2007 Mannsville, NY 10.7 miles Mini-Middistance

it was a great location in Mannsville, upstate NY, nice trails 4-6' packed snow, nice people, I definitely come back next year. our first pulka race ever and it work just fine.

I raced with the Luc and Kaillou and as usual Kaillou acts still like a puppy even he is already two years old. For what reason ever, he doesnt like to pass or to be passed. so he starts to bend over to the other team and likes to "greet" or if we passed an other team he looks back for the next 5min and waits for the other team.
After passing and repassing in the first three miles with Erin (the other Pulka racer) I had enough and worked my self up the pulka poles to him and told him it's enough now, no more - I bit him in his nose. that worked - next passing worked just fine we passed like a MIG27. hope he got it now. :)
Luc with his 12 month is doing what I expect from him he leads us the whole time, picks up the the speed after an hill, doesn't mind if there is another team or something else etc. maybe he really has something from his father in his genes.
It took us 1:15 for 10,7miles thats not great but ok for the first real pulka race. My goal will be to reach that speed in the comming years as an average including breaks for 30 -60 miles .

some more pics here

you should always hold on with two hands :-)

2007 stratford nighthawk

Our very first "sled" – race ever.
Saturday 02/03, First day 6” fresh snow, which was very soft but hard to run on for the dogs. And they have beautiful scenic trails up there! What a nice views! The 15miles (which were actually just 11.5 according to my gps) had in the beginning light hills to climb on but nothing bad.
The Sunday was almost perfect with groomed, hard trails. But after 38 teams in front of us it wasn’t so hard anymore :). Crisp cold with -18°C + wind but not to cold to run. I had a lot of fun and for that that we are a team of two puppies, a multiple injured lead dog and a showy stubborn fluffy I'm proud of my guys with the 12th place in the mostly 6dog class. In fact I did a lot of running too so I felt like the fifth dog :) Someone told me it looks like canicross with 4dogs and a sled between us. I always use a skijoring belt and a skijoring-bungee-line to be hooked up to the sled. that way I don't loose the team, they just drag me :)

here some impressions from the stake out and the trail:



and here some more pictures.