By Lisa Schick

Musher taking the pups out for a run

Feb 21, 2011 | 7:20 AM

This may be his ninth time running the Canadian Challenge, but this is the first time musher Stefan DeMarie is using the race as a qualifier for the Yukon Challenge.

DeMarie said he’s experienced in this race so he’s not feeling any nerves about the start.

“I’m pretty relaxed, I think it’s about my ninth running now. It will be my first time that I go the northern loop over Grandmother’s (Bay) and Stanley Mission, so part of the trail will be new for me but I’m really looking forward to going on the trail and meeting a bunch of old fellow mushers, so we should have lots of fun.”

To qualify for the 1,000 mile, or 1,609 kilometre, Yukon Quest, DeMarie has to prove he can finish a 300 mile, or 483 km race without help from handlers.

So in using the 500 km Canadian Challenge as a qualifier for the Quest DeMarie must finish, and also must run it without help.

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This will be the first time DeMarie is running the Challenge without help. He said it takes more time and energy to not be assisted by a handler at the checkpoints and is much more physically demanding for mushers.

“We have to take care of our own dogs in check points or on the way in general. We have to probably cook our own meals… all the dog food and snacks and everything we have to take care (of) ourselves,” said DeMarie.

DeMarie said running a 1,000 mile race is a big goal – a lot of mushers have and he chose to try for the Yukon Quest over the Iditarod because he feels it is more physically challenging.

The sled dog team DeMarie will be running for the Challenge this year is very young.

This can be detrimental for the team because new dogs aren’t necessarily in tune with the musher, aren’t what they call trail hardened, and aren’t in the right mental state for racing yet.

DeMarie is one of the owners of Akela’s Den Racing Kennel and has raised the dogs on his team there over the last couple of years.

He said he likes to see what a young team can do and likes the undertaking of bringing a team up from scratch.

“It’s a challenge to get a bunch of dogs together and make a team out of it,” said DeMarie.

Because a younger team can be slower due to the dogs’ inexperience DeMarie isn’t planning on being competitive in the Challenge, but he said the dogs have surpassed his expectations in the past.

“Two weeks ago they surprised me when I was racing in B.C. I wasn’t planning to be in the top and just took it easy but somehow I guess I ended up in second place so you never know, people might have to watch for me,” said DeMarie.

DeMarie is originally from Belgium and immigrated to Canada in 1993.

He has been dog sledding for ten years, and the last time he competed in the Canadian Challenge DeMarie finished first.

The Canadian Challenge 12-dog race is a 500 km trail that begins in downtown Prince Albert on Feb. 22, runs up to La Ronge and then loops around Grandmother’s Bay and Stanley Mission back to the finish line in La Ronge.

lschick@panow.com