2008 Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race Official News Release

OFFICIAL NEWS RELEASE

The La Ronge Neckbone Race ran on January 19 and 20. The race used much of the new Canadian Challenge trail. Reports from the racers have helped us to fine tune areas of the trail that required any improvements. With current snow conditions and the new trail, we are looking forward to having the best trail the Challenge has had for a long time.

The 2008 Neckbone dog race started on a crisp -35° Saturday morning in Stanley Mission, with the sun rising to a clear day and fog from open water on the Churchill River partially obscuring the view of the famous church. In spite of the cold, the weather was clear and the scenery spectacular.

After a great breakfast supplied and cooked by the community, the dog trucks move dup the hill to the band office, which would be the start line for the race. This as the first time the race had run a true northern trail, as the Neckbone mushers volunteered themselves to test out the new Canadian Challenge trail!

The eight teams got harnessed up, and the first day of the race started shortly after 10 am. Detlef Onderka was the first off the start line, with Stefaan de Marie last off the mark. The first stretch on icy streets made them glad there was no reason to stop, because they probably couldn’t have! They soon disappeared into the bush for the trip to Russell Bay on Lac la Ronge. From there it was westward, weaving around the islands to Sucker River, then south to the day’s finish line at La Ronge.

Gerry Walker of Pierceland was the first to the finish, but Stefaan de Marie actually had a faster time for the day at four hours sixteen minutes and 59 seconds! They were followed by Bart de Marie, Sid Robinson, Dave Smallwood, Detlef Onderka (whose dogs just wanted to keep on going and would not point their noses towards the finish line), and Blake Charles. Blake’s daughter Nicole Charles, who is in training for the Junior Challenge, was not far behind her dad, completing the first day course in a commendable 6 hours 38 minutes and 39 seconds. Way to go Nicole!

Day 2 saw the teams harness up at the Creighton turnoff, about 30 km south of La Ronge, and run to Weyakwin. Again, the Neckboners ran the newly developed Challenge trail, and had many useful suggestions for local improvements before the big race. There was bush travel, lake travel and more bush travel, with the fastest time for this leg again being Stefaan de Marie at 4 hours 49 minutes and 10 seconds. This gave him the overall win at a total of 9 hours six minute and nine seconds.

Everyone had a good time. Overall, the Neckboners were very impressed with the new trail, and suggested many minor improvements which we can complete before the Challenge.

Standings: (check La Ronge Neckbone)
1. Stefaan de Marie 9:06:09
2. Gerry Walker 9:18:30
3. Bart de Marie 9:55:15
4. Sid Robinson 11:48:03
5. Dave Smallwood 12:01:50
6. Detlef Onderka 12:30:15
7. Blake Charles 13:02:20
8. Nicole Charles 13:37:09

Only five weeks to race time, and the push is on to get the trails in shape for the new route. Volunteer crews are out clearing deadfall, cutting brush, and packing muskegs so they freeze solid and make a good base.

As of Jan 5, 14 mushers had registered - six in the 12-dog race, seven in the 8-dog race and one junior musher. Many more are expected to follow shortly.

This year’s race is the first to run north of La Ronge, and contains the greatest wilderness mileage yet. While a little shorter than the previous route from Prince Albert to La Ronge and back, it will certainly be a challenge for mushers, dogs and organizers! The added wilderness trail makes the Canadian Challenge a truly worthy qualifier for the famous Iditarod and Yukon Quest races.

The three-part race starts in Prince Albert Feb 13 with the traditional colourful noon start on Central Avenue. The 12-dog teams will start first, at two-minute intervals. They will be followed by the eight-dog teams and finally the juniors.

Again this year, organizers are thrilled to have Saskatchewan’s Lieutenant Governor, His Honour Gordon Barnhart and Her Honour Mrs. Naomi Barnhart, as celebrity riders for the start of the race. Her Honour experienced an unfortunate spill during the race start last year, and she is reported to be bringing her hard hat to wear this year! Their Honours will also be part of the opening Musher’s Banquet in Prince Albert on the evening of Feb. 12.

