Kotz mushers compete in own low-key event

CATHERINE JONES

March 13, 2008 at 1:25PM AKST

For The Arctic Sounder

While the state’s eyes are focused on the Iditarod, local dog-sled racing fans in Kotzebue also keep a watch on their own contest.

The Kotzebue Dog Mushers Association held the annual Dan Snyder Sr. Memorial Sled Dog Races on March 7-9.

Four mushers signed up for a total purse of $12,000. The race consisted of one 16-mile heat each day, and the winner was determined by overall elapsed time.

On Sunday, day three of the races day dawned overcast and dull, with the kind of white light where one can’t tell the ground from the sky.

By 11:30 a.m. a modest crowd of mushers, handlers and spectators were gathering down on the ice.

Even with the sun hiding out, it was a comfortable 7 degrees, with only a light breeze that brought musher Fred Jackson to exclaim, "Great weather for racing!"

The race trail started on the ice in front of Jackson’s house and over towards Lockard Point.

From there, teams ran towards the Little Noatak, and about seven miles out looped around and headed back towards town on the Noatak trail.

The racers took off, one at a time, promptly at noon, with Virgil Naylor Sr. keeping the time and setting off one musher every two minutes.

"The trail had a pretty good base," musher Cyrus Harris said.

"But anywhere off the trail is soft. We had to be careful to stay on the narrow trail we had in this open terrain."

Other mushers had similar reports of trail conditions.

"It was pretty good," replied Arvid "Bung" Nelson. "Better than yesterday."

The association’s next race will be the Eight-Dog Championship, 12 miles long, and will be held March 15-16. The races start at noon both days, with a total purse of $5,000.

Results

Dan Snyder Senior Memorial Sled Dog Race

ul ulc0 Day 1 Minutes:seconds

1. Gallahorn 57:49

2. Hansen 59:40

3. Harris 60:47

4. Nelson 68:49

Day 2

1. Gallahorn 52:15

2. Hansen 61:18

3. Harris 62:28

4 Nelson 71:15

Day 3

1. Gallahorn 60:50

2. Harris 64:47

3. Hansen 66:48

4. Nelson 68:05

Overall

1. Gallahorn 179:54

2. Hansen 187:46

3. Harris 188:02

4. Nelson 208:09