The weather did not cooperate for the start of the Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog race. Rain poured down all day Thursday and into the night. The rain on packed snow at lower elevations turned the precious three inches of white stuff into slush and ice, neither great for sledding.
Wallowa County was represented by three mushers this year, but Susan Parraga, scheduled to run the 2 day 31-miles-per-day Pot Race with her purebred Siberian Huskies, scratched on Thursday morning.
“It was not worth getting sick or hurt,” she said.
Wallowa County’s other two competitors accepted the challenge. Morgan Anderson, graduating from the youth division to run the Pot Race and veterinarian Jereld Rice, who was running his first-ever race in the 200, made it through.
Rice was last in the 200 and Anderson third in the Pot Race, alive and experienced and glad to have run.
Jane Devlin of Bend, known for singing to her dogs, apparently knew the right tune and slushed on to win the Pot Race in 7 hours and 9 minutes.
“I guess there’s a reason I keep coming back,” she said. “Thursday was dirt, rocks, ice and a little bit of snow. But the thing about this race is they keep it safe. Here, it’s dogs first, its one of those races where they really get it right. Friday was a whole different race, the dogs were happy. I’ll be back, always.”
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