The Alaska Skijoring and Pulk Association Fun Race at Creamer’s field started off with excitement of the moose kind. A mother and calf moose were grazing on brush in the dip between two of the trails prior to the start of the race. The first few competitors avoided the fairgrounds loop by dropping down to the 2.9 mile class from the 3.7 mile class. The moose wondered into the woods so the later competitors could use all of the trails.

Jess Ryan (Zephyr & Merlin) came in first in the 4.8 mile 2-dog class with a time of 19:44. Gail Davidson and Tobi turned in the fastest time of the day in all 4.8 mile classes to win the one-dog class with a time of 19:22.

Sara Elzey (Myst & Ayla) won the 3.7 mile with a time of 12:54. Iris Wood (Bently & Sarge) won the 2.9 mile 2-dog class with a time of 10:52. In the closest race of the day, Pat Lovely (Tuck) 12:25 edged Matt Bray (Duke) 12:48 for the win in the 2.9 mile 1-dog class. Pat DeRuyter (Kanuti & Yukon) set the only record of the day with a time of 6:32 in the 2-dog 1.5 mile race. Jill Faudree and her young dog Firn enjoyed their first race by winning the 1.5 mile 1-dog class with a time of 20:19.

The non-husky skijorers in a relay event challenged the husky skijorers. Each of five competitors raced the 0.5 mile loop with one dog. The observation from a spectator was that the skijorers with labs and herding dogs were better skiers that the husky owners. There was talk of a rematch at Sunday’s race. The non-husky (or floppy eared dogs) won with a total time of 10:27. The Husky team finished with a time of 12:42.

Near zero degree temperatures and hard fast trails at Creamer's Field were a perfect match for dogs and skiers at the third Alaska Skijoring and Pulk Association (ASPA) Fun Run of the season.  In the biggest turnout of the season, thirty skiers and 49 dogs participated in a full slate of events and broke five of the course records that had been set just six days earlier.

George Salmon drew bib #1 for the second week in a row, but several falls and a wrong turn by his dogs undid his chance of winning again.  Mike Malvick won the 3-dog, 5.6-mile class in 17 minutes and 23 seconds after overcoming a tangle that occurred when his dogs tried to follow Salmon the wrong direction and then got tripped up when one of his dogs suddenly stopped to answer nature's call.  Salmon was second in 18:06.

Ami Gjestson shaved seven seconds off the 2-dog, 4.8-mile class record in a winning 17:30 effort. Zach Via got off the starting line 30-seconds late and ended up second only nineteen seconds behind Gjestson.  Gail Davidson repeated as winner of the 1-dog, 4.8-mile class and lowered her course record by another minute to 20:01.

Carol Kleckner won the 2-dog, 2.9-mile class for the second week in a row with a new course record time of 9:17.  Kriya Dunlap finished second in 9:36 and Sara Elzey finished third in 10:07 to also finish under the old record time of 10:19.  Elzey also ran a second team of dogs to a fourth place finish in 10:26. Kristi Carroll won the 1-dog, 2.9-mile class in 11:52.

All three competitors in the 1-dog, 1.5-mile class finished under the old course record.  Charles Deehr won in 7:32, with Frank Keirn coming in second in 8:37, and Melanie Cook was third in 10:55.

Fresh snow and well-groomed trails at Creamer's Field contributed to a day when course records were set in all classes at the second Alaska Skijoring and Pulk Association (ASPA) Fun Run of the season. Twenty-seven skiers and 42 dogs participated.

George Salmon started the day with bib #1 and that's were he finished in the 3-dog, 4.8-mile skijor class. However, being out in front wasn't enough to keep his team from getting into a head-on tangle with Amy Carroll's 2-dog team in a section of the trail where there was two-way traffic. Salmon won his class in a fast 16 minutes and 7 seconds and Sara Elzey finished second in 17:15 with Rick Reznak coming in third in 18:14.

Mike Malvick knocked nearly four minutes off the course record for the 2-dog, 4.8-mile skijor class, winning in 17:37. Janet Smith was second in 21:54 and Shayle Hutchinson finished third in 28:55. Gail Davidson won the 1-dog, 4.8 mile class in 21:02 with her chocolate lab Tobi leading the way most of the time. One two occasions Tobi met up with kennel-mate Maggie and John Eichelberger who were competing in the 1-dog, 2.9-mile class and the two dogs took time out to greet each other.

Carol Kleckner shaved 2:22 off the 2-dog, 2.9-mile course record, finishing in 10:19. Scott Campbell, 11:27, and Jessica Larsen, 11:43 also bested the old standard of 12:41.

West Valley High skier Zach Via won the 1-dog, 2.9-mile in a record time of 11:07. Melanie Cook won the 1-dog, 1.5-mile race in 14:22. Kriya Dunlap raced 7-month old Brahma to victory in the 1-dog, 0.5-mile race in 2:08. Each competitor in the 0.5-mile race finished under the old record with Jessica Larsen finishing second in 2:29 and Diann Darnell finishing third in 3:19. Larsen and Darnell were racing in their second race of the day, having both competed in the 2.9-mile race, too.

The next ASPA Fun Run will be at Creamer's Field on Saturday, January 12. Registration will begin at 11:30 a.m. and racing will begin at 12:30 p.m. ASPA will also host the 4-stage Race Across the Valley on January 17-20. Stages will be held at Lee's Cabin, Chena Lakes, Two Rivers Nordic Ski Area, and the ADMA mushing trails. A five-dog pool with a three-dog maximum per stage will be allowed. Competitors may race all or one stage. Watch the newspaper or call the ASPA hotline at 457-5456 for additional information.

Twenty-one skijorers and thirty dogs competed in the season's first Alaska Skijoring and Pulk Association (ASPA) Fun Run at Creamer's Field. The first four Fun Runs of the season were canceled due to lack of snow and rough trails, but primarily through the grooming efforts of Pat DeRuyter and Clarice Dukeminier, the Creamer's Field trails were ready for racing today.

Alina Evans borrowed George Salmon's dog Tex and beat Salmon by nearly a minute in the 5.1-mile one-dog race and Steven Sheehy won the two-dog class. Only four seconds separated Rick Reznak and Sara Elzey in the 2.9-mile three-dog race. Elzey left the starting line with three dogs in harness and crossed the finish line with two dogs in harness escorted by a collarless, harnessless Myst.

Carolyn Sheehy led Pat DeRuyter and Clarice Dukeminier across the finish in the 2.9-mile two-dog race, running a dog newly acquired from Kathy Frost. Rookies Jenny March, Denali Lovely, Steve Clautice, Theresa Hollingsworth, and Anne Barter swept the top five places in the 2.9-mile, one-dog race. Barter is an exchange student from northern Germany who learned to ski just two months ago.

Laura Eichelberger won the 0.5-mile 1-dog race, beating local television personality Andy Lynch in his inaugural skijor race.

The next scheduled ASPA Fun Run is Saturday, January 12. However, if the weather and trails conditions permit, one of the canceled Fun Runs will be rerun on January 5 or 6, pending availability of the Creamer's Field Farm House. Please read the Daily News-Miner or call the ASPA hotline at 457-5456 mid-week for an update.

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