On Saturday, I took my 3 year old Siberian Husky Flurry and my 2 year old husky/lab (?) mix Blizzard to a cart race. The Christmas Mountain Sled Race (TSAMC National Championship) in the Wisconsin Dells was changed from a sled race to a cart race, due to the lack of snow. We have never been in a race before, yet alone run with another team present.

Having never seen another sled team, Blizzard and Flurry looked on with excitement and curiosity at their first sled (chart) race. Nine teams turned out all with various types of three-wheeled carts and four dogs, while my two dogs watched me pull the two-wheeled scooter out. We saw all the teams with their fancy large three-wheeled carts and experienced four dog teams (and one three dog team) all line up along their trucks.

Flurry and Blizzard sat clipped to a ring in the car designed to hold a cargo net and jumped playful in and out of the open back door, next to our Alpha Dawg Scooter from Diggler. We stood out a bit.

The girls heard the howling of the other teams and tried it out for themselves. Blizzard enjoyed this the most. They knew we must be going for a run and were not quite sure why we were taking so long. I walked around nervously, hoping my girls would at least do well enough to not be passed a million times or run off course into a tree.

Other mushers passed by and commented on the scooter and asked question about it, which I happily answered. Others stopped by to meet the dogs, who were happy to get their heads scratched. I was a bit distracted by my excitement about the chance to give my girls an opportunity to get some experience with other teams and cheering crowds.

When it was time to pick numbers for positions, I said as I reached into the hat, “Not number one, not number one.” I think fate misunderstood and thought I said, “I am number one,” because that’s what I picked. I mentioned I had never raced before, yet alone run my dogs with other teams and they allowed to pick again. With relief I reached in again and pick 7th.

I hoped being 7th would keep us from being passed the whole way. When the race started, I caught a glimpse of the first team flying past and saw another team go off the course toward the spectators while I was waiting to get started. I was relieved to know a team had gone off course, as I thought to myself, “at least I will not be the only team to do that.”

With nerves now more out control, I stood around saying to myself, “oh my god now I have to wait until six other teams leave, why can’t I just get the inevitable embarrassment over with.” When it was our turn to head out, the girls of course managed to get tangled while waiting to start. We got them straightened out, before leaving the chute. However, Blizzard who insists on running on the left was on the right side as we started down the trail.

They managed to not run off the course to visit the cheering spectators, but shortly into the run Blizzard decided to straighten herself out and get back on the left side. This of course caused them to get tangled with each other. I let them run a little ways to get some distance from the start line, before I jumped off, unclipped Blizzard’s harness, and untangle the lines. I hopped back on the scooter as quick as I could and got them going again. I was now fearful that the team behind us would catch us in only a matter of time, so I pushed and encouraged them to run as hard as I could.

The trail did a figure eight so in the one section you have to double back in, we came across a team going the other way. Blizzard and Flurry of course wanted to visit, but I jumped off the scooter, grabbed the line to pull them over to the right, and got them past as fast as I could.

We turned a corner and were up hill a bit so I looked back to find out if I could see the team behind us coming. They were nowhere to be seen, but I still believed they would be coming, so I kept encouraging the dogs and helping by kicking as much as I could. Seconds later, I spotted another team.

This team was not behind us, but in front of us. What an opportunity! My girls would get to pass their first team. I saw they were slowed down by a steep up hill climb and the driver was off the cart pushing from behind. When we reached the hill, I wasted no time and hopped off to run up the hill, so Blizzard and Flurry did not have to try to pull my weight behind them.

At the top of the hill, we reached the team ahead of us quickly and passed them fairly easily to their left. Seconds later, I realized there was a second team just ahead of the last. We passed them on a stretch of trail that ran on the road. The other team was all over the place, so we ended up passing them on their right.

Would you believe that seconds later we spotted the team that had left 6th right ahead of us? We did. We passed them like professionals (Blizzard and Flurry showed very little interest in the dogs they were passing). We were right near the finish line and started seeing and hearing spectators along the trail. Blizzard was loving it. She was so excited by the cheering crowd, but both dogs went straight ahead and on by all the excitement. Success, we finished and had great opportunities to interact with other teams.

Back at the car, spectators started coming by and telling us how great we had done. Part of me was just thinking they had heard it was our first run and since we had finished a head of some teams, they felt they should congratulate me on a good first run.

What was I thinking, I had passed three teams! I had done better than I ever expected. Someone walked by and said it looked like I had the fastest time so far. It didn’t sink in that I was 7th of 9 teams and this fastest time was likely to stay the fastest.

When I found out we had won and I joked, “It’s all downhill from here.” Blizzard and Flurry got all kinds of attention from other drivers and spectators. They loved every minute of it while other drivers asked me all sorts of questions about my dogs, training, and the scooter.

We had a great time and loved the excitement of the race. I think I was in shock that we won the whole drive home. When I woke up the next morning I said, “I can’t believe I won.” I am very proud of my dogs and myself for apparently doing a great job training them their commands. Blizzard who was a starving stray less than a year ago, ran harder than I ever expect and Flurry continued to reliably make the correct turns.

Next year, I would love to have a third dog and a sled so we can participate in more events. Racing was more fun than the dog park and a lot more exercise for me. I cannot wait to run again and I think the dogs feel the same.