Husky News

Lander racer takes early lead, Pinedale stage shortened to 18 miles.

While sled dog racers are accustomed to battling wintry weather, Monday’s blizzard during the second leg of the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race was unlike anything race director Frank Teasley had ever had to deal with.

“This was epic,” Teasley said. “It was like being in a wind tunnel. People were standing sideways. I had to make a decision in about three minutes.”

To protect the safety of the racers as visibility dropped to near zero and 60 mph winds battered the course, Teasley elected to shorten the leg scheduled to run from the Green River Lakes parking area north of Cora to Pinedale from 33 to 18 miles. It marked the first time in the race’s 11-year history that mushers and their teams had to be halted due to weather conditions.

“It wasn’t because it was too tough for the mushers to get through, it was purely based on safety,” Teasley said, noting that there were several road crossings teams had to negotiate as they approached Pinedale. “I couldn’t even see to mark the trail to get to town.”

Lander musher and 2007 Stage Stop champion Wendy Davis won the first two timed legs of the race, a 76-mile out-and-back leg in Lander that included heavy snow and strong winds, and the weather-shortened Pinedale leg.

Friday night’s ceremonial opening leg from the Jackson Town Square to Snow King does not count toward overall times but is used to determine the race order for the Lander stage.

Entering Tuesday’s 64-mile leg from Big Piney to Marbleton, Davis held an 18-minute lead over 2006 Stage Stop champion Melanie Shirilla of Lincoln, Mont. Alaskan musher Jacques Philip sat in third place, six minutes behind Shirilla. Jackson musher Stacey Teasley was in 11th place while Dustin Schmidt, running Teasley’s puppy team, was 13th. After the withdrawal of Grant Beck and Mary Gilbertson, 16 teams remain in the race.

Speaking by phone after Monday’s leg, Schmidt said his team of puppies is performing well but the weather conditions outside Pinedale were like nothing he’s experienced before.

“It was blowing so hard I couldn’t even see the dogs,” said Schmidt, who’s competing in his first multiday dogsled race. “What’s great is that I feel better about the team now than I did before the race.”

With his team of puppies from Teasley’s kennel all under the age of 2, Schmidt’s job is to provide his dogs with a positive introduction to racing, and he’s not concerned with keeping pace with the leaders.

“I’m running a race, but it’s more about showing the dogs a good time,” Schmidt said. “I’m showing them what a race is and that it’s fun. At the age they’re at right now it’s like dealing with kids. You can’t expect a high-school basketball player to perform the way a professional basketball player would.”

Only two days into the event, Schmidt said he’s already experienced a heartwarming bonding experience between musher and team during the Lander leg. Though Schmidt’s team appeared to be fading midway through the longest run any of the dogs had ever attempted, the team hit its stride late in the leg and finished strong.

“It was kind of like they were experiencing a runner’s high,” Schmidt said. “I was totally floored by that.”

With more than 150 miles of racing still to go, there’s still plenty of time for a shake-up in the overall standings. Fresh snowfall may keep course conditions soft through Saturday’s finish in Park City, Utah.

For daily updates on the race, visit www.wyomingstagestop.com.

Source: Jackson Hole News