The venerable long-distance sled dog race plans to add a stage race aspect that starts near Deer Lodge and passes through the Mining City in mid-February, race publicist Pam Beckstrom of Olney said.
Butte is a natural addition.
The 24th Race to the Sky will remain an Iditarod qualifier for mushers who want to take their teams through two stages and the usual 300-mile route from Lincoln to the Holland Lake area and back again.
It starts on Friday, Feb. 13, with a 25-mile jog over U.S. Forest Service roads from Orofino Creek southeast of Deer Lodge to Walkerville, on the northern outskirts of Butte.
The next day, sled teams will run 60 miles or more from Walkerville to Camp Rimini west of Helena. Stage racers and distance racers alike will restart Sunday in Lincoln. There'll be a 40-mile sprint to the finish line at Hi Country Snack Foods for the former, while the latter launch on the 300-mile leg of the race.
The Race to the Sky's course has changed over the years. Most recently, it began on Saturdays at Camp Rimini with a 50-mile run over the Continental Divide to Deer Lodge. Mushers then trailered their teams to Lincoln for a restart on Sunday.
The route from Deer Lodge to Butte won't be fully mapped out until all the permits are secured. There'll be a bonfire at the finish line in Walkerville for mushers and spectators alike, as well as “food and fun” and an auction.
Mushers will be on hand in downtown Butte on Saturday morning before the next stage begins in Walkerville. Deer Lodge will also have festivities surrounding the start of the race on Friday afternoon, including a mutt pull.
The grueling distance race has drawn around 20 teams the past few years. Meanwhile, stage races are gaining in popularity around the West.
“I think more than anything we were hoping to add this extra stage part of it to include more mushers,” Beckstrom said. “They can run just the stage portion or they can run the whole thing, so we should get a nice mix of people.”
There will be a couple of changes to the format of the long race. Mushers can accept no handler assistance on the 300-mile loop. Drivers may transport equipment and food from checkpoint to checkpoint, but once there, no one can help mushers with their dogs.
That's the way it's done on the 1,100-mile Iditarod trail in Alaska, said Beckstrom.
“And it really does help them be better focused on what's going on with their teams,” she said.
In the past, teams had to finish the Race to the Sky by Thursday at noon to qualify for the Iditarod. That cut-off time has been moved up to Wednesday at 5 p.m., an hour before the awards ceremony and dinner at the Lincoln Community Center.
Beckstrom said anyone and everyone is welcome to assist with the race.
“Now that we have another leg, we're going to definitely want some more helpers, especially at the checkpoints,” she said.
No experience is necessary. E-mail info@racetothesky.org or call 406-881-DOGS to sign up or for more information.
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