Mushers come from across Canada and other countries to compete in the Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

sled dogs

Canadian Challenge begins in Elk Ridge with mushers on their way to La Ronge

Feb 22, 2022 | 5:00 PM

One hundred dogs and 10 mushers left Elk Ridge on Tuesday at noon and will be arriving in La Ronge tomorrow.

It’s all part of the 25^th annual Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race, which occurs this week at locations across northern Saskatchewan. The 10-dog, 200-mile main event began in Elk Ridge and mushers are currently making their way to Weyakwin and should start to arrive by 5 p.m.

The dogs will arrive in La Ronge on Wednesday starting at about 4 a.m. for a mandatory eight-hour break and veterinarian check before heading to Missinipe. They will then return to La Ronge to finish the race.

“We’re just happy to be here and happy to be welcomed into the La Ronge area,” Canadian Challenge secretary Tanja Tabel said. “We are looking forward to how the race plays out.”

The eight-dog, 100-mile race will start at 1 p.m. Thursday in La Ronge’s Patterson Park and the public is invited to watch mushers prepare their dogs and being the race. That runs from Missinipe and back to La Ronge. The six-dog race will start at noon on Friday in Missinipe and end in La Ronge as well.

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Mushers in any of the three races should be back in La Ronge some time on Friday.

“We had to make a trail route change,” Tabel said about the 10-dog race. “Once they get to Weyakwin, they usual continue along the northern part of Montreal Lake. This year, there was a lot of slush on the lake. We are actually having them box their dogs on their trailers and trucks and drive them to the next checkpoint. That’s going to change the way it plays out a little bit.”

As of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Katherine Langlais of New Brunswick is in first place, followed by Ontario’s Jesse Terry in second. Saskatchewanian and Canadian Challenge chairperson Anna Bolvin is in third, while La Ronge’s Ragnar Robinson, who is competing for the first time, is in last place.

Environment Canada is forecasting freezing temperatures the next two days and there is currently an extreme cold warning in effect for La Ronge. Tuesday is expected to reach a high of -19 C and a low of -36 C. Wednesday will be -19 C during the day and -28 C at night, while Thursday will be -17 C during the day and -23 C at night.

“The temperature is a funny thing. It doesn’t bother the dogs at all. I would say it is a bigger factor for the mushers,” Tabel said. “Everything you have to do with your hands is tougher. I would say, for the most part, it’s the time before the race actually starts where it is mostly the coldest for someone. Once they are off and running, obviously the dogs are moving so they are active and it’s not an issue for them.”

All mushers are equipped with GPS and the public can watch their progress online here.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com

Twitter: @saskjourno