13/07/2026
On the weekend, we attended Running West Sled Dog Club's Sled Dog Masters, and for the first time in almost a decade, I (Narelle), was not part of the RGO.
It was nice to have more flexibility on the weekend and not have to worry about RGO duties, but also a little weird.
On the weekend, Adam entered bikejor with Laska, and I entered 4-dog with C**t, Jaffa, Skylar and Eevee.
Sammie had Ink in bikejor.
In heat 1, I was nervous. It has been a while since I have run 4-dogs, and then add the darkness of the forest, and a new track. The dark got the better of me, and I swear there was a tree hanging upside down, and my brain and my eyes could not make sense of it.
seeing
I felt I was lost most of the time, although there were very few chances to take a wrong turn and get lost, and I was relieved to see another musher eventually. The track also seemed to go on forever; it was almost 6kms, so it kinda did.
It was on the warmer side, and C**t seemed to look around a bit, so we trotted and I scooted as best I could. Back on the home stretch the dogs powered up again and finished well.
From the video of Laska's run, he did well - lefts and rights need work, but will come soon enough as he gains experience.
Sammie seemed to go out and come home well with Ink.
On Sunday, the temps were not ideal, and distances were cut, and bike went out first. No video this time, but Laska came home well.
Sammie and Ink finished strong.
In 4-dog, it was novel to go out in the light of day. I much preferred being able to clearly see the track. I felt I was more aggressive on my cornering, and I did not use my brakes as much as the night before.
We were concerned when we came upon a musher minus his team, but the dogs were doing their thing, running their own race. Musher and dogs were eventually reunited and ran to the finish. Everyone was ok!
At the end of the race, OBD placed:
1st in 4-dog
4th (Ink) and 6th (Laska) in open bike.
Well done to the doggos and humans!
It was also special to receive an award for my time serving on the RGO. If you have heard me speak about the club before, you would know RW is where my sledding journey began. It is my heart club. 17 years ago, the girls, who were always encouraging, inspiring, shared stories, their passion and their love of dogs, and this sport made me want to be a part of this community. It has been a truly life-changing experience, and I look forward to seeing what comes next.
We have 1 weekend of rest, and then we head back to Jarrahwood for WASSA's race.
Thanks to Roaming with a lens photography for these pics below.
