By Teena Monteleone

Canadian Challenge moves from P.A. to Spruce Home

Feb 9, 2017 | 11:00 AM

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.

“The trail is long enough to get in the 600 km mushers need to qualify,” she said.

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The Canadian Challenge follows a route similar to that of the old dog trail used for years by trappers, the North West Mounted Police and the First Nation community. Teams will travel from Prince Albert, up to Grandmothers Bay and back down to La Ronge over the course of roughly four days. In past years, the premier 12-dog race has attracted teams from across Canada, the United States, Australia, Germany, and Belgium. There is also an 8-dog race that runs between Prince Albert and La Ronge. Weeks are spent preparing the trails for the event.

Gracie said, “We could always use more snow…but the trail has been laid all the way down and its actually looking good.”

Organizers had to cancel the event last year due to poor conditions. Currently, 19 teams are registered for the sled dog race. Long-time competitor, and three-time Canadian Challenge winner Rick Wannamaker of Didsbury, Alta., had to withdraw from the competition due to injury.

Teams will leave at two minute intervals starting at noon on Feb. 21. Mushers will carry GPS tracking devices so fans can watch the race in real time. 

teena.monteleone@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @TeenaMonteleone