Pinedale Sled Dog Race
The Pinedale Stage Stop of the IPSSSDR got underway Monday with the 45-mile Upper Green Race. Barnum raced under the Bottoms Up Brewery sponsor banner. Students from Sweetwater County came up in a school bus to watch and cheer on the teams.
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Melanie Shirilla
Melanie Shirilla, from Lincoln, Montana, had the fastest time for both days of the Pinedale Stage Stop. Here she sleds past the Tie Hack Historical Marker along the Upper Green River on the 45-mile loop course that followed the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail.
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Terri Adkins
Terri Adkins, from Sand Coulee, Montana, crosses in front of the Duck Creek Wildlife sign along Highway 191 on the way into Pinedale from the second race of the Pinedale Stage Stop. Teams started from the Upper Green River parking lot and raced 33 miles, arriving at the Finish Line at the American Legion Park.
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Pinedale Stage Stop - 2006 IPSSSDR
February 2, 2006
The IPSSSDR, the largest sled dog race in the lower 48 states, takes place over nine days between January 27-February 4, 2006.
With its unique "Stage Stop" racing format, the race stops in a different community each night. The race began in Jackson Hole on Friday, January 27, with the Jackson Hole Winter Carnival. Teams departed at night, amidst food booths, bands, and other Winter Carnival activities. A torchlight parade and fireworks welcomed mushers to the finish line at Snow King resort in Jackson.
Race festivities continue through the week at the various stage stops in Lander, Pinedale, Alpine, Kemmerer/Diamondville, Evanston, Lyman/Mountain View. The finish, on Friday, February 4th, is in Park City, Utah for the final stage and award ceremony.
The various stage stop towns on the race route held their own unique celebrations for their stages, including a torchlight parade, pig roasts, bands, fireworks, snowman contests, snow shoe softball and pancake feeds.
Twenty-two teams registered for the 2006 IPSSSDR, including returning mushers Jacques Philip from Alaska, Melanie Shirilla from Montana, Grant Beck from NWT Canada. Racers from Wyoming included Dan Carter and Stacey O'Neal from Jackson and Wendi Davis from Lander.
Pinedale is the only stage stop that has the IPSSSDR in town for three days with races on two consequtive days. Teams arrived from Lander on Sunday night and were treated to a Musher Reception and Calcutta, sponsored by the Sublette County Chamber of Commerce. The first Pinedale Race, a 45-mile loop course, was held on Monday afternoon along the Continental Divide Snowmobile Trail in the Upper Green. The second race took teams from the Upper Green on a 33-mile race into Pinedale, ending at the Finish Line at the American Legion Park on the west end of Pinedale.
From Pinedale, teams went to Alpine for the next stage of the race.
Upper Green Race Results: Monday, January 30, 2006
Melanie Shirilla from Lincoln, Montana, came in first place on Day 3 of the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR) with a time of 3:29:27. Wendy Davis from Lander, Wyoming, placed second with 3:32:01, followed by Jacques Philip from Nenana, Alaska, in third with 3:38:33. In overall times, Davis leads with 6:46:55. Shirilla, moves into second place with 6:59:42. Philip is third with 7:10:21. Trail conditions on the 45 mile stage near Green River Lakes were wet and slow.
Upper Green to Pinedale Race Results Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Melanie Shirilla, from Lincoln, Montana, posted the fastest time in Day 4 of the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR) with a time of 2:22:11. Doug Swingley from Lincoln, Montana, was second in today's contest in 2:25:56. Grant Beck from Yellowknife, NWT, Canada finished third in 2:26:09.
IPSSSDR
Pedigree® Food for Dogs is the title sponsor of the IPSSSDR. The Pedigree® brand actively supports a wide range of programs that promote responsible pet ownership and highlight the contributions dogs make to society.
The International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race was founded in 1996 by Frank Teasley to make sled dog racing more accessible to the public.
Photos by Dawn Ballou and Clint Gilchrist, Pinedale Online!
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