More than 350 dogs from across the UK descended in Aviemore for the 35th annual sled dog rally at the weekend.
The Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain Sled Dog Rally ended yesterday afternoon following two days of tough competition at Glenmore in the Cairngorms. A total of 80 teams took to the four mile track and, despite not having even one flurry of snow, organisers branded the event a roaring success once again.
Kate Muncaster, of the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain, said: “The event went very well. The weather was kind and the rain held off until after the event. We had no problems with ice this year, temperatures stayed above freezing. There were no serious injuries, it all went very well. Everyone really enjoyed it and we look forward to being back again next year.
“We are always disappointed that there was no snow, especially when we had a shed load of snow the week before. If it had been held last week, we would have definitely had a sled rally and now all the sleds will go away for another year.”
Competitors from the age of eight to 60 took part in the weekends rally, using wheeled rigs instead of sledges, reaching speeds of 20mph. Along with the Siberian huskies, race dogs include Alaskan malamutes, samoyeds, Greenland dogs and Canadian eskimo dogs. Pete Jones, a sales manager with Delta Caravans International, reclaimed his title yesterday as the winner of the event’s six dog race and is leading the overall championships in two separate teams.
He said he has another four events to go. Following yesterday’s win, Mr Jones said: “Aviemore is a difficult trail. It’s been a lot of work and a hard couple of weeks. The dogs performed brilliantly. It’s not an easy course because over the weeks the trail has been full of ice, then it went all mucky and sticky and then wet.
“We have four more races coming up and a couple of other things in between, we never really stop. We dedicate the whole of the summer and the winter to training, weather permitting and we will carry on training. “The passion is the sport for me and the dogs and the more we keep them working the better it will be.”
The event organisers also thanked sponsors CSJ dog food, Leucillin and Photizo.