New or New-ish Musher? This post is for you!
We have lots of novice mushers entering our race every year. We encourage and welcome all teams who want to dip their paws into competitive snow to come on out to Kearney. To help you be successful we’ve compiled some information to help you out!
Our 2 Dog Sled class is divided between Open and RNB (Registered Northern Breed) pro racing and Sportsman class for novice and junior mushers. The Sportsman Class is for anyone who wants to try out “racing” with a less-competitive vibe. Junior Mushers between the ages of 14-18 may register with parental approval. Mushers under 14 are subject to additional specific approval by our Race Marshal but may be permitted. Please contact the race committee when entering a junior musher so that we ensure we get your young person approved to run.
Open Pro or RNB Pro category requires a proper racing sled. The sled must have a brake, snow hook, drag mat, dog bag, brush bow. There are no Kicksleds allowed in Pro.
In the Sportsman class, you CAN use a Kicksled but it must have a brush bow on the front, a break, and snow hook for safety. The break must be a claw style break and not a drag mat. While we leave it at musher’s discretion on what equipment to run with, we at KDSR recommend you purchasing a standard racing sled either wooden or modern as they provide much greater stability. They are safer for use on race courses with lots of hills and turns such as ours.
Example of a 2-dog sled racing team
Example of an approved modified kicksled
We also host the most popular race class of all – the I-Kid-Arod! Always fun for those who participate; both for the kids and the mutts. This fun race always gets great responses from the crowd as they cheer on the participants to try their best and cross the finish line.
Kiddos between the ages of 5 – 12 can enter in this race. They will run with their dogs for approximately 100 meters down the starting line in a mad dash to be the fastest team. There will be amply support surrounding the course and plenty of opportunities for photo-ops. We encourage all kiddos with a dog, a harness, a sled, and a really fast adult to catch them at the end to enter!
For safety and security of your I-Kid-Aroder, your dog, and your lung capacity (chasing a small kid pulled by a big dog can be a problem) we stipulate that all kiddos must be able to use their sled break effectively. We do not expect them to be able to dead-stop a dog, but we DO expect they can safely and confidently press down on their break to slow down their dog at the end of their run. We will be checking all kiddos at the starting line to make sure they can safely participate.
For information on the race schedule, where to park, where to stay, and how the rest of the race works please review the information available throughout our website. If you still have questions that’s no problem! Email us at info@kearneydogsledraces.ca