Canadian Challenge moves from P.A. to Spruce Home
After a one year hiatus, mushers participating in the Canadian Challenge are eager to release their dogs on the race trail, albeit with some minor changes to the route.
President of Canada’s premier mushing event, Gill Gracie, said the board of directors decided to change the location of the start line.
“The city can’t find enough snow to put down on Central Avenue for us to start there, or to make the river banks safe for sled travel. So, we have agreed to move it north,” Gracie said.
The new start location is roughly 20 km north of Prince Albert on Highway 2 near the Spruce Home Activity Centre. The Canadian Challenge is a qualifying event for the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest but Gracie said the change in location won’t affect that.