Enterprise mushers do well in Idaho race

Published 11:47 pm Monday, January 29, 2024

By Wallowa County Chieftain

Musher Craig Anderson from Enterprise and his sled dog team run the second leg of the two-day, 52-mile Warm Lake Stage Race at the sixth annual Idaho Sled Dog Challenge. They earned second place in the race, which was the only competitive event organizers didn’t have to cancel this year due to low snowfall and poor trail conditions. They averaged 9.44 mph and completed both legs in 5:55:57. Anderson topped his performance in the inaugural Warm Lake Stage Race last year in which he finished third. His wife, Renee Grandi, took fourth place this year in the Warm Lake Stage Race, and their daughter, Morgan Anderson, is an accomplished musher who earned fourth place in the 2022 Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s 100-mile race.

WARM LAKE, Idaho — A pair of Enterprise mushers posted top-four finishes in the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge’s Warm Lake Stage Race, held Jan. 24 and 25 in Warm Lake, Idaho.

Craig Anderson finished second in the two-day 52-mile race with a total time of five hours, 55 minutes and 57 seconds. Anderson’s wife, Renee Grandi, finished fourth in the race, with a time of six hours, 19 minutes and 23 seconds.

The winner was Clayton Perry of Power, Montana, who finished the race in five hours, 38 minutes and 31 seconds.

Anderson topped his performance from last year’s Warm Lake Stage Race, where he finished third.

The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge traditionally also offers a 300-mile and 100-mile race, but organizers canceled those two races on Jan. 23 due to low snowfall and poor trail conditions.

“Trail conditions have rapidly deteriorated over the last several days with above-freezing temperatures and rain,” race founder and organizer Jerry Wortley said. “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 and the Race to the Sky near Lincoln, Montana. The Eagle Cap Extreme was canceled in January due to a lack of snow and the Montana race announced its cancellation on Jan. 22.

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