning after your race, anyone can help you. These are usually ran in conjunction with the shorter Limited Sprint races as part of a town's Winter Carnival.
The true long distance events pits the driver and dogs against the elements and terrain. Races consist of a preset defined course broken up into stages by a checkpoint. This could be a town, a cabin, or even a road crossing. The mushers generally are alone travelling with their dogs at a much slower pace. Teams will sleep out on the trail over night either by choice or necessity. The race is ran according to the drivers strategy, they can stay in the checkpoint which may or may not have amenities or they can be mysterious and sleep on the trail. It really is fascinating to follow along and try to figure out what is going on.
There are shorter distance races in the 200-400 mile race that follow the same general format of the bigger more well known races. Many drivers use these races as training for the longer events and they are vital to their training program.
Both styles of races are fascinating to watch, if you can find coverage that is. Dogs and equipment vary greatly between the two types as well.
Next time I will go into Stage Racing and something called Open Class(or Umlimited) racing. These 2 types of racing provide probably the best access for fans and spectators who are crucial to this sport.
Hope you follow along and catch Part 2 very soon.
Sprint Race: Sprint races generally cover a distance of 4 to 12 miles. These races are currently being raced by the fastest, hardest charging dogs and are commonly referred to as Limited Class racing. What does this mean? Limited Class refers to the number of dogs for a set number of miles. In general, limited classes will be laid out as something like, 4 Dog 4 mile, 6 dog 6 mile and so on. The most common set of races here in Western Canada and most of the USA would include 4, 6, and 10 dog class. An 8 dog 8 mile class is seen more commonly in Europe and Alaska although I have never raced it anywhere in Canada.
These races are designed for the fastest dogs, and are generally an open class, in this case referring to the dog type. You will see very houndy/pointer/greyhound type looking dogs at these races, not your traditional Siberian Husky. However, in many places with larger population centers there will be a distinct Purebred Sprint Class set up very similar to the Open style dogs. These purebred dogs compete against each other in a timed format.
The races are generally a 2 day affair, with one stage on Saturday and the other Sunday. The lowest total elapsed time will be the winner of the race. This means you could have a mediocre day 1 and make up many spots with an incredible run on day 2 of the event.
Even within the Sprint category there are sub divisions. These dogs are running at 100% maximum effort, meaning a 4 mile dog should be able to run as hard as physically possible for 4 miles and then be finished the event. If you tried to take that 4 mile dog the extra 6 miles up to 10 miles it will not pace itself properly and end up being tired very quickly. Essentially not all Sprint dogs are the same, they are trained over long periods to run at a certain pace. It is up to the owner to discover what type of dog the may have....a 4 mile super limited dog or a 10 mile dog.
Usain Bolt is an incredible 100/200m sprinter but he wouldn't do so well in an 800 m sprint, same principle with Sprint Dogs. It's all about pacing and keeping something left in the tank to finish the race at full stride.
Distance Race: This refers to races in the very long distance range(1000 miles) such as the Iditarod or Yukon Quest and even encompasses shorter 2 day stage events of say approximately 40 miles per day. These races are mostly solo unsupported events where the driver takes care and does all their own dog care and race chores. A Sprint race allows for your handlers/family members/ friends to help you with everything except the actual racing. Some of the shorter distance events are supported meaning after your race, anyone can help you. These are usually ran in conjunction with the shorter Limited Sprint races as part of a town's Winter Carnival.
The true long distance events pits the driver and dogs against the elements and terrain. Races consist of a preset defined course broken up into stages by a checkpoint. This could be a town, a cabin, or even a road crossing. The mushers generally are alone travelling with their dogs at a much slower pace. Teams will sleep out on the trail over night either by choice or necessity. The race is ran according to the drivers strategy, they can stay in the checkpoint which may or may not have amenities or they can be mysterious and sleep on the trail. It really is fascinating to follow along and try to figure out what is going on.
There are shorter distance races in the 200-400 mile race that follow the same general format of the bigger more well known races. Many drivers use these races as training for the longer events and they are vital to their training program.
Both styles of races are fascinating to watch, if you can find coverage that is. Dogs and equipment vary greatly between the two types as well.
Next time I will go into Stage Racing and something called Open Class(or Umlimited) racing. These 2 types of racing provide probably the best access for fans and spectators who are crucial to this sport.
Hope you follow along and catch Part 2 very soon.
Comments
Post a Comment