The Alaska Sled Dog Racing Association and the Greater Anchorage, Inc. have jointly announced the cancellation of the 2021 Fur Rendezvous Open World Championship Sled Dog Race, citing concerns over large crowds and public health issues.
The 2021 Open World Championship Sled Dog Race was scheduled for late February- early March in association with the annual Fur Rendezvous.
In a release from race organizers, “Both organizations place the greatest priority on community health and recognize that the requirements for the race itself and the large crowds of spectators that gather downtown for the start and finish of this amazing race is too risky during the Covid 19 pandemic. We hope to welcome competitors and spectators from around the world again in 2022 for another showdown of the fastest dogs in the world.”
The World Championship Sled Dog Race, a sprint format race consisting of three days of competition over a 26-mile course through the Anchorage Municipality, has been a staple of dog sled racing in Alaska since its inception and inaugural race in 1946.
Cancellation of the event is not unheard of; in fact, due to weather and snow conditions, the World Championship Sled Dog Race has been cancelled or re-formatted seven times since 1986.
