Husky News

Fourth-annual contest expected to draw at least 20 teams from all over

Four years ago, Ray Potter of Joseph organized the Eagle Cap Sled Dog Race (ECSDR) and pictured starting the epic contest on the town’s snow-caked Main Street.

The 2008 event could bring Potter’s dream to reality. The race is scheduled to begin the morning of Jan. 17 at Wallowa Lake State Park, a short drive from Main Street. However, since the area was powdered by snow throughout December, organizers have been talking with Kent Bromberger of the Oregon Department of Transportation about closing the highway. Should there be another snowfall shortly before the race, a lane along the east side could remain unplowed for a starting line.

“Looks like we might start on Main Street,” Potter grinned. “I always wanted it to start there. Snow looks better this year than ever. We still need some more in Joseph to make that work.”

At least 20 teams will run the course. They come from Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Utah, Colorado, British Columbia and Saskatchewan. The largest race, in 2006, featured 21 teams. The number dipped to 11 last year due to fuel costs and scheduling conflicts. But on Jan. 7, Potter boasted that 20 teams had already committed to this year’s ECSDR. Three weeks before the start, the number could climb.

The race consists of two routes. Teams with 12 dogs compete in the 200-mile trek, a qualifier for the Iditarod and Yukon Quest – a pair of 1,000-plus-mile runs which start in Alaska. Only four other races in North America are dual qualifiers. For the Iditarod, 16-dog teams travel 1,150 miles mostly over flat terrain; mushers (persons driving the sleds) told Potter his race is made challenging by the hills and valleys along the 200 miles. This year’s roster of mushers includes John Barron of Montana, who has run the Iditarod 28 times.

(The Iditarod follows the paw prints of inspirational sled dogs. In 1925, an outbreak of typhoid hit remote Nome, Alaska. The serum closest to Nome was about 1,500 miles away. in the city of Anchorage. Sled dog teams relayed the medicine.)

About 15 teams are penciled in for 200 miles at ECSDR, and at the same time, a handful of eight-dog teams will go 100 miles. As opposed to competition, the smaller route is used mainly for training and recreation. Mushers run as far as Ollokott before turning about.

The overall combined purse is $8,675.

Spectators can follow the races several ways. The start is currently scheduled at Wallowa Lake State Park, with free admission, plenty of parking and accessible viewing. Presently at the park, Frolander Enterprises is removing the trees leveled by the Nov. 12 windstorm. They hope to finish in time for the race – but if not, according to park manager Todd Honeywell, a section of the park will be fenced off and used for the starting line.

Attendance has boomed. The 2005 race drew 45 fans to Salt Creek Summit, the next year brought 400 to RY Timber, and last year over 1,200 came to Ferguson Ridge. The course also has several vantage points, including “Halfway at Halfway,” the turnaround for the 200-mile run. Whenever a team closes within five miles of the finish, the church bell on Main Street will sound so fans have time to go to the lake.

Also, the Joseph Community Center becomes “Race Central.” Open to the public, the office will offer information about individual mushers, route maps, race updates or revisions, rules, and policies. Hot drinks and refreshments will be served.

People can also follow the progress over the Internet. Clyde Raymer, having volunteered at the Iditarod several years, is fitting each ECSDR musher with a tracking device.

Though the race officially begins Jan. 17, fans are welcome to meet mushers and their teams one day earlier. Starting at 11 a.m. on Main Street in Joseph and in Enterprise, veterinarians will inspect the dogs, making sure they are healthy and fit for the long course. At 6 p.m., Joseph Community Center will host a potluck meal open to the public.

Finishes for the 200-mile race are expected Jan. 19, and afterwards, everyone is welcome to attend an award dinner and dance at Joseph Community Center at 6 p.m. Tickets are available at Race Central, Strawberry Wilderness Bed & Breakfast in Joseph, Sports Corral in Joseph and at the door. The dinner will honor the mushers, their teams and the volunteers.

Source: Wallowa County Chieftain