Note: VISIT www.myopiasleddograces.com for the latest updates- also on FaceBook

THE MOMENT THEY’VE BEEN TRAINING FOR IS HERE.
The countdown is finished and they are sprinting. The race is wildly thrilling. The trail bends, rises and dips. Joyous barks subside as the dogs settle into their 20-mph pace. The only sounds are the muffled thunder of paws, the sled on snow and one trusted voice. Fast and coordinated, the team of faithful animals and their driver move instinctively through the unspoiled winter wonderland toward the finish line.

THE MYOPIA SLED DOG RACES
Sled dog racing, especially seen up close, is exciting winter sport. Contrary to popular belief, Eskimos and frozen tundra are optional. In fact, a hardworking group of local volunteers has launched a new competition close to home. Their efforts, combined with vast acres of contiguous open space in Ipswich and South Hamilton, have made it possible for sled dog teams to run for miles through the rolling fields and snow-covered forests in our backyard.

Given seasonable weather, 50 mushers – amateur and professional drivers from all over New England – will convene in January at the Myopia Sled Dog Races (MSDR). Competing on 3-, 5-, 7- and 9- mile trails, they’ll traverse properties owned by the Trustees of Reservations, the Myopia Schooling Field Trust, Essex County Greenbelt and Pingree School. “We’ll get the race to the edge so people feel a part of it. It’s really exciting – standing 6 feet away – the dogs are moving and the snowis flying,” describes MSDR organizer Denny Ryus of Hamilton.

Nearly 3,000 spectators turned out for the inaugural event last January, proving that something special about sled dogs stirs the imagination. Perhaps it’s the call of the wild whispering – if not to race, then at least to experience the thrill vicariously.

The 2011 MSDR event is shaping up to be even better than last year. The races (200-yard, 1-dog sprints by intrepid youngsters to 9-mile, 10- to 14-dog contests by professional teams) will run at more frequent intervals as a result of route improvements. Consequently, the start and finish lines have moved from Bay Road in Hamilton to Waldingfield Road in Ipswich.

There also will be plenty to do in the staging area,where sled dog enthusiasts chat about their sport and vendors sell steaming drinks and hotdogs.When the sled dogs on hand aren’t resting or getting into harness, visitors might be treated to a pat or a picture.

THE HAPPY LIFE OF A SLED DOG
“They just want to please us. They are so affectionate,” says Rainer Wischinski, a sled dog kennel owner from New Hampshire who raced at the MSDR last year.Wischinski and hiswifeAnita own 20 dogs and are members of the New England Sled Dog Racing Club, which advocates for the responsible care and treatment of the animals.

According to Wischinski, sled dogs in this part of the country are typically very friendly, because many are mixed breed Husky-Hounds. The blend is ideal, because Huskies have independent temperaments and strong performance in long, cold races,while Hounds are playful, social and excellent sprinters. Plus, the Hounds’ thinner coats make the crossbred dogs less likely to overheat in warm weather. “These dogs are athletes,” Wischinski says. Like human athletes, sled dogs eat special, high quality food and get plenty of exercise. They train for winter races throughout the off-season. Because they get good care, food formulated for working dogs and regular exercise, a sled dog’s life expectancy can be 15 to 17 years – longer thanmost pets. With such close bonds between sled dogs and owners, the dogs often are accepted as lifelong family members. When too old to race, older dogs still offer plenty of love and companionship.

AN HOMAGE TO OPEN SPACE
“If we didn’t have open space, we wouldn’t have a race,” says Dan “Big Dog” Sears ofHamilton. Sears devised the idea for the MSDR in late 2009, when a trustee of the Myopia Schooling Field Trust asked himto help draw attention to local land resources. “This ground is important,” Ryus agrees. “We did this to highlight the great privilege of having open space.”

