Sled sports will be presented - come and try dog running with your own dog

Kontiolahti Urheilijat ry's newest sport, sledding, will be presented on Sunday, September 26. 12-15 at the public event organized at the Kontiolahti Biathlon Stadium.

—There are dogs in more than half a million households, but sledding with a dog is a new experience for many. On the sport presentation day, we want to highlight, among other things, that team sports can be enjoyed even without the ambition of competitive sports, says Markku Kanko, chairman of the team sports section of the Kontiolahti Athletes' Association.

Opportunity to try with your own dog

The public event consists of a public lecture, getting to know the equipment of sledding sports and trying out a dog run. In the lecture, we will learn about team sport as a sport, its training, and the activities of the team team division of the Kontiolahti Sportsmen's Association.

You can also try the sled sports equipment on site in practice, put them on your own dog and try a joint run with the dog.

There is also harness athlete Jenna Kanko and her dog Hely.

—With borrowed equipment, you can test what dog running feels like. If the experiment is even a little bit interesting, now is a particularly good opportunity, Markku Kanko says.

Dog skiing shifts five times a week

At the Kontiolahti biathlon stadium, team sports have been seen above all through the team skiing shifts and the SC championships organized at the stadium. In the middle of January, the national team skiing and four-dog sprint class competitions are held at the stadium. The club's own athletes also travel to events in other parts of Finland.

During the first snow season that opens in October, sledding athletes have their own turns.

—A year ago, we tried dog skiing shifts five days a week during the first snow season. The feedback was good, and we will continue with the same model this autumn from mid-October, says the club's chairman Kimmo Turunen.

More information:

Markku Kanko, chairman of the team sports division, Kontiolahti Urheilijat ry, 0400-301371

Kimmo Turunen, chairman, Kontiolahti Sportsmen's Association 050-5633480

INFO: Dog sled sports

Summer sports

Dog running (canicross): The simplest form of sledding, where one dog and its handler run together while the dog pulls the handler. Competition distances are mostly 5-6 km for adults and 3 km for young people.

Dog cycling (bikejoring): One dog and its bicycle handler travel together while the dog pulls the handler. Most often, competition distances are 4-5 km in national competitions.

Cart driving (rig): 1-8 dogs pull a handler moving on a scooter/cart. Competition distances are mostly 5-10 km.

Winter sports

Sledding:In competitions, a sled controlled by an instructor is pulled by 4, 6, 8 or an open number of dogs.

Harley skiing:

• Harness, i.e. pole skiing, where one dog pulls a pole behind him, followed by a skier connected to the pole and guiding the dog. Competition distances are usually 10-15 km.
• Dog skiing, where one dog pulls the skier. The skier and the dog are connected to each other with a flexible tow rope. Competition distances 5–20 km.
• Combined, in which the first round is run with a pole behind (pole skiing) and the second round as dog skiing.

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