Kearney Dog Sled Race Routes
RACE ROUTES
All of our race trails were re-mapped in January 2025. Our full course has 8.5 miles of trails. Various loops are added on depending on the class running. Here you will find our full course map with elevation calculated. Click on the links below to see the routes that each race class will take.
Greg Alexanian Memorial 2 Dog Sled Class
The Kearney Sled Dog Race Committee is excited to offer a sledding option for small kennels and recreational mushers. Teams compete with Race Marshall approved Kick Sled or a Sprint Sled. Racers of novice or competitive backgrounds are all welcome to participate. The race will be incorporated into a smaller loop off of the 4 Dog Sprint class and run for approximately 2.5 miles.
This race is divided between Open Pro, Open RNB, and Sportsman (open to racers 13-17 with parental consent). Per IFSS rules, anyone running in the Open Pro or RNB Pro race class MUST race with a sprint sled that is equipped with a break, sled bag, drag mat, and snow hook. See the IFSS race rules attached on our musher registration page for further information. There are NO kicksleds allowed in the Pro divisions.
The Sportsman class can include smaller kicksleds but they also must be equipped with a brush bow on the front of the sled, a working break, and a snow hook.
4 Dog Sprint & Ski-joring Races
Similar to the start of the 6 Dog Sprint, the 4 Dog Sprint Race and Ski-joring Race also start on our main staging area and will run through the forested area around the Kearney community. There is a loop eliminated from the trail to shorten the mileage to 4.2 miles.
6 Dog Sprint Race
The 6 Dog Sprint Race starts just outside of the Kearney Legion and after turning down Patton Road, mushers will complete an extra loop through downtown Kearney. This section of the trail has typically been where Mushers start finish the race in past courses, so the area may seem familiar to many returning racers. There is no 'loop" as in prior races - the course is continual with no head on passing. The course runs through the forest with many hills, both up and down. This is a very scenic and challenging route, so we ensure there are sufficient volunteers to maintain safety for the mushers and their teams at all crucial junctions (i.e., snowmobile trail or road crossings). (more)
8 Dog Sled Sprint Race
This challenging course will run through the 6 dog sprint racing trails and an additional 3.5 mile jaunt through the Almaguin Highlands. There will be twists and turns, and ups and downs. There is also some sections of head on passing which will be heavily monitored.
I-Kid-Arod
Always fun for those who participate, both for the kids and the mutts. This fun race always gets great response from the crowd as they cheer on the participants to try their best and cross the finish line. It is always a crowd pleaser and a great time for a photo-op!