12-dog race
From Prince Albert, the 12-dog teams will travel north to Montreal Lake via Christopher Lake, Anglin Lake and Elk Ridge Resort, on to Montreal Lake at the Waskesiu River and halfway up the lake to McKee (Wasak) Bay, from where they will emerge for a short trip in the highway ditch to Weyakwin. They will then cross the north end of Montreal Lake to the former settlement of Molanosa, where they will be able to rest at an unassisted wilderness checkpoint. From there they will take an old logging road back to Highway 2, which they will follow to the Creighton turnoff. From there’s it through more logging roads onto Lac la Ronge. They must take a mandatory eight-hour rest somewhere on the trail before leaving La Ronge.

The teams will approach La Ronge from the lake side, coming in to town at or near Patterson Park. From there, they will continue north to McGibbon Bay and on to Sucker River. From there, they will wend their way through the islands at the north end of the lake to Arrowhead Bay, swinging north along an old freight trail, which will take them to Stanley Mission and onto the Churchill River. They will follow the Churchill upstream to Grandmother’s Bay, the turnaround point.

From there, they return to Stanley for a mandatory five-hour layover, then back through Sucker River to the finish line in La Ronge. All competitors must finish by 1am Feb 17.

8-dog and juniors
The eight-dog teams will run from Prince Albert to their finish line in La Ronge; they have until 6 am Feb. 16 to finish. Junior competitors will run from Prince Albert to Elk Ridge Resort, where they should finish by 6 am Feb. 14.

Awards Breakfast
The awards breakfast for all competitors will be held at the La Ronge Hotel & Suites, starting at 9 am Sunday Feb. 17. Tickets will shortly be available from either the La Ronge or Prince Albert offices.

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Plans for the 11th annual Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race continue, and considerable snow in the north in the last couple of weeks makes the race feel all the closer. February 13, 2008 will see the grand start on Central Avenue in Prince Albert, with teams heading north – and further north – and even further north!

There’s lots of interest out there, with two entries already received: brothers Stefaan and Bart de Marie, in the 12-dog and 8-dog categories respectively. Originally from Belgium, Stefaan is now a resident of Christopher Lake while Bart is planning to immigrate to Canada. Both are veterans of the race.

The 12-dog race is a 300-mile-plus qualifier for the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, while the eight-dog race now exceeds 200 miles. This year, the organizing committee has added more lake and wilderness miles to the route, making it an extremely realistic qualifier for the two big races.

In previous years the race has run from Prince Albert to La Ronge and back to Spruce Home. This year the trail goes north of La Ronge, running between the islands along the west and north shores of Lac la Ronge before following what is known as the Four Portages route to Stanley Mission. From Stanley, mushers will travel on the frozen Churchill River northwest to the turnaround point at Grandmother’s Bay. They will then return to Stanley and follow an old winter road route back onto Lac la Ronge, returning to the community of La Ronge for the finish.

The awards breakfast for both 8-dog and 12-dog teams, as well as the junior race, will be held in La Ronge on Sunday morning, Feb. 17. The Junior race starts in Prince Albert behind the 12 and 8-dog teams, finishing at Elk Ridge Resort. Last year’s entrant is reported to be considering entering again, and we hope this year she has some competition!

A major change which will help mushers breathe a lot easier: The time allowed for the eight-dog race from Prince Albert to La Ronge has been extended. The 8-dog teams start after the 12-dog teams, sometime after noon on Wednesday Feb. 13. They will now be allowed up to 6 am Saturday Feb. 16 to complete the 325-km trail. The 12 –dog teams have until 1:00 am on Sunday Feb 17 to cover the additional distance (535 km) they must travel.

The official race office in Prince Albert is now open. Office manager Julie Isbister and her sidekick Bernie Zintel will be there from 9 am – 4 pm every weekday to answer your questions. The office is located at the eastern end of Gateway Mall on Central Avenue.

Watch for raffle tickets on a quad, available shortly. Contact the race office to make sure you get your tickets.

