DEH GAH GOT'IE KOE/FORT PROVIDENCE
Experienced mushers, young mushers and new mushers all got into the spirit of dog sled racing in Fort Providence last weekend.

Lynn and Anthony Beck of Hay River slide across the finish line to win first place in the musher partner race at the Deh Gah Dog Mushers Club's fun season end wrap up races in Fort Providence on April 12. - photo courtesy of Susan Fleck

The Deh Gah Dog Mushers Club held a series of fun sled dog races April 12 in the hamlet to wrap up the season for mushers in the southern NWT. It was the first time the club has held a fun race, but Fort Resolution used to host seasonal wind-ups.

"We kind of revived the tradition," said Susan Fleck, a member of the club and the co-owner of Stepping Stone Kennels in Fort Providence.

The event started with a musher partner race. Four teams made up of one man and one woman each harnessed eight dogs and raced them on a 11.3 km track that took them down the snye to T'elemie Lodge and then back towards the hamlet along the main artery of the Mackenzie River, with the musher and the passengers switching places at the halfway mark.

Only nine seconds separated first and third place with Anthony and Lynn Beck of Hay River winning first at 25 minutes and 23 seconds, TJ Fordy and Dexter Lafferty of Fort Resolution coming in second at 25:38 and Danny Beaulieu and Mel Rasmussen-Vandell of Fort Providence finishing third at 25:41.

The Mad Trapper Race that came next was an audience favourite, Fleck said.

Mushers started in a sleeping bag and when the flag dropped, their partner ran and woke them up. Together they harnessed three dogs and the musher raced them for 3.2 km.

The race had no rules so the mushers, who were on the trail at the same time, were allowed to push and tug on each other and the dog teams to get by.

Despite starting last, Beaulieu won the race by passing all the teams, making it back to his partner Fleck first, unhooking the dogs and getting back in his sleeping bag before the other four competing mushers.

The third race got new mushers on the sleds. For the sponsor race, seven of the club's sponsors from this year were invited to nominate someone to race the 3.2 km track to experience what mushing is all about.

Rocky Gargan of Fort Providence had never driven a dog team before.

"I thought I'd just try it out for fun," said Gargan, who raced for Aurora Market.

Despite having no experience and little confidence in his skills, Gargan not only stayed on the sled, but also won the race with a time of 7:23.

"They were good. They were pretty fast," he said about the dogs he mushed.

Cherl Gargan, also of Fort Providence, also raced for the first time.

"It was an awesome experience," she said.

Cherl learned the about the sled, the brakes, the dog lines and the command for a left turn. She finished in fourth with a time of 8:07. The fun race is a good event for the community, she said.

"I think they should do it more often," Cherl said.

The race also drew in well known politician.

Dave Ramsay, representing the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, which he is the minister of, drove in from Yellowknife for the race and won third place with a time of 7:43.

The final race saw nine youth race one dog 100 meters. Karsen Lafferty won the race with Driver, a lead dog from Stepping Stone Kennels.

"It was so much fun," Fleck said about the entire event.

Mushers in Fort Resolution have volunteered to host the fun season end races next year.