Fall Racing, the IFSS World Championships, and More

Busy is an understatement. Fall is our busiest time, and we are traveling most weekends for over a month. But, we wouldn't trade it for anything. Most of the races are a 10-12 hour drive for us due to where we live, so its travel - home - laundry - repack - go!

We started our fall racing season at the UP200 Dryland Dash in Marquette, Michigan. This is a gorgeous area, and a great trail. Nick and Anarchy took 1st in Men's Canicross. Nick and Pharaoh placed 5th in 1-dog bikejor. Joy and Oso took 2nd in Women's Canicross, and Nick and the team took 4th in 6-dog rig. This was the first race of the season with a few mishaps such as K2 backing out of his collar (and harness) causing Nick to stop the team, Oso taking out some snow fencing during canicross, and more. The dogs are always good for some great stories and fun!

Next up we headed to Doty, Wisconsin for DOTY's Dusty Dog Dryland race. Nick and Anarchy took 1st in Men's Canicross, and Joy and Oso also brough home 1st for the women. Nick and Pharaoh took 4th in 1-dog bikejor, and Nick and the 6-dog team had a great run with no mishaps!

From Wisconsin, we headed overseas to Sweden for the 2019 IFSS Dryland World Championships. This is a race for which we have been preparing for quite some time.  This was Anarchy's third race, and he did great. Despite being a little scared of the crowds on day one, he and Nick took 11th place overall  - something to be proud of!
Oso did not seem to be himself when we landed in Sweden. He wasn't energetic. He didn't seem to get excited about his harness or his line. This is unusual. At the starting line on the first day, he was only showed about a quarter of his usual excitement level. During the race, he tweaked his paw. The next day, he still wasn't himself. He wanted to sleep in the van. No excitement. Just mopey. We talked for hours about what was best for Oso. The number one rule of the sport is "dogs first", and that's what we chose to do. Joy and Oso scratched, and it was in Oso's best interest even if it was hard for Joy's ego. There will be other races. There will not be another Oso.
Nick had the opportunity to run in the relay as well. The relay consists of each county having a canicross, scooter, and bike team - tagging off to each other for a total time. Nick and Anarchy had a great run, crossing the line in 4th and tagging off to the scooter team.

This weekend, Joy is home sick and Nick is at Dirty Dog in Wisconsin. Next weekend, we are headed to Lost Pines. More updates to follow.

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