Racing
As well as doing
tours, which introduces others to the wonder of a hardworking
husky, Kingmik fields a team of race dogs that spend
some of the winter on the road, testing their metal
against other teams across North America. The race dogs
are the dogs that not only have the most athletic ability,
but the dogs that also exhibit the most “attitude”
. Attitude is everything and we often see dogs go far
just on pure heart and a competitive edge. They know
when they are racing, and while they may just go through
the paces during training, they pour it on at the races.
Kingmik now focuses on stage and distance racing
Stage racing is a similar venue to the Tour de France bike race. Each leg may be anywhere from 35 miles to 75 miles, but once done for the day, the dogs and musher get a good night’s sleep. Usually these races have a pool of dogs on the team, but the driver is restricted to running only a percentage of them in each stage. This adds a lot of strategy to each day, and we must know our dogs intimately to put together a competitive team.
Distance racing is a race run around the clock, with a schedule of run and rest in roughly equal doses. Many teams run at night as it is cooler and less distracting for the dogs. However, the rest portion of the race is mostly for the dogs. The musher is up tending to the dogs. Preparing and feeding their ultra high calorie meal. Treating feet and massaging sore muscles. Repairing sleds and sorting through gear. The list goes on.
Megan has changed her focus to distance racing and will be completing qualifier races this year, with her sights set on the Yukon Quest in 2011. The Yukon Quest is the toughest, coldest, and darkest 1000 mile race in the world. What better way to celebrate a 50th birthday?
Aaron will be returning to the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sleddog Race to run his team of youngsters against the other world class teams.
Jason will be taking a team to the famous Pas, a 3 day sprint race that was established in 1915 in northern Manitoba. The competition in this race is fierce, but we have confidence that the Kingmik dogs will relish in the challenge.
We will also be taking several teams to the Wilderness Classic in Elkford BC. A two day, 80 mile race. Great fun!
Race related links