We always need more volunteers in Prince Albert, La Ronge, Sucker River, Stanley Mission and Grandmother’s Bay. We need people to make trails, to work on checkpoints and road crossings, to help with supplying hot food and drink for mushers – you name it! For the southern portions of the trail, contact the Prince Albert race office at 306-763-1539. For the northern centres, contact Gill at 306-425-3826 or drop into the northern office at Gill’s house, 123 Stinson St, Air Ronge. You can also contact Lester Roberts in Stanley Mission (306-635-2115) or Leon Charles in Grandmother’s Bay (306-635- 2069).

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CANADIAN CHALLENGE OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT - OCTOBER 08, 2007

For 2008, the Canadian Challenge sled dog race becomes a challenge indeed! Organizers, always in search of a better event, have adjusted the race to include more northern wilderness travel. The race, which remains a qualifier for the famous Yukon Quest and Iditarod races, will run from Feb. 12-17, 2008.

The historical purse of approx. $20,000.00 is still in place with the final purse to be announced at a later date.

New trail
In previous years the race has run from Prince Albert, SK. to La Ronge, SK. and back to Spruce Home, just north of Prince Albert. This year, after a ceremonial and timed start in Prince Albert, 12-dog mushers will travel to La Ronge over some established and some new trails, including an approach to La Ronge from the lake side.

Teams will then head into the wilderness across Lac La Ronge to the community of Sucker River. From there, they will go into the bush near the former Anglo-Rouyn mine and head north through the Lynx-Sulphide Lake chain of small lakes, emerging on the Churchill River for the final few miles to Grandmother’s Bay.

From the Grandmother’s Bay checkpoint they will head downstream (east) on the Churchill River to Stanley Mission. Then it will be back to La Ronge via an old winter road route and across the north end of the lake back to Sucker River and on south. En route, they can expect spectacular scenery and an enthusiastic reception in the northern communities, which are members of the Lac La Ronge Indian Band. Band councillors in each place are already at work mobilizing volunteers and trail-makers for the race.

This year’s race will be about 500 km (about 300 miles), slightly shorter than before but with more challenges. A trail map will shortly be available on our website.

Eight-dog race
Because of the long distances, and at the request of mushers, the six-dog race has been upgraded to an eight-dog race this year. They will start in Prince Albert behind the 12-dog teams, and head north to their finish line in La Ronge. The Junior Musher race will also start in Prince Albert, finishing at Elk Ridge Resort.

This new format means the eight-dog teams will be finished two days before the 12-doggers. For this reason, a separate Awards Breakfast is planned for them on Friday Feb. 15. The 12-Dog Awards breakfast will be held Sunday Feb. 17, allowing teams to travel home on the weekend instead of Monday as before.

Sponsors sought
Organizers are in the process of seeking sponsors for the race. Cameco Corporation’s northern office has already increased their sponsorship, which gets the event off to a great start. Cameco challenges other businesses and corporations to match or exceed this level of sponsorship. Of course, smaller donations are extremely welcome and help defray the costs of everything from buying gas for snowmobiles to set trail, to advertising and promotion; from providing meals and trophies, to making hot drinks and food for mushers at the checkpoints.

We will also again be seeking in-kind donations for our silent auctions, part of the proceeds from which will benefit a northern charity, yet to be named, this year.

We need volunteers
With the exception of one office person in Prince Albert, the race is run entirely by volunteers, who put in hundreds of hours in each year. To volunteer for any part of the race - trail-building, checkpoints, meals, you name it – please contact the office at (306) 763-1539 in Prince Albert, or the northern office at (306) 425-3826. Both phones have message managers if we’re not close by, so leave your name and number and we’ll call you back.

Watch for updates between now and race time, and keep checking our website for the latest developments. Race rules will also be posted shortly.

Contacts:
Dave Young
Phone (306) 764-1711 days, 922-8310 evenings, (306) 960-7521 cell

Gill Gracie
Phone (306) 425-3826 days & evenings, (306) 425-7280 cell.

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