The Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race is an annual sled dog competition beginning in late January in western Wyoming in the United States.
History Founded in 1996 by Frank Teasley and Jayne Ottman, the races’ original purpose was to promote childhood immunization rates in Wyoming and make the sport of sled dog racing more accessible to the public. For a number of years, the race was called the International Rocky Mountain Stage Stop. Unlike traditional long-distance races such as the Iditarod, the Pedigree Stage Stop features a stage-racing format, where teams compete on a different course each day, with breaks for rest and travel between stages.
Race format The race currently spans 8 days, with a ceremonial start in downtown Jackson, Wyoming. Each subsequent stage takes place in a different town or city. Participating teams, composed of a musher and their sled dogs, cover distances ranging from 28 to 35 miles per stage. The combined time for all stages determines the overall winner.
Key rules include:
Mushers enter a pool of up to 16 dogs The maximum daily team size is 12 dogs. Dogs must meet rigorous health and vaccination standards. Teams are required to follow strict guidelines to ensure the safety and welfare of the dogs.
Route
The race begins in Jackson, Wyoming, and traverses stages across several towns in Wyoming, including:
Pinedale Big Piney / Marbleton Kemmerer Lander Dubois
All stages are out-and-back routes where the mushers and their teams leave the starting area and navigate the designated racecourse to a loop or turn-around and head back to the starting area to complete the run.
Championsw The Pedigree Stage Stop Race draws teams from across North America and Europe. As of 2024 there have been twelve individual champions with several mushers winning the event more than once. Of the 29 victories to date, all teams came from 10 individual kennels. The Streeper kennel out of British Columbia has the most titles with nine victories. 1996Rick Swenson1997Hans Gatt1998Hans Gatt1999Jeff King2000Hans Gatt2001Hans Gatt2002Melanie Shirilla2003Gwen Holdmann2004Blayne “Buddy” Streeper2005Hernan Maquieira2006Melanie Shirilla2007Wendy Davis2008Melanie Shirilla2009Melanie Shirilla2010Blayne “Buddy” Streeper2011Blayne “Buddy” Streeper2012Blayne “Buddy” Streeper2013Aaron Peck2014Blayne “Buddy” Streeper2015Blayne “Buddy” Streeper2016Blayne "Buddy" Streeper2017Lina Streeper2018Lina Streeper2019Anny Malo2020Anny Malo2021Anny Malo2022Anny Malo2023 Anny Malo 2024Remy Coste2025Anny Malo See also Animal racing
References
External links