Staff Writer
EAGLE LAKE — On Jan 24, Eagle Lake was home to the annual Irving Woodlands Madbomber® 100- and 30-mile races. This was the fifth year of the 100-mile race, and the first year of the 30-mile race.
Photo Contributed by Jeffery Piper
Sled dogs eagerly start the Irving Woodlands Madbomber® Eagle Lake dog sled race on Jan 24.
According to race coordinator Tenley Bennett, this was the fastest finish in five-year history of the event; all teams were across the finish line by roughly 4 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Lindy Howe, from Stockholm, completed the 100-mile race in 12 hours and 42 minutes and placed last out of nine mushers. Martin Massicotte, of St. Tite, Quebec, won the race in 9 hours and 22 minutes.
Larry Murphy of Ft. Kent placed seventh in the 100-mile race, finishing in 10 hours and 50 minutes.
Kevin Quist, also from Stockholm, completed the 30-mile race in 4 hours and 42 minutes and placed last out of three mushers. Amelie Auburt, of Pont Rouge, Quebec, won the race in 2 hours and 53 minutes.
“Of all my years of racing, I have never seen such community support with all the volunteers who worked so hard for the education and enjoyment of dog sledding,” Howe said. “It was a fantastic event,” she added, “I will definitely be there next year and am looking forward to it already.”
“I think that the race went very well,” said Quist. “This was my first race ever, and the trail was great,” he added, “it was challenging because of the hills, which are one of the things that make Northern Maine such a great place for sled dog races.”
Quist competed with six of his sled dogs, and while they didn’t place first, they still found it to be an enjoyable experience.
“I’m happy with my completion time, and I’m happy with the way my dogs performed,” Quist said, “I think the dogs were happy, too; they love to run and they love to work.”
“Some people who aren’t familiar with the sport think that we make the dogs run,” Quist added, “a lot of the time, we try to slow them down; they want to run because it’s something they love to do.”
Quist has been training the team that he ran with during the 30-mile race since September 2008, and his time in the 30-mile race reinforced what he had previously learned during training.
“This race emphasized the fact that I need to do more hill training,” he said, “and one of the larger aspects of training is being prepared for anything when you’re out there in the wilderness with six dogs.”
“We’re not out there to win races,” he added, “but it’s an awesome thing to be around other mushers — to see what they do — and that was a big benefit of this Irving Woodlands Madbomber® 30-mile race.”
Photo Contributed by Tracy Ackerson
Crossing the finish line of the Irving Woodlands Madbomber® Eagle Lake dog sled race, Lindy Howe was smiling despite being covered in ice.
Photo Contributed by Jeffery Piper
Kevin Quist and his team leave the starting line of the 30-mile Irving Woodlands Madbomber® Eagle Lake dog sled race on Jan. 24.
