The pups will hit Amisk Lake after all. The second edition of the Jimmy Custer Memorial Dog Race will take place March 9 and 10, almost a month after it was originally scheduled.
The race was originally supposed to take place Feb. 10-11, but a lack of snowfall and well-above-average warm temperatures scuttled that from happening. However, a colder late February and a pair of big snow dumps, including last weekend, made the event more suitable to host.
This year’s event, built on the success of last year’s first edition, will feature three races, as was originally planned for last month - a 10-dog race, a six-dog race and a shorter four-dog race. The first race, the 10-dog event, will start at 11 a.m. March 9, running a 14-mile-long route starting at the Beaver Lake Day grounds in Denare Beach and mostly going on Amisk Lake. The six-dog race is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. start, while the four-dog race will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday. The 10-dog and six-dog races will be run back the next day, starting at the same times as the previous day, with total times from both days being used to determine prizes.
New sponsorships have boosted the prize for the first place winner in the 10-dog race from $1,100 as was originally planned to $2,100. Prizes for second and third in the biggest race of the weekend will be $900 and $800 respectively, with a $40 entry fee for participants. The podium finishers for the six-dog race will earn $900, $700 and $500 respectively, while the podium for the four-dog race will get $500, $400 and $300 payouts. Prizes will be offered to the top eight finishers of the 10-dog and six-dog races, as well as the top five in the four-dog race.
It has been a rough winter for competitive mushers. The annual World Championship Dog Races in The Pas, held as part of the Northern Manitoba Trappers’ Festival, were officially cancelled by organizers in late January after too little snow was reported along the traditional race route.
Prospective teams for the event will come from across Manitoba and Saskatchewan, including potential teams from further away. Adding in the four-dog race is new for this year - the plan was to include a junior dog team race, but that was replaced by the four-dog open event, open to any driver with a four-dog team regardless of age.
More details can be found on the Jimmy Custer Memorial Dog Race social media pages.
