Husky News

FORT KENT, Maine n He’s run two Iditarods and 11 Race to the Sky Sled Dog Races and this weekend Bozeman musher Rob Greger is on the trails in northern Maine competing in the 15th Can Am Crown International 250 Sled Dog Race.

“This is the last long race in the lower 48 I’ve not done,” Greger said Friday afternoon as race veterinarians checked over his team of racing huskies. “I really came here to have a good time.”

The flagship of the weekend, the 250-mile race was one of three on Saturday in Fort Kent, a small town on the US-Canadian border. Earlier in the day mushers in 60- and 30-mile events took off down the Main Street start.

After leaving Fort Kent, Greger had a 67-mile run to the first checkpoint in Portage, Maine, where his estimated arrival time was 7 p.m. Saturday.

From Portage Greger enters the north Maine woods for a 48-mile run to the second checkpoint at Rocky Brook. Checkpoint three is 32-miles farther along and deeper into the woods at the Maibec Lumber Camp.

* Depending on trail conditions and the myriad of other variables that could effect his time, including weather and the performance of his dogs, Greger will exit the woods 55-miles later at checkpoint three in Allagash Maine, sometime late Sunday or early Monday.

There, he faces a mandatory five-hour layover before he makes his final 44-mile dash to the finish in Fort Kent, where he is estimated to arrive around 9 a.m. Monday.

In all, there are 14 hours of required layover time for the teams in the Can Am 250.

The weather Saturday quickly shaped up to be a key factor in the race where Friday’s sunny and cold conditions gave way to a clipper system early Saturday expected to produce up to 16-inches of snow over the northern Maine area with winds gusts of 35 mph before moving out Sunday.

But Greger remained unfazed as the final minutes ticked down to his start and he went over the last details of packing his sled and preparing the dogs.

“This is going to be fun,” Greger said. “The 200- to 400-mile races are my favorites.”

In a sport notable for the variety and diversity of its canine athletes, Greger’s dogs stood out among the other teams lined up at the start.

His leaders are Belgian Sheepdogs and the remainder are Alaskan Huskies and crosses between the two.

“My wife shows and breeds Belgians,” Greger said. “When it came time to breed some sled dogs it made sense to use some of the Belgians.”

Together with his wife Cara, Greger operates Anduril Kennels. With daughter Jenny they and their 40 dogs divide their time between Bozeman and Livingston.

Greger said the combination of Belgians and Alaskans produced an excellent sled dog however, “their long coats can be a bit of a pain.”

Greger started running dogs in 1988 with a borrowed sled. He competed in his first race in 1991 and has been hooked on the sport ever since.

Last year he placed 7th in the Race to the Sky and in 2006 took fifth place.

Greger said it was the Can Am’s reputation which attracted him to the race.

“I’ve heard good things about this race,” he said. “A lot of mushers say this is the place to be.”

Greger has no special strategies for his Can Am run.

“I’ll run the team like I usually do,” he said. “I’ll make sure not to start out too fast too soon (and) I’ll let the fast guys make the mistakes.”

Once his team has put some miles behind them on the trail however, things will change.

“Farther down the trail I’ll let them go as fast as they want,” Greger said. “This is going to be fun, it’s all new trails for us.”

To track Greger’s progress, visit the Can Am website at www.can-am.sjv.net

Source: Bozeman Daily Chronicle