Yukon sled dog race planned in place of cancelled Yukon Quest
The new race will focus on dog rest and the social side of sled dog racing, organizer says.
With the cancellation of this year’s Yukon Quest international sled dog race, some Yukoners are taking the opportunity to stage an alternate race from Dawson City, Yukon to Whitehorse.
But one of the organizers says it will be a much different event.
“I think the big thing is people want the race to be something everybody can feel good about being a part of, like mushers, volunteers, sponsors, race officials, veterinarians,” said Susie Rogan, vice-president of the Dog Powered Sports Association of Yukon.
Rogan said the race will have two parts. The first is from Dawson City to the roughly halfway point at Pelly Crossing.
The race will start in Dawson City on Feb. 21 with a mass start, she said. The second-half of the race will start 52 hours later in Pelly Crossing.
That will give the mushers plenty of time to get from Dawson to Pelly Crossing, Rogan said, with lots of rest for the dogs and time to socialize along the way for the mushers.
She said there will be no benefit to the mushers for making it to Pelly Crossing first. And they’ll be discouraged from arriving too early.
The second half of the race to Whitehorse includes a mandatory 20 hours of rest time for the dogs. The race ends on Feb. 26, Rogan said.
There is a separate event for mushers who just want to do the Dawson to Pelly Crossing leg of the race.
Rogan said the title of the race is Yukon Journey, reflecting the physical journey through the territory’s wilderness and the progressive shift to a different style of race. The public is becoming more concerned about animal welfare, as it should be, she said, and sled dog racing has to change with it.
An ‘authentic bush race’
Rogan said the cancellation of the Quest gives Yukon mushers the chance to try something different.
“How about having our own race with our own values,” she said.
“And, you know, really, it’s an authentic bush race for Yukoners, it kind of says who we are, that we want a ton of mandatory rest and we don’t want people cheating their dogs and we do want people enjoying themselves.”
Mushers must start with at least eight dogs and no more than 12. They must finish with at least six dogs.
Rogan said there will be a purse for the winner, but it won’t be big.
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: 2021 Yukon Quest to split in two: one race in Alaska, one in Yukon, CBC News
Finland: Finland joins other Nordic countries in virtual tourism due to pandemic, Yle News
Greenland: Arctic community grieves researcher’s tragic death in Greenland, Eye On The Arctic
Iceland: Iceland offers COVID-19 testing to international travellers starting June 15, Eye on the Arctic
Norway: Norwegian Arctic wilderness tourism hit particularly hard by coronavirus, The Independent Barents Observer
Russia: All Russia’s North Pole cruises rescheduled to 2021, Eye on the Arctic
Sweden: Crossing the Baltic Sea on a paddle board without sleep, Radio Sweden
United States: ‘Into the Wild’ bus likely lands a home at Fairbanks museum, The Associated Press
What is this bs? This is just like rewinding the tape on the Quest and playing it all over again. “Our own race with our own values,” “Yukon Journey,” “an authentic bush race for Yukoners,” “people enjoying themselves,”something everybody can feel good about being part of,” “time to socialize along the way,” “reflecting the physical journey” blah blah blah. Spin, spin and more spin. This was how they described the Yukon Quest in its earliest years — and look what a dog-killer the race turned into. Almost nothing said about why all this is happening. Why not be honest and say, “this is all about the lockdown and the closed borders”; then take the dogs home and run solitary teams in the hinterlands, do some winter camping with the dogs — who will doubtless enjoy that as much if not a whole lot more than high-pressure long-distance racing with zoned-out sleep-deprived mushers. Just shut it down and skip the spin-doctoring.