New mid-distance race will feature trails in the Granger and Fish Lake networks

The Dog Powered Sports Association of the Yukon (DPSAY) will host their annual mid-distance race in a new area this year.

Starting at the Mount Lorne Community Centre, racers will travel up the Alligator Lake Trail, run around Mount Granger and take a mandatory five-hour break at Sky High Wilderness Ranch before heading back out on the trail and returning to the community centre via the Alligator Lake Trail.

It may be the first time a race has been run on these trails.

When DPSAY first started hosting the mid-distance race, it was to fill a gap in the race calendar between the 15-mile sprints and the 1,000-mile efforts like theYukon Quest, which starts this weekend.

“We want to have a race for the small people in the dog mushing world and if the big names come, that’s fantastic, that’s great, but it’s not necessarily just a race for them,” said start line coordinator Fabian Schmidt at the race’s planning meeting last September. “We also want to cater to smaller kennels that want to get their first, kind of, foot in the door in distance mushing.”

DPSAY already hosts a winter calendar full of sprint races and a summer canicross and bikejoring series as well.

The first mid-distance race – the Road Runner 100 – travelled along parts of the Old Alaska Highway. Trail issues and problems with creek crossings forced a change in location, so the race changed locations, swapping the road for the river. The River Runner race for four years along the Takhini River from Whitehorse to Mendenhall (in 100- and 120-mile variations) before a lack of snow meant the race needed to change it up again.

For the past two seasons, the DPSAY mid-distance race has been the Cinnamon Bun Run – a 100 or so mile race from the Takhini Hot Springs to Braeburn, which is known for its giant cinnamon buns, and back.

The new race will be called the Granger Grind.

“Essentially the whole trail is mountain passes and mountain climbs,” said Robinson. “It’s very scenic.

“It’s one of the most beautiful trails that people are going to have the opportunity to run on.”

Robinson recommends an ability to handle a sled for those interested in running the race. The trail will be more technical than it has been in the past on the Dawson Overland Trail.

The race will be open to sleds and skijorers for the full 110-mile option and a 50-mile race will also be available to skijorers who only want to travel one way.

The Granger Grind will start at the Mount Lorne Community Centre on Feb. 25. To register, and for more information, go to https://dpsay.wordpress.com/mid-distance-race/.