Third annual Idaho Sled Dog Challenge bound for McCall Jan. 28-Feb. 1 Organizers seeking volunteers to staff checkpoints, help handle dogs
MCCALL, Idaho (Jan. 9, 2020) — The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is returning to McCall, Idaho, Jan. 28-Feb. 1 during the 2020 McCall Winter Carnival. Celebrating its third consecutive year, the race features world-class mushers. It is the only 300-mile Yukon Quest qualifier in the lower 48 and one of only three such events in the contiguous continental U.S. states for the Iditarod. The Iditarod and the Yukon Quest are considered the longest and the toughest sled dog races in the world. The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is part of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown, which also includes the Eagle Cap Extreme Jan. 22-25 near Joseph, Ore., and the Race to the Sky Feb. 7-11 near Helena, Mont. According to one of the principal volunteers and spokespersons, Dave Looney, the Idaho race is considered one of the most grueling mushing competitions in the world due to its topography. “Mushers will tell you this is a very, very atypical race,” Looney says. “Our elevation change is 44,000 feet, which is greater than the Iditarod. They call it a 500-mile race packed into 300 miles. So the dog care and the pacing and the attention they have to pay to the terrain is really important, because there’s a lot of up and down. One musher said the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is like climbing Mt. Everest — twice.” In addition to the 300-mile Iditarod and Yukon qualifier, this year’s Idaho Sled Dog Challenge offers a 100-mile race for people newer to the sport and a 37-mile race for juniors ages 14-17. The maximum 10 mushers have registered for the 300-mile race and eight of the 10 slots in the 100-mile race are spoken for, but no youths have signed up for the junior race yet. Jan. 15 is the last day to register to race. Idaho Sled Dog Challenge founder and organizer Jerry Wortley says this year’s mushers include Iditarod and Yukon Quest veterans, as well as 2018 and 2019 ISDC 300-mile-race champions Jessie Royer and Brett Bruggeman, both from Montana. Royer is one the mushing world’s top contenders and placed third in the 2019 Iditarod. Two Idahoans — Kevin Daugherty from McCall and Chantelle Chase from New Plymouth — are competing in the 100-mile race. Wortley says his race boasts top-notch veterinarians, too. “We have some great vets from the West Central Mountains and from the Boise area and they’ve all worked on the Iditarod,” he says. “As part of our safety regimen we insist on great dog care, so we have a lot of medical talent. We want to see the sport flourish, and we can’t do that without taking good care of our animals.” Several race events are open to the public and free of charge, including:- Meet the mushers — Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. in the lower level of the Idaho First Bank building at 475 Deinhard Lane in McCall
- 300-mile start — Jan. 29 at 11 a.m. at the Little Ski Hill at 3635 Highway 55 just three miles northwest of McCall
- Junior race start — Jan. 30 at 11 a.m. at the Little Ski Hill (no youths have signed up for the junior race as of press time)
- 100-mile race start — Jan. 30 at 11:15 a.m. at the Little Ski Hill
- Junior race finish — Jan. 30 at the Wye Checkpoint and Campground on Highway 95 in New Meadows (no youths have signed up for the junior race as of press time)
- 100-mile race finish — early morning Jan. 31 at Van Wyck State Park in Cascade
- 300-mile race finish — from early evening Jan. 31 to late morning Feb. 1 at the Little Ski Hill