SLED DOG RACING, a sport in which sleds
or carriages hauled by pure breed dogs compete with one
another. The sport in its original form was a race of
dog-drawn sleds and for a century the sport was limited
to polar zones. In the 1970s the sport grew in popularity,
first among foreign competitors coming to the region,
then in several remote countries in the south. The racing
tracks range anywhere from a dozen km in length for one-day
races up to several hundred km in longer races. Short
races are held 3 times on the same course, all three results
adding up to a competitor's final score. During the W.Ch.
in 1978 a course of 17.5mi. (28km) was covered 3 times
(52.5mi. = 84km in total) by the winner within 3hrs. 13min.
4sec. Minimal differences in time results are characteristic
of even long races, e.g. during the 15-day Iditarod race
in 1978 the winner beat the runner-up by only 1sec.
Wheel carriage dog races are held not only as the summer
var. of the sport but in some countries also as an option
to sled races in the case of insufficient snow fall.
Dogs. The main breeds of sled dogs are
the Siberian husky and the Alaskan malamute. Both are
extremely resistant to cold and strain and can sleep in
temps. as low as -40oF (-72oC) by burrowing into the snow.
In summer they normally burn about 800 calories a day,
while in winter during competitions their daily need is
roughly 10,000cal. The number of dogs per sled is not
universally determined and it is usu. 7-9. In some prestigious
races the number of dogs can reach up to 16. Their usual
speed during a race is up to 7mph (11km/h).
Equipment. In winter the main piece of
equipment is a tapered sled, capable of storing enough
personal equipment and food for several days of racing.
Occasionally, an injured or ill dog is transported on
a sled. In the summer sleds are replaced with 3-wheel
carriages open at the back, so as to allow the driver
to mount and dismount easily.
History. Sled dog racing is an ancient
sport known in regions inhabited by Eskimos and in Scandinavia
since at least the 18th cent. It was popularized in N.Amer.,
esp. Canada and Alaska in the 19th cent., when races took
place to areas where gold had just been discovered. Such
races and the way trappers used dog sleds for traveling
were described by the Amer. writer J. London (1876-1916),
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who took part himself in those travels, in such novels
as The Call of the Wild (1903), and White Fang (1906).
The topic was also reflected in the writings of many
other Amer. and Can. authors, e.g. Baree, Son of Kazan
(1917) and The Gold Hunters (1910), both among the works
of J.O. Curwood (1878-1927). Even after the gold fever
let up, sled dogs continued to be a popular means of
transportation in winter in areas where there was but
one alternative: to go on foot. Dog sleds were used
by R. Amundsen (1872-1928) during his travels to polar
regions and in 1911 dog sleds let him win the race to
the South Pole against the Englishman R. F. Scott. In
1908 the first proper sports race, the All-Alaskan Sweepstake,
had sled teams racing from Candle to Nome and back,
408mi (656km). In 1916 the first race called the Hudson
Bay Derby took place, and in 1923 the Banff Alberta
Dog Derby was held. When in 1925 in the Alaskan
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In Europe, outside Scandinavia, sled dog racing became
popular only around 1992. Among the most important international
events are, apart from the W.Ch., also Iditarod and
Yukon Quest (in 1998 sponsored by the Ger. company Fulda).
Now, worldwide over 200 races are held each year. The
most outstanding racers before 1939 were considered
to be the Canadian E. St. Goddard and Alaskan L. Spala;
after 1945, in the 1970s G. 'Muhammad' Attla, an Indian
from the Athabaskan tribe, and D. Macky and R. Swenson
were impressive performers.
Women had already made their mark in sled dog racing
before 1928, when in one of the races in Alaska, 123mi
(198km) long, a woman known as E.P. Ricker's wife took
part (female names related to sport were not published
in the press, in order 'not to violate the good of the
household'). The New York Times described her as 'the
only woman who ever had courage or skill
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| town
of Nome a diphtheria epidemic broke out, in the severe
winter the only possible contact with the sick town inhabitants
was by means of dog sleds. The dramatic transport of vaccines
had broad coverage in the press and added to the popularity
of dog sleds, esp. in Canada and Northern New England,
USA. In 1936 the Laconia Sled Dog club from New Hampshire
organized a W.Ch. Derby. In 1966 the International Sled
Dog Racing Association was established. |
to enter this race against the best men drivers of the
continent'. However, Ms Ricker failed to finish the race
because two of her dogs were exhausted and she decided
to spare them. In the 1980s and '90s several women became
internationally successful, also in the Iditarod race.
The most famous of them is S. Butcher. Cf. > SKIJØRING.
S.A.G.M. Crawford, 'Sled Dog Racing', EWS, 1996, III.
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