Mush ado about dogs

Sara Parr, of Whitefish, won the eight-dog class at the Flathead Sled Dog Days event Jan. 8-9 on the groomed trails near Olney.

Parr's two-day time on the 18-mile course was 2:31:08, a whopping 11 minutes faster than the next closest competitor, Greg Johnson, of Wisconsin.

Parr was in second place after the first day, then jolted into first on Sunday despite slower trail conditions. Temperatures hanging in the teens on Saturday created a fast course, while Sunday saw slower times as the thermometer peaked near freezing.

The first-place finish for Parr was an improvement on her third-place finish in 2009 and fourth-place finish in 2008.

In the 12-dog class, Kate St. Onge, of Milville, Utah, finished in first with an overall time on the 40-mile course of 6:04:14. St. Onge was about 40 minutes faster than John Barron, of Boulder.

Race director Pam Beck-strom said the event, now in its third year, was a success.

"Trail conditions were great," Beckstrom said. "Our purse increased to $4,500 this year, which is a 50 percent increase over last year. I think the mushers went away very happy."

More than 30 mushers from seven states and Canada took part in the event.

Fourteen-year-old Jenny Gregor, of Bozeman, received the Spirit of the Race Award in honor of Dr. Hugh Rogers, the past head veterinarian for Flathead Sled Dog Days.

Rogers was killed in an airplane accident last year. Beckstrom said Gregor received the honor because of her excellent dog care, spirit of adventure and trail attitude.