Husky News

Nancy Johnson’s 12 sled dogs could be found curled up under blankets on beds of straw at the Grand Forks checkpoint Saturday evening, after they ran about 80 miles in the first Red River Sled Dog Derby.

Johnson, Devils Lake, was one of three who competed in the two-day, 150-mile race, which started at 9 a.m. Saturday in Halstad, Minn. The sledders and their dogs travel along the Red River, stopping at a checkpoint at Frog Point in Belmont Park, near Buxton, Minn., and again in Grand Forks. After leaving Grand Forks, the teams will head back through Frog Point and on to the finish line in Halstad. The first team is expected to arrive there at about 8 a.m. today and an awards banquet will be held at 4 p.m. in Halstad Lutheran Church. All three teams are expected to be back by 2 p.m.

Organizer Todd Lerol, Grafton, N.D., and Don Galloway, Makinen, Minn., also competed. Eight teams were registered, but some could not compete for various reasons.

The checkpoint in Grand Forks was in Lincoln Park, near the warming house. Johnson was the first to arrive, “hungry and a little tired” at about 6:30 p.m. Galloway was next, arriving about an hour later, and Lerol was expected later in the evening.

This is Johnson’s 10th year racing, and her Alaskan Huskies love it, she said. Her dogs can’t wait to get on the trail once they realize they are about to race.

“They just want to go,” she said. “It’s usually about 50 to 100 miles before they calm down and find a pace.”

All racers in the derby are required to rest for at least eight hours during the race. They can spread it out between checkpoints as they wish. Johnson took five hours in Grand Forks overnight and planned to take another three at Frog Point on the way back today.

“If I feel we need another 30 minutes or an hour, I’ll take it,” she said of resting time. “I like to have a happy dog team.”

Grand Forks residents gathered at the park Saturday to watch the racers come in. Deb Erickson, Grand Forks, was in Halstad in the morning to watch them take off and came out again to see them reach the Grand Forks checkpoint in the evening.

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen anything like this,” she said. “The dogs know when it’s race time and they get so excited.”

Nancy and Alan Molstad, Grand Forks, bundled up to stand outside in the cold, waiting to spot mushers come around the river bend.

“This is so exciting,” Nancy Molstad said, smiling. “We just came out to watch them come in.”

The dogs wear little booties on their feet and are checked periodically by veterinary staff throughout the race. Galloway’s dogs seemed ready for the treats and words of encouragement he handed out after they reached Lincoln Park and got a round of applause from the welcoming committee.

Johnson spent her night in the front of a truck in the Lincoln Park parking lot. While that may seem uncomfortable, she’s been through worse. Some races have remote checkpoints, meaning there is no warmth and comfort waiting for the sledders and their dog teams. Instead, they set up camp in the middle of the snow and ice, cook using melted snow and sleep in sleeping bags atop piles of straw. Johnson said she has camped outside in temperatures as low as 13 degrees below zero during races.

Johnson and her dogs enjoyed the first half of the derby Saturday and definitely will participate again if Lerol makes it an annual event. Johnson said the race was a blast and plans to get the word out for more people to compete next time, if there is a next time.

“Oh for sure,” Johnson said confidently of competing again. “I think it’s awesome to do this. The idea is to use what North Dakota has to offer.”

Source: Grand Forks Herald