Far Rondi newcomer wins 2024 Open World Championship Sled Dog Race

Growing up in a noisy household, Charlie Connor heard many stories at the dinner table about the legends of Alaskan dog sled racing.

Connor, who runs a multi-generational kennel in Loon Lake, Saskatchewan, decided it was finally time to try racing in the province.

He is one of six newcomers competing in this year’s Open World Championship Sled Dog Race, a class packed with both talent and experience.

“I’ve wanted to run this race since I was a kid,” he said. “But about seven or eight years ago, I actually opened a separate bank account and started saving money every paycheck. So it’s been a long time.”

The quality of the newcomers’ efforts was evident in the first two days, as the first-timers took three of the top five spots heading into Sunday’s final day of racing.

“If you look into it, there are six guys who have decades of experience in this sport,” said Jake Robinson, who finished fifth on Friday. “We all decided this is where we should be. Probably the most talented rookie field since the first run of the race, definitely.”

Like Connor, Robinson said competing in the Open World Championship is a bucket list item for him.

“This is one of the oldest, most prestigious and most famous dog sled races in the sport,” he said. “So it’s a real honor to be standing on this boulevard that I’ve been dreaming about for the last 20 years.”

It was the lack of snow that motivated Annie Maro to head to the Last Frontier to race this weekend.

Malo said her team would generally compete in the championship, which has been held in Manitoba for many years.

But a lack of snow across much of the heartland of North America has led to races being canceled from the UP200 in Michigan to the Bear Grease in Minnesota and beyond.

Maro said the Quebec-based musher, with nearly 30 years of experience, was up to the task, although the urban environment for much of the course was completely different from what she was used to. She finished Friday’s race in third place and will start her final day of racing in second place after setting her fastest time on Saturday.

“I always go into races with the goal of winning, but I’m here to have fun with the dogs and see what they’re capable of,” she said. “There is good competition, so we have to work hard.”

Blaine “Buddy” Strieper, who is tied with legend George Atla for the most titles in the tournament’s history with 10, finds himself in the unusual position of chasing the leader.

Strieper said he had a good performance on Friday but was still behind leader Remy Coste. Coste, also a rookie, dominated the competition with a time of 1 hour, 23 minutes, 47 seconds, a five-minute lead over Strieper, who was in second place on Saturday.

“Five seconds is a huge difference in dog racing,” Strieper said. “Five minutes is a different ball game.”

Coste, a French national who sailed from Sweden, said he came to Alaska to continue his evolution as a musher.

“At the end of the season we felt we needed a new challenge,” he said. “Learn more, keep improving and try something different.”

Coste won the 2024 Pedigree Stage Stop in Wyoming earlier this month, with Maro second. From there, Coste headed north and ran the Gold Run in Fairbanks last weekend. He said his dogs are trained and treated in a more European style. His dog team is virtually silent leading up to the race, and he has a no-holds-barred race strategy that emphasizes speed early and often.

“Remy is going to take off soon,” Connor said. “Nobody runs like that here in North America. He’s going to run a lot differently than he’s ever done before, and there’s going to be a lot of interest.”

Coste was off the pace as he set the fourth fastest time on Saturday, but still held a 54-second lead over Maro. Strieper was in third place, 4 minutes and 05 seconds off the leader’s pace.

Strieper is seeking his 11th title, which would make him the sole leader in open world championship records. He expects tough competition this year and said he has invested in several top quality handlers to work with his dogs in Fort Nelson, B.C., during this winter’s racing schedule.

“We have good talent in the country and we are building a team for next year,” he said. “So even if I don’t do it this year, I’m going to come back even stronger next year.”

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Fairbanks newcomer Sean De Wolski has been mashing for 15 years, arriving in Alaska three years ago after numerous backpacking and packraft trips in the Brooks Range. After handling Dave Turner in the Open World Championship, De Wolski decided to return as a musher.

Many of his dogs are trained for middle distances, so he had no illusions of finishing at the top. He finished his first day in last place out of 13 teams, but had an even stronger run on Saturday, finishing 10th.

“I’m hoping to do well, but my dog ​​is trained for medium distances,” he said. “I’m not worried about not finishing the race, but I’m not going to break the ground speed record.”

Connor also didn’t expect to challenge the leaders. He joked, “I feel like I’m going to make the top 13, so I’m pretty excited.”

“I’m trying to learn as much as I can,” he said. “We’re in this activity to learn, have fun, and share the lifestyle with our families and dogs. This is an incredible trail and a great musher. And you’re in Alaska.” This is where I need to be right now.”

open world championship dog sled race

Overall results for 2 days

1. Remy Coste, Rixele, Sweden, 3:02:59 (Day 1: 1:23:47 1st place; Day 2: 4th place 1:39:12) 2. Annie Maro, St. Zenon, Quebec, 3:03:53 (Day 1: 3rd place 1:29:09; Day 2: 1st place 1:34:44); 3. Blaine Strieper, Fort Nelson, British Columbia, 3:07:04 ( Day 1: 2nd place 1:28:51; Day 2: 2nd place 1:38:13); 4. Andy Hutten, Nenana, 3:12:38 (Day 1: 6th place 1:34:18) ; 2nd day: 3rd place 1:38:20). 5. Jake Robinson, Bemidji, Minn., 3:13:20 (Day 1: 5th place 1:33:11; Day 2: 5th place 1:40:09). 6. Greg Taylor, Fairbanks, 3:18:11 (Day 1: 4th place, 1:32:40; Day 2: 9th place, 1:45:31). 7. Jess Moore, Bondurant, Wyoming, 3:18:59 (Day 1: 11th, 1:38:36; Day 2: 6th, 1:40:23). 8. Marvin B. Koechlin, North Pole, 3:20:10 (Day 1: 9th place 1:37:10; Day 2: 7th place 1:43:00). 9. Andrea Bond, Salcha, 3:21:59 (Day 1: 10th place, 1:37:23; Day 2: 8th place, 1:44:36). 10. Michael Tetzner, Burg, Germany, 3:29:14 (Day 1: 7th place, 1:35:24; Day 2: 12th place, 1:53:50). 11. Sean De Wolski, Fairbanks, 3:30:21 (Day 1: 13th 1:43:26; Day 2: 10th 1:46:55). 12. Charlie Connor, Loon Lake, Saskatchewan, 3:36:17 (Day 1: 12th, 1:43:10; Day 2: 11th, 1:53:07). 13. Frank Haberman, Clam Gulch, 3:47:55 (Day 1: 8th place, 1:37:05; Day 2: 13th place, 2:10:50).