Bikejoring teammates from the RM of Gimli are way ahead of the pack, so to speak, having once again earned a spot on the Canadian national team for harness-dog sports.
Muriel Smith is scheduled to compete with her dog Jake at the upcoming International Federation of Sled Dog Sports’ (IFSS) Dryland Mushing World Championship in Minocqua, Wis. After that race, Smith will be competing in a fun race in Inwood called the Sidewinder Dryland Race.
Smith, who’s in her 60s, said she has a passion for having fun with her dog – and likely a passion for speed.
“The whole point of bikejoring and other harness-dog sports is to have fun with your dog,” said Smith. “But if you want to race nationally or internationally, you have to adhere to IFSS standards, qualify for races and undergo anti-doping testing. Both humans and dogs fall under the World Anti-doping [Agency] rules, and they test you and your dog before — and after — races.”
Bikejoring is a harness-dog sport that has a dog or dogs attached by a harness to a bike and running ahead of a cyclist. Related sports include canicross in which an athlete runs while attached to a dog and scooterjoring in which an athlete on a non-electric kick scooter is pulled by a few or more dogs. Dryland mushing training builds physical power and agility as race courses typically consist of inclines and falling slopes and turns.
“With bikejoring we’re pedalling like crazy, but it’s the quality of the dog, as well, that makes a difference; you work as a team,” said Smith, who raced in Kenora a few weeks ago as part of a fundraiser for St. John’s Ambulance. “[Dryland racing] is a huge sport in Europe. We have athletes coming from Europe, [Oceania] and South America to compete at the world’s.”
This is the second time Smith has earned a spot on the Canadian national team to compete at the world championships. The event in Minocqua will feature six days of high speed races on dirt trails with over 350 competitors from dozens of countries around the world. The games include a medal ceremony and a banquet.
There are different divisions of athletes in harness-dog sports, said Smith. There is Junior class for 18 years and younger, Elites, Masters 40, Masters 50 and Masters 60. Smith and a bikejoring friend and fellow teammate Edie Fisher from Kenora are part of Masters 60 for women.
“Edie and I compete in the Masters 60 for women. I think she and I are the oldest competitors in bikejoring at 67 and 68 years old,” said Smith. “My other teammates are from Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and B.C. If there aren’t enough competitors for Masters 60, they’ll bump us down to Masters 50 and we’d have to race against people in their fifties.”
Smith is scheduled to race on Oct. 21 and 22.
After the world championships, she’ll be heading home to prepare for the Inwood Sidewinder Dryland Race on Oct. 26. The non-IFSS race has been an annual event since 2017 and attracts people from all over Manitoba, including Plum Coulee, St. Anne’s and Winnipeg, as well as from Ontario.
“The fellow who owns the property in Inwood maintains the trails,” said Smith. “The Sidewinder is a community fun race. But this is the first year we’ve been adamant about meeting certain regulations.”
Smith and Fisher and a few other harness-dog athletes are in the process of developing a local not-for-profit chapter under the Canadian Association of Harness Dog Sports, which is affiliated with the IFSS. Manitoba doesn’t have a chapter, but there are chapters in the Martimes, Quebec, central Ontario, Alberta and B.C.
By next year Smith said they plan to have a Mantario Harness Dogs Sports Association, which will cover Manitoba and northwestern Ontario. The purpose of having an IFSS chapter is to bring regulations and standards to the sport, hold local IFSS-compliant races and allow athletes to qualify for national and international events.
Smith said she has wonderful sponsors and other supporters behind her.
“I have good support in the community such as Bikes & Beyond and Perfectly Raw.”
She joked that Perfectly Raw powers Jake.
