Anna a Saskatchewan
musher living in Porcupine Plain is one of six women who will be racing at
the Canadian Challenge this year.
Living so close to Prince Albert makes this local race a good fit for
her and she has run the 8 dog class three times now.
I met Anna quite a
few years ago at a couple different sprint races and immediately took a liking
to her. Her welcoming personality and
smile drew me in as did her care and love for her dogs. You can tell right away she is very
passionate about the sport.
A very private
person who does not like to brag much about her accomplishments it was hard to
get her to share.
Yet many
accomplishments she and her kennel, Knudsen's Sled Dogs, have had.
The kennel was
established in 2004 and they train both mid distance and sprint. Teams have been entered in the Open North
American Championship in Fairbanks in 2012, the 10 dog race in The Pas. Too many to count 10 and 6 dog sprint races
in Western Canada and many mid distance races in Saskatchewan, BC and Oregon.
It all started with
her two kids wanting to run dogs.
One dog turned into
two. Two dogs turned into six, and so on
and so on. I believe their kennel sits
at close to 80 now.
Anna did try her
hand in Sprint racing at one time, but she finds mid distance is a better fit
for her.
Recently she was
chosen to join Team Canada in Haliburton Ontario where the IFSS World
Championships were held. A great
experience for her and the dogs and she represented Canada brilliantly as they
finished 4th place in the 8-12 dog Mid distance race. With only 8 dogs she ran three consecutive
days, 50 miles per day, in beautiful and very hilly country with mushers from
all over the world.
Although this year
has been a lot of work for Anna with her husband, George, getting a new knee in
November, she has shown no signs of slowing down. The solitude and connection with her dogs
keeps bringing her back as does the many friends she has made over the years.
After running dogs
for over 10 years Anna says she has no specific goals. Just to have fun before old age takes her
down!!
At the Canadian Challenge 2015
Photo Credit: Jim Williams
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