WARM LAKE, IDAHO The results of the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s Warm Lake Stage Race, the only race that organizers weren’t forced to cancel this year due to low snowfall and poor trail conditions, are in. Clayton Perry from Power, Mont., took first place, with Craig Anderson from Enterprise, Ore., and Trace Drake from San Angelo capturing second and third place, respectively.
Perry also had planned on competing in the 300-mile race, in which he participated in 2020 and 2022. Anderson topped his performance in the inaugural Warm Lake Stage Race last year in which he finished third. Drake, who trains under Perry, is the first Texan to compete in the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge and registered for the 100-mile race, too. This was Drake’s first sled dog race.
The final race standings for the second-annual 52-mile Warm Lake Stage Race conducted Jan. 24-25 are:
1. Clayton Perry (Power, MT) — bib #6 — 5:38:31 total time — 9.93 mph avg.
2. Craig Anderson (Enterprise, OR) — bib #4 — 5:55:57 total time — 9.44 mph avg.
3. Trace Drake (San Angelo, TX) — bib #1 — 6:05:26 total time — 8.89 mph avg.
4. Renee Grandi (Enterprise, OR) — bib #7 — 6:19:23 total time — 8.36 mph avg.
5. Jane Devlin (Bend, OR) — bib #5 — 7:08:52 total time — 7.83 mph avg.
6. Liz Nevills (Middleton, ID) — bib #3 — 9:18:51 total time — 6.01 mph avg.
7. Caroline Nevills (Middleton, ID) — bib #2 — total time N/A — 6.01 mph avg.
Mother and daughter Elizabeth and Caroline Nevills from Middleton, Idaho, vied in the Warm Lake Stage Race. Unfortunately, the younger Nevills was unable to run the second day of the race after tipping her sled in some deeper snow on the edge of the trail and injuring her shoulder.
Familial connections are very common among Idaho Sled Dog Challenge mushers. For instance, fourth-place finisher Renee Grandi is the wife of second-place finisher Craig Anderson and the mother of Morgan Anderson, an accomplished musher who earned fourth place in the 2022 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s 100-mile race.
Race organizers announced earlier last week they were cancelling the 2024 ceremonial start, 100-mile race, and 300-mile race. They had been closely monitoring trail conditions the past several weeks and with recent snowfall decided on Jan. 15 the races were a go. However, race organizers decided to rescind that decision Jan. 23, a news release said.
“Trail conditions have rapidly deteriorated over the last several days with above-freezing temperatures and rain,” race founder and organizer Jerry Wortley said in the release. “According to weather forecasts, conditions will continue to get worse, making the trails unsafe for the dogs and their mushers.”
The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is part of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown, which also includes the Eagle Cap Extreme near Joseph, Ore., and the Race to the Sky near Lincoln, Mont. The former was cancelled several weeks ago due to lack of snow, and organizers of the latter race announced its cancellation Jan. 22.
Tickets are still available for the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s two VIP trip raffles to the 2024 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska where Anchorage is enjoying record snowfall this winter. Only 500 raffle tickets for two trips are available and cost $100. With only 126 raffle tickets sold as of press time, Wortley said the odds of winning are outstanding.
The five-day guided packages are worth $20,000 each. Two winning ticket holders and their choices of one guest each will experience what Wortley — an Iditarod Air Force pilot — bills as the adventure of a lifetime Feb. 29-March 5. He said they will fly out on the Iditarod Trail, visit checkpoints, see the canine athletes in their element, take in Alaska’s beauty and culture, and experience the vast untamed wilderness of the last frontier.
Visit https://go.eventgroovefundraising.com/iditarodtourpackage/Campaign/Details to purchase a raffle ticket. The winning tickets will be drawn Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. MST. All proceeds benefit the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge, a 501(C)(3) nonprofit (Idaho Charitable Gaming License 23-R-5411-R).
Wortley said the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is looking forward to hosting its 2025 events and that dates will be set in the coming weeks.
Race organizers said the event couldn’t be staged without the generous support of its many sponsors and volunteers. Visit idahosleddogchallenge.com to sign up as a sponsor or volunteer for the 2025 race.
