Dogs ready to race in Flathead Classic this weekend
Sara Parr begins the four-dog class 5.5-mile race Saturday during Flathead Classic Sled Dog Race at the Dog Creek Lodge west of Olney. Parr won the race with a time of 54:45.(Heidi Desch/Whitefish Pilot)
Thirty-five teams are set to race in the Flathead Classic Sled Dog Race this weekend based near Olney.
Race events take place Saturday, Feb. 24 and Sunday, Feb. 25 at Dog Creek Lodge and Nordic Center 3 miles north of Olney on U.S. Highway 93 North. Teams are coming from Montana, Minnesota, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Alberta, Canada, and British Columbia, Canada, to compete.
The races will start each day at 9 a.m. with the bigger teams going out first. Classes for this year’s races will 12-dog class, eight-dog class, four-dog, two-dog skijor, one-dog skijor and new this year the one-dog fat bike class.
Sprint and short distance classes will mush on the groomed Nordic trails surrounding the Dog Creek Lodge.
The eight dog and 12-dog classes will mush on the Stillwater State Forest snowmobile trail system traveling from the Dog Creek Lodge to Upper Whitefish Lake before turning around to return to the lodge.
The public is invited to come both days. There will be food and brown bag lunches as well as hot beverages for sale at Dog Creek Lodge and Nordic Center.
A percentage of the merchandise sales will be donated to K9 Care Montana, a facility near Phillipsburg that provides service dogs at no cost and customized outdoor activities for wounded warriors as well as special needs children and their families. They also have trainers in Bozeman and Billings in addition to Phillipsburg.
For more information, go to flatheadclassic.org. The public is invited to attend. Volunteers are always needed.
Call 871-6864 to volunteer or go to the website and click on volunteer.