The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge happens at the end of January, but what do mushers and their teams do during the off-season?
Rick Katucki has served as the race director for the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge three times and has over 20 years of experience in racing. Rick started experimenting with dryland racing just for something to do with his dogs when there is no snow on the ground, and his dogs love it.
"My dogs are Alaskan huskies," said Katucki, who qualified to represent Team USA in the IFSS Dryland World Championships. "It is kind of like the sled dog summer Olympics, and this is the first year it has been held in the United States."
Next week Minocqua, Wisconsin, will be the site of the world championships featuring 350 teams representing 32 countries from around the world. Katucki will compete in the Masters division for racers older than 60.
WATCH | See Rick and his furry team ride around the Eagle Bike Park—
"This is going to be totally new," said Katucki. "Are these older people going to take it easy, or are people with this much experience going to be pretty serious and competitive? We will see it, but it's going to be a pretty good time regardless."
Neighborhood Reporter Steve Dent caught up with Rick and his two dogs, Merle and Loretta, at the Eagle Bike Park. They were doing a chill training run as they are just over a week away from competing. Katucki uses verbal commands to guide the dogs down the trail, and he follows behind on a scooter.
"It’s nice if you can get them to slow down on command," said Katucki. "My dogs are pretty experienced when we come to a fork in the trail, I can command them to go left or right, and I can tell them to speed up or slow down."
Katucki has used both a bike and a scooter. He connects the dogs to the bike using harnesses and leashes, but there is one important piece of equipment, and that's a spring-loaded arm that keeps the lines from going in the front wheel.
"It’s obviously an esoteric corner of the sporting world, but it is a lot of fun," said Katucki. "If you have a bike and a dog, it doesn’t take much equipment to get into it, but you wouldn’t want to start at the bike park because it is pretty technical."
Rick will leave on Wednesday, and the competition starts a week from Tuesday.
