The Race is on

Dogs and mushers are slated to be back in Lincoln next month as the 36th Race to the Sky returns after falling victim last year - as so many other events had - to COVID-19 concerns.

This year's events kick off in Lincoln Friday, Feb. 11 with the 300-mile vet check at 1 p.m. at the Hi Country Trading Post parking lot. The 100-mile vet check is scheduled the following morning at 10 a.m.

The return of Race to the Sky will also see one of the largest fields of teams in several years, with a total of 28 mushers registered between the 300-mile and 100-mile races.

"It's going to be a very good turnout after last year with COVID," said Race Chairman Roy Etnire of Seeley Lake.

That field reportedly includes two sets of father and son teams, Bailey Vitello and Greg Vitello of Milan N.H. and Rex Mumford of Huntville, Utah and Bryce Mumford of Preston, Idaho who will be competing in the 300-mile; a husband-and-wife team, Cheyenne Kunzler and John Kunzler of Vernal, Utah who will be competing in the 100 mile; and one team making its racing debut.

For the first time in several years, this year's race also includes a musher based in Lincoln. Nicole Lombardi, who has been living and training at local mushing icon Doug Swingley's place, has been competing for a year and won the 100-mile Eagle Cap Extreme in Oregon just last month.

Teams will hit the trail at the Race to the Sky starting arch at Hi Country Trading Post west of Lincoln beginning at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12.

The 100-mile race ends at the Morrel Creek trailhead, with teams expected to arrive between 3 a.m. and noon. The 100-mile awards ceremony is set for 1 p.m. at the Seeley Lake Community Hall.

The first teams in the 300-mile race are expected to cross the finish line at Hi Country between 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 14 and noon Tuesday, Feb. 15, with the award ceremony there set for 1 p.m.

"Our trails are looking really good, as long as we don't get a chinook that blows through," said Etnire, who was in Lincoln last weekend to check out the trails on the race route with members of the Ponderosa Snow Warriors. He said he'd like to see a little more snow at the start point and hopes to see temperatures in the 20's rather than the 30's come race day.

Etnire said a rumor that the start of the race is going to be moved out of Lincoln is a rumor they didn't start. He said they do have to submit three different versions of the race's operating plan in case there isn't enough snow in Lincoln for the race, but said their plan is to keep the start in Lincoln.

"The people at Hi Country have partnered with the race for 20 some years," he said. "We love running over here. the snowmobilers here in Lincoln have been incredible over the years."

However, Etnire said they did have to suspend one of their regular events in Lincoln. "Because of the COVID situation we decided we can't have a public pre-race banquet this year," he said. "We would love next year to have the pre-race banquet like we always did in Lincoln."

This year's race will also honor the memory of co-founder Dave Armstrong, who died at the age of 100 in April of 2021, just weeks after Sen. Steve Daines recognized him before Congress.

"Dave was one of the instrumental people, not just in Race to the Sky, but in mushing in general. Period. He was a very interesting man, and he did some very interesting stuff," Etnire said.

Armstrong was the last surviving member of World War II's War Dogs for Defense program at Camp Rimini beginning in 1943. In 1986, he helped found the predecessor to the Race to the Sky, the Montana's Governor's Cup Sled Dog Race, which honored the dogs and soldiers who trained at Camp Rimini.

Race to the Sky is still looking for volunteer snowmobilers to help with marking the trail and to man the checkpoints in the case of an emergency.

"There are options out there, but we could always use a half a dozen people," said Etnire. "We have a couple trails that are on the road over by Whitetail Ranch we need to have monitored by people. There are times when we have to run down a plowed road, and it's really nice to have a vehicle parked there with their headlights on so the teams know to turn where they need to turn."

Anyone interested in volunteering can call Roy at 406-250 6449 or can fill out a volunteer form online at https://racetothesky.org/volunteer.