Four dogs harnessed and tethered to a three-wheel cart where their musher stands are led into the chute for the start of their race.
Their excitement is palpable as their barks nearly drown out the crowd and handlers need to hold them in place, so they don’t jump the start.
But as soon as the countdown reaches zero, the barks fade away as they focus on the task in front of them.
“You're so in tune with your dog. It's almost like tunnel vision. When you're out there, you're so focused, it's hard to notice anything else out there,” said Niina Baum of Rhinelander.
Baum was competing in the 1-dog scooter race Thursday with her sister’s dog Dusty. She’ll be racing with two of her dogs in the 2-dog scooter races this weekend.
“It's really key to have the extra power and strength, especially on a hilly course like this. He's also really fast, so he's the perfect 1-dog scooter dog,” said Baum, referring to Dusty. “Then my other two are going to be for the 2-dog scooter, this way no one gets overran.”
Baum has been mushing since she was six growing up on her family’s farm in Wisconsin.
While it started with how most people probably picturing mushing with snow instead of dirt trails, Baum started getting into dryland when she was about 12.
“I love that I can continue to be out on the trail with my dogs outside of the winter season,” said Baum. “It expands the time that I can be with them doing this.”
The first International Federation of Sled Dog Sports (IFSS) Dryland Mushing World Championship was held in 2002 in Italy.
The sport started gaining popularity in the U.S. shortly after that.
Dryland mushing is the same concept as regular mushing except the sleds and cross-country skis are swapped for bikes, scooters, and wheeled carts and the races are usually a shorter distance.
Baum competed in her first Dryland World Championship in 2019 in Sweden.
“I was completely blown away. I was just like, we have to do this in the U.S.,” said Baum.
As a United States Federation of Sled Dog Sports Board Member, Baum and others with the organization worked to bring the Dryland Mushing World Championships to the U.S. for the first time.
More than 350 competitors from 20+ countries are spending the week at Minocqua Winter Park to compete for the podium.
“I think it's just really cool to bring it here to the Northwoods of Wisconsin too. It’s basically my local community, not far from where I grew up,” said Baum. “It definitely has a lot of personal meaning to me.”
André Boysen Hillestad has been competing in dryland mushing since he was 13.
“It's fun, it goes fast, and you have to be a little bit crazy in the head,” said Hillestad.
The 23-year-old travelled from Norway to race his dogs in the one- and two-dog scooter races.
Hillestad and his 7.5-year-old dog Mercedes raced the 1-dog scooter race Thursday.
“It was super good. I think we're leading with 12 seconds, as I understood now,” said Hillestad.
Competitors do the same race twice over two days. Times are combined to determine placement.
Hillestad has been enjoying competing in the U.S. calling it fun and “quite an experience.”
Destiney Kiel from Grant, Michigan says that’s been a similar reaction from a lot of the international mushers. Kiel is the sponsorship fundraiser chair for the USFSS.
“We've had so many compliments on the trail, the trees, and the hospitality here in Wisconsin that it makes us proud,” said Kiel.
Kiel has been mushing for 23 years. This is her first time competing in the Dryland World Championship.
“This is the first time that I've really been able to race against some of these other competitors and see what they do for training and see their dogs. It is quite the experience,” said Kiel.
Kiel is competing in the 4-dog rig with her lead dogs Ember and Bolt and wheel dogs Trill and Blitz.
For Kiel, the sport is all about enjoying more outdoor time with them.
“I love the bond that I create with my dogs. They're my teammates. We do everything together, from eat, sleep, train, what I do, they do,” she said.
As racers, both two- and four-legged, compete for a spot on the podium, for Baum and others with USFSS the victory is in getting the Dryland Mushing World Championship to the U.S.
“It is really a historic moment,” said Baum.
The Dryland World Championship ends Sunday afternoon with a Medal Ceremony for podium finishers and an Official Closing Ceremony.
Spectators are welcome. You can find a schedule at Minocqua.org.
