Journalism: Sled Dog Race

Journalism & Research

Local sled dogs are competing for the chance to run at the 27th annual Pedigree Stage Stop Race in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The team will be driven by musher Austin Forney of Leadville. This is one of the most competitive dogsledding races in the world. Its international, with 10 states and five provinces represented. There are 21 U.S. teams and nine Canadian. On the line is $165,000, the second highest purse in dogsledding after the Iditarod. The race is shorter, but faster than the Iditarod, totaling 210 miles over the seven stages.

Borris is seeded as the number one dog on the race team, but even he will have to vie against the up and comers to secure his spot for this year. He ran all seven stages last year, the only dog Forney has seen do this in his six years competing at the race. Borris has broad shoulders and muscular hind legs and a long snout. He has a curly brown mane that always seems to be in the molting process. He has some bad habits. He can be a bully and he loves to chew his neckline at stops, when impatient to get going on a run.

Lodi weighs as much as three gallons of milk. If you saw her at the Alpine Adventures kennel, you’d want to pick her up. At two years old, she is the embodiment of intelligence and agility. She’s white with tan accents and expressive brown eyes. She gets along charmingly with her teammates. It’s her first year trying out for a spot on the race team.

Borris and Lodi were neighbors this year at the summer kennel. They became fast friends, playing and chasing each other. They probably won’t run together as a pair. Lodi is a leader, driving at the front of the dog team, and Borris is primarily a wheel dog, closest to the sled and bearing the most weight. Both dogs display natural talent and hard core drive.

Lodi is from the Creedence Clearwater Revival litter and she’s named after the song “Lodi.” Bred at Alpine Adventures, her parents are former racing sensations Arron and Chicka. “Watching Lodi develop as a leader is like seeing an oak tree growing roots. She has the It Factor—drive, heart, speed, and brains. All the tools necessary to be a superstar,” Forney said.

Borris came to the kennel by way of Jerry Bath from Lander, WY, Forney’s biggest influence and mentor, who was retiring from mushing. Borris is five years old. He is a new dad, bred with Chilli, the six fuzzy puppies of The Black Crowes litter. “Borris is happy, full of life, and loves being a sled dog. He’ll be your best friend in two seconds,” Forney said. His endurance and athleticism make him a force of nature. “He’s got the juice. Whenever, wherever, he is always ready to go. He is all heart and he will give you everything he has every practice, every day. The dogs see his effort and it raises the standard,” Forney said.

On the team’s first 12 mile run, the path winding from East Tennessee Pass to Ski Cooper and back, along roots and rocks, up steep grades as Alaskan Huskies pull a four wheeler, Lodi and Mattie are the leaders. Amidst dozens of competing trails, Lodi and Mattie found the line, across two creeks, around a horseshoe bowl that is a blind corner for the musher, against dramatic ridge lines, leading twelve dogs to safe passage.

Lodi had never ran the Cooper loop, but she was able to help lead the team under the guidance of Mattie. It shows her ability to learn and adapt on the spot, quick intelligence. Mattie is her mentor. She has quiet confidence, leading by example. She’s seven years old, the oldest dog on the team, yet its most radiant star.

At the dropline, Mattie knows how to run back to her home. She navigates her way between the houses and territorial dogs to arrive safely back at her corner. Her speed is evident as she cuts through the dawn light, a streak of black fur and the swish of her tail that curls up like a shepherd’s crook. She is experience and vision, a veteran setting the pace and showing Lodi the ropes.

Borris is not a mentor to other dogs. He is a rugged individualist. A bit of a loner. Both dogs have siblings competing for a spot on the race team. Lodi’s brothers Bootleg, a reserved but good natured blonde dog that turns out to be one of the hardest workers on the team, Ooby, a sleek spotted dog with hound features, charges from point to wheel, and Creedence, speckled like a Jersey cow, exhibits nonstop energy. Her sister Suzie Q is another tiny operator, still finding her place among the team. Lodi is the only leader among her littermates. Borris’ siblings include Toshi and Seven, two sturdy females, who are versatile and determined, securing a spot for the last three races.

It was twenty degrees the morning the dog team would run Mt Zion. The frost gave the landscape a hint of sparkle. Forney puts on his gloves, protective eyewear, and starts up the four wheeler. Borris is running at wheel. His partner is Kerosene. The team will run 14.7 miles, with an elevation gain of 2,500 feet. This is preparation for the Pedigree Stage Stop Race, where the minimum elevation gain of the seven stages is 2,000 ft and the largest elevation gain is 4,500 ft. “We train in the mountains, we race in the mountains. Leadville has ideal weather conditions and terrain for training a dog team,” Forney said. When snowfall comes, the team will move to Turquoise Lake to access 20-30 mile runs.

The trail winds up Mt Zion, providing technical and intense climbing for the dogs. The team is silent and focused, with Borris rocking forward, tongue out, devoted to his task. His tugline is guitar string tight, a testimony of his effort. As the other dogs settle into a trot up the steep incline, Borris teaches us how to work. He is alive with purpose, full of spirit.

There are 26 dogs competing for 14 spots on the final roster. In late January, Forney and his support team will load his dog truck with gear and supplies, making the journey to Jackson Hole with the top dogs. It will be Forney’s seventh consecutive race. His team has been in the top ten for three of those races. Every day is a try out for varsity, and Lodi and Borris keep showing up ready to run.