SCHEDULE OF 2011 MYOPIA SLED DOG RACES (VISIT http://www.myopiasleddograces.com/ for the latest)

RACES: SATURDAY, JANUARY 15TH
9:00 a.m.- Skijoring -1 and 2 dogs run together - 4-mile
3-Dog Junior - 4-mile
4-Dog Professional/Sportsman - 4-mile
Norman Vaughan Memorial Race - 11-mile
Noon
1-Dog Junior - 200 yards
6-Dog Professional/Sportsman - 6-mile
8-Dog Professional - 8-mile

RACES: SUNDAY, JANUARY 16TH
9:00 a.m.-
Skijoring -1 and 2 dogs run together - 3-mile
3-Dog Junior - 4-mile
4-Dog Professional/Sportsman - 4-mile
Norman Vaughan Memorial Race - 11-mile
Noon
1-Dog Junior - 200 yards
6-Dog Professional/Sportsman - 6-mile
8-Dog Professional - 8-mile

LILY STEWART: Making History
Lily Stewart of Ipswich is a local favorite and a dynamo musher. At 13, she’s a legitimate contender in a sport that doesn’t differentiate by age or gender.

Among the trophies decorating her bedroom,most cherished is the medal she won as the 3-Dog Junior World Champion in 2009. That victory was earned in Canada in temperatures below zero, against challengers from 20 countries.

The same year, Lily was awarded a Gold Medal from the International Sled Dog Racing Association for accumulating the most points in her class during the season.

Lily races professionally now, driving 4- to 6-dog teams. She devotes every weekend to training and nurturing the dogs, while still earning A’s at Ipswich Middle School. Aside from the substantial time commitment, she and her mother, Diane Locotos, have invested in a 23-dog kennel and purchased considerable gear and equipment.

Lily trains with a mentor in New Hampshire and locally in Willowdale Unlike many official races that take
place on packed ski mobile trails, the MSDR event offers a natural track made possible by the ongoing efforts of nonprofits like the Myopia Schooling Field Trust, The Trustees of Reservations, Essex County Greenbelt and the Essex County Trail Association. These organizations maintain exceptional landscapes for community access.

“Open space is such a special thing to have.We have to cherish it and these organizations need help,” Sears says. In addition to raising awareness of the issue, Sears and Ryus intend to help financially. They’re working to build MSDR sponsorships to levels that will both sustain the annual races and provide contributions to MSDR nonprofit partners.

NORMAN VAUGHAN: Hamilton's Sled Dog Adventurer
Norman Vaughan taught old dogs new tricks. At least that’s what happened when he was 12 and hooked up hismutt, Rex, to a Flexible Flyer sled and taught him to “mush!”

With help from his buddy,Eddie Goodale, Eddie’s dog Fido and a $10 Saint Bernard from the pound,Vaughan succeeded.After months of practice,he could drive his ragtag dog team and makeshift sled through any backwoods on the North Shore. Vaughan saw this as the beginning of his long life of adventure. For the rest of his days – he died in 2005 at the age of 100 – he was never far fromsled dogs, wilderness or, for thatmatter, danger. He and his dog teams were among the first to set foot in the interior of Antarctica on the famed expedition led by Admiral Byrd in 1928. They delivered medicine to isolated villages in Newfoundland, rescued lost fighter pilots from the Greenland ice sheet in World War II, and competed in the Iditarod 13 times after Vaughan’s 72nd birthday.

In January, he will be honored as the namesake of the longest contest in the Myopia Sled Dog Races. The tribute is fitting. Many area residents knew Vaughan, who was born in Salem and lived for years in Hamilton.

Others delight in the re-telling of his youthful adventures, like when, at age 15, he persuaded his parents to let him camp alone on Crane Beach for aweek. Vaughan set off with only the shirt on his back,wanting nothingmore than to rely on his own survival instincts.

Vaughan was indomitable despite great risks. No ordinary man, his exploits are chronicled in a gripping autobiography, “My Life of Adventure,” co-written in 1995 with Cecil B.Murphey.

In the book, ashedidinperson,Vaughan makes clear his central message: “Live out your dreams. Take every opportunity to face your challenges with enthusiasm, and then live adventurously.”