race results2016
Ranked UK Number 1 - Elite Class 350km Expedition - April - 42 dogs (6 teams) - 5 days Wilderness 400km Expedition - March - 36 dogs (5 teams) - 6 days Wilderness Finnmarks Race - 1000km *(200km) - Withdrew (dogs contracted stomach virus on trail) The Femund Race - 600km - Elite Class (12 dogs) - 19th/50 The Gruve Race - 160km - 10 Dog Team - 3rd/30 Mass Start 300km Expedition - Jan - 32 dogs (4 teams) - 3 days Wilderness Gausdal Marathon - 200km - Elite Class (12 dogs) - 17th/26 2015 300km Expedition - 14 dogs - 2 days ''wilderness off-trail'' Editor for The Femund Race The Gruve Race - 160km - Elite Class (14 dogs) - 11th/70 Mass Start 2014 Ranked UK Number 1 - Elite Class The Femund Race - 600km - Elite Class (12 dogs) - 25th/52 *First British Racer in History to finish Femund 600* The Gruve Race - 160km - Elite Class (14 dogs) - 7th/70 Mass Start Gausdal Marathon - 200km - Elite Class (13 dogs) - 11th Place 2013 Ranked UK Number 1 - 8 Dog Class Finnmark Race - 500km - 8 Dog Team - 32nd / 70 Competitors The Femund Race - 400km - 8 Dog Team - 67th / 100 Competitors *First British Woman in History to finish The Femund Race* Gausdal Marathon - 200km - 8 Dog Team - 11th Place 2012 Polar Dog Race - 100km - 8 Dog Team - 11th Place 2011 La Grande Odyssee - French / Swiss Alps - 10 Dog Team - 7 / 10 Stages |
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world races
LONG DISTANCE RACING
The toughest endurance sport on Earth! In a long distance race, ''the dogs are the real athletes'', is absolutely true, no matter who you are, the human will always be the weakest link in a Sled Dog team! Driving huskies for thousands of miles, across mountain ranges, in extreme weathers has always been tough, but these days, in order to compete, the humans have to be athletes too, especially in European races, where the trails go over the tops of mountains, instead of around them, they are mostly climbing, descending or side-sloping instead of flat and the snow is soft and deep instead of firm packed highways! The dogs are strong fit super athletes, but helping them out when you can reduces the load and conserves their energy - ie you go further faster!
To read more about our K9 Athletes and Sleddogs abilities please see our Dogs page. Regarding the Musher; there are 3 aspects of the sport to consider for the human athlete.
1) The real physical athletism and endurance demands of the training program and actual competitions. During a race, Mushers will run 2 marathons a day. Thats just the uphill parts. In a race like The Femund, by the time they finish the human athletes will have run 8 marathons uphill, pushing a 50kg sled, skiied, heaved and clung onto that sled down 80 ski runs with a pulling force of a family car, then 'scooted/peddled' all the inbetweens equating to cross country skiing another 8 marathons. All while wearing 15kg of Arctic clothing, in deep snow, on high exposed mountains, with -40c blizzards as standard, throughout both day and night. From start to finish, mushers will be on their feet for 22hrs/day. And thats only a 4 day race! In order for both dogs and humans to be fit enough for this, the 9 month training program is equally as arduous, enduring and demanding. There is a reason why Iditarod is considered tougher than Everest! So cancel your Gym membership and sign up for a sleddog race!
2) After all the physical demands of racing on the trail, it doesn't end there. Unlike any other sport, when at half-time, a checkpoint or timeout, the athlete can relax and be pampered with water sponges, orange segments and a sports massage, the musher has no such luxury. The musher must look after their 12 canine team mates! The musher's job does not finish when he 'walks off the pitch', it simply changes from Athlete to Physio/Vet/Cook/Outdoorsman. Before the musher can eat, drink, rest or even visit the toilet, there is 1-2 hours of jobs to do feeding, bedding down, massaging and caring for the dogs!
3) The Long Distance 'specialism' incorporates ALL the other Mushing disciplines in training: dryland sprint, caniX, small team, mid-distance, skijoring are all part of a long distance kennel's training program. In early autumn a leader training trip will involve running 5-10km with a small team of 6-10 dogs on a wheeled rig, teaching the "pick up" command and hitting speeds of 35-40kmh, requiring nerves of steel around tight bends! Some dogs require some extra one-on-one training, meaning a trip out on foot, skis or the bike, a great way to add to a mushers own physical training! In the Early winter we race at mid-distance events of 40-200km, these require a very different approach and race plan as the tempo is much faster, while pacing oneself and the dogs is not as critical. And of course then there is the endurance training, the conditioning. Racing long distance requires far more commitment than a full time job. During November and December we take the dogs out on 100-300km training trips. A week of 12 hours a day behind the sled, is followed by a few days rest before repeating. By the time the team stand on the start line at a long distance race, the dogs will have trained around 4,000-5,000km, and out of the nature that you can not always train 18-24 dogs at once, often splitting the team into two, the musher has normally clocked twice that.
To read more about our K9 Athletes and Sleddogs abilities please see our Dogs page. Regarding the Musher; there are 3 aspects of the sport to consider for the human athlete.
1) The real physical athletism and endurance demands of the training program and actual competitions. During a race, Mushers will run 2 marathons a day. Thats just the uphill parts. In a race like The Femund, by the time they finish the human athletes will have run 8 marathons uphill, pushing a 50kg sled, skiied, heaved and clung onto that sled down 80 ski runs with a pulling force of a family car, then 'scooted/peddled' all the inbetweens equating to cross country skiing another 8 marathons. All while wearing 15kg of Arctic clothing, in deep snow, on high exposed mountains, with -40c blizzards as standard, throughout both day and night. From start to finish, mushers will be on their feet for 22hrs/day. And thats only a 4 day race! In order for both dogs and humans to be fit enough for this, the 9 month training program is equally as arduous, enduring and demanding. There is a reason why Iditarod is considered tougher than Everest! So cancel your Gym membership and sign up for a sleddog race!
2) After all the physical demands of racing on the trail, it doesn't end there. Unlike any other sport, when at half-time, a checkpoint or timeout, the athlete can relax and be pampered with water sponges, orange segments and a sports massage, the musher has no such luxury. The musher must look after their 12 canine team mates! The musher's job does not finish when he 'walks off the pitch', it simply changes from Athlete to Physio/Vet/Cook/Outdoorsman. Before the musher can eat, drink, rest or even visit the toilet, there is 1-2 hours of jobs to do feeding, bedding down, massaging and caring for the dogs!
3) The Long Distance 'specialism' incorporates ALL the other Mushing disciplines in training: dryland sprint, caniX, small team, mid-distance, skijoring are all part of a long distance kennel's training program. In early autumn a leader training trip will involve running 5-10km with a small team of 6-10 dogs on a wheeled rig, teaching the "pick up" command and hitting speeds of 35-40kmh, requiring nerves of steel around tight bends! Some dogs require some extra one-on-one training, meaning a trip out on foot, skis or the bike, a great way to add to a mushers own physical training! In the Early winter we race at mid-distance events of 40-200km, these require a very different approach and race plan as the tempo is much faster, while pacing oneself and the dogs is not as critical. And of course then there is the endurance training, the conditioning. Racing long distance requires far more commitment than a full time job. During November and December we take the dogs out on 100-300km training trips. A week of 12 hours a day behind the sled, is followed by a few days rest before repeating. By the time the team stand on the start line at a long distance race, the dogs will have trained around 4,000-5,000km, and out of the nature that you can not always train 18-24 dogs at once, often splitting the team into two, the musher has normally clocked twice that.
