LINCOLN — Mushers and their dogs are getting ready for the 40th running of Race to the Sky starting on Saturday.
On Friday, dogs running the 300-mile race received vet checks to make sure the dogs were healthy and safe before taking on the race.
“They’re incredible animals, and the celebration of them is to watch them in competition,” said Roy Etnire, the president of Montana Sled Dog Inc.
This year, there are 23 mushers: five are taking on the 300-mile race, and 18 are doing the 100-mile race.
The mushers are traveling from all over the United States, including Minnesota, Alaska, and California, and one musher is coming from Canada.
Etnire said, “Being out in the woods at 2 o’clock in the morning on a full moon night. Watching the dogs work and, after a 50 [to] 60-mile run, watching them get excited. Stopping and watching them roll in the snow and have a good time, that’s what I see.”
The dog-sled race is a qualifier for the Iditarod trail sled dog race, which stretches 150 miles along the Yukon River in Alaska.
Last year, they had to cancel the event due to a lack of snow, but that will not be a problem this year.
“We had very little snow, and now, because there is so much snow, it’s going to cause me a little more trouble. It would have been nice to have a week’s separation between the storm and the race just to get a good field for it, but I think it’ll turn out really well,” said Etnire.
The race starts at 2:00 PM on Saturday at Hi-Country Snackfoods in Lincoln.
You can find the full schedule here, and you can find where to track musher’s here.
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