Clayton Perry, left, is the winner of 10-dog Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race. He is pictured with his dog handler. (Derek Cornet/larongeNOW Staff)

By Derek Cornet

mushers

American wins Canadian Challenge main event

Feb 22, 2024 | 4:51 PM

American Clayton Perry is the Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race winner of the main event.

Perry, who is from Power, Montana, competed in the 10-dog, 328-kilometre race and won with a time of 32 hours and 24 minutes. He was followed by Craig Houghton, who claimed second place about 50 minutes behind him, and Andy Heerschap who took third.

As the winner of the 10-dog race, Perry will go home with $4,625.

“I think it is pretty exciting,” he said about winning the race. “I consider this to be a prestigious race. It’s a big race and I think it’s a good race.”

Perry left the start line in Missinipe at noon on Tuesday and arrived in Missinipe at about 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. He explained the low snow level on the trail proved to be a challenge for him, noting he crashed and lost his team several times and that four of his dogs were injured going through the muskeg.

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With the temperature reaching 4 C on Wednesday, Perry mentioned the warm weather was hard on the dogs as well, as they kept wanting to stop and roll in the snow to cool off.

“It got very warm yesterday and that was hard on us,” he said.

Perry also said he was happy to compete in this year’s Canadian Challenge as all the other races he would typically participate in were cancelled. He said the race was his first and last of the year.

“The people who put on this race are the best, the volunteers are the best,” he said.

“It’s probably the best vet care in the dozens and dozens of races I go to. The vet care here is superb, the best around. Of course, the volunteers, I have to say thanks to them. I have to thank everyone who help put this thing on. That’s what it is about, the camaraderie of it.”

Meanwhile, the eight-dog, 164-km race began Thursday in La Ronge at noon. The mushers will race to the Fafard checkpoint before returning to La Ronge to spend the night. Friday at 10 a.m. the race will resume with the finish line being in Missinipe.

As of 4:30 p.m., La Ronge’s Ragnar Robinson was leading the way with Trace Drake not too far behind him. Shellie Torok is currently in third. The mushers are wearing GPS technology and can be tracked on the Canadian Challenge website.

The six-dog, 80-kilometre race will start Friday at 10 a.m. at Riese Park (following the eight-dog restart) and will end the same day in Missinipe. The winner of the eight-dog race will receive $2,100, while the winner of the six-dog race will take home $500.

The total purse for the Canadian Challenge is $25,000.

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derek.cornet@pattisonmedia.com