Flathead Sled Dog Days race starts Saturday

Twenty-nine sled dog teams are lined up for the first Flathead Sled Dog Days race north of Whitefish this weekend, Jan. 4-6.

Mushers and their dogs will show up at the Armory in Whitefish on Friday for a veterinary check-up from 3 to 5 p.m. The public is welcome to visit the teams at 6 p.m.

The race will start in Olney at Crossover Road and U.S. Highway 93 at milemarker 145 at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

A full slate of 16 teams are registered for the 12-dog class, including six from Montana. They will race 50 miles each day.

Butch Parr of Whitefish was the champion in the Race To The Sky in 1996 and 2000. He raced in the Seeley Lake 200 last year and more recently in the Root Beer Classic in Polebridge.

Scott Donaldson of Olney has competed with his 16-member Entropy Gang for eight years. He took a first at last year's Root Beer Classic.

Steve Riggs of Condon started racing 10 years ago with a four-dog team in sprint races. He has competed in the American Dog Derby, Green River Rondy, Snow Dog Super Mush and the Root Beer Classic.

Kirk Barnum of Seeley Lake operates a dog ranch there with 47 dogs. He's been racing for 11 years, including the Race To The Sky, the Seeley Lake 200 and the Wyoming Stage Stop.

Laura Daugereau of Sand Coulee has 14 years of dog sled racing experience. Rick Larson, also of Sand Coulee, has 10 years of mushing experience.

Two of the 11 teams in the six-dog class hail from Montana. They will race 25 miles each day.

Charlotte Mooney of Lincoln has been racing since 1999, including the Ashton Dog Derby and the Seeley Lake 200.

Wendy Arrotta of Condon has handled dogs for Steve Riggs, but this is her first year of competition.

Other racers hail from Minnesota, Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Colorado, Wisconsin, Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

Sponsors of the race include Sportsman and Ski Haus, Tailwaggers, Whitefish Credit Union, Nelson's Ace Hardware, Five Star Rentals, Frazier Appraisal Services, Big Mountain Chiropractic, Back on Track Chiropractic, Flathead Beacon and Howie's Tire & Alignment.

For more information on the race, visit online at www.flatheadsleddogdays.com.