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Sled Dog Days events run Friday through Sunday

| January 1, 2009 1:00 AM

The Daily Inter Lake

A good time to check out the Flathead Sled Dog Days could be Friday -the day before the races.

People can gather around Whitefish's O'Shaughnessy Center from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday to talk with the drivers and to watch veterinarians examine the dogs.

"That's a good time for the public to talk with the mushers. … if you really want to chat and interact with them," said Brooke Bohannon, one of the race's organizers.

The actual races will begin at 9 a.m. both Saturday and Sunday at the Olney Snowmobile Trailhead.

While spectators are encouraged to watch dog teams leave and return, there is very little to watch from the trailhead when the dogs and drivers are out on the trail.

This is the second year for Flathead Sled Dog Days, which is organized by the fledgling local nonprofit group Snow Action Sports Inc.

Snow Action Sports is a small group of local dog sledders who wanted to make their sport more accessible to the public.

"We want to share our enthusiasm with the community," Bohannon said.

Fourteen teams from Montana, Idaho, Washington and Alberta have signed up for this weekend's races.

Three will be 12-dog teams that will run 100 miles -50 miles on Saturday and 50 miles on Sunday.

Eleven will be six-dog teams that will run 50 miles -25 miles on Saturday and 25 miles on Sunday.

The number of teams dropped from the first year because of fuel costs and the economy, Bohannon said.

Both racing categories will share the same course for a while until the six-dog teams swing back while the 12-dog teams head toward Upper Whitefish Lake, turn to head toward Stryker Ridge south of the lake, and then loop back.

On Friday, after the veterinarian checks, there will be dog skijoring at Whitefish's Depot Park from 1 to 2 p.m.

At 2 p.m. mushers will draw for their order in starting from the Olney trailhead. Starts are in staggered order with teams being scored according to their times on the trail.

Then a silent auction will be held for a dog-sled painting and other donated items. Fifteen percent of the receipts will go to local neutering efforts.

From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be a trade fair in the O'Shaughnessy Center's lobby to include winter gear for dogs plus booths from Glacier Outdoors Co., Whitefish Backcountry and nutritionist Maggie Eisenbarth.

The Olney trailhead is northwest of Whitefish on U.S. 93 between mile markers 145 and 146.

Instead of turning west into Olney, spectators should turn east at the same intersection to reach the trailhead.