Mainers to try dry land mushing Sled dog sports group promotes first-ever world competition in Italy

KENNEBUNK – Growing up in Smithfield, Jean Perron would tie her Alaskan malamute’s leash to her bike in order to keep up with him. The Waterboro woman now has 22 Siberian huskies that she uses to pull her on a four-wheeled cart or on her bike.

Perron, 35, will draw on those years of experience when she and five other Mainers – including her 10-year-old daughter Jillian – travel to Italy this week to participate in the first-ever “dry land” world mushing championship.

The sport, an offshoot of sled-dog mushing, is promoted by the International Federation of Sled Dog Sports as a way to advocate mushing – without snow.

In place of sleds, competitors are pulled by their dog teams on scooters, bikes and carts; some people simply run with their dogs.

Opening ceremonies will be held Friday in Ravenna, a town of 150,000 on the Adriatic coast which is known more for its beaches than for its sled-dog history.

Though some racers have chosen to qualify in previous events, the world competition isn’t restricted to prequalifiers, organizers say.

“It’s mostly a test to gauge how much interest there is,” said Karen Applebee, 32, of Windham, a dog groomer who is a member of the Downeast Sled Dog Club and one of the Mainers going to Ravenna. “It’s an introduction to see what we’ll get for competitors.”

Other Mainers competing will include Sara Vanderwood, 31, of Oxford, a legislative aide in the state Senate; Billy Foster, 34, of Poland, a diesel mechanic; and Tim McMahon, 35, of Harrison, a social worker. Also competing will be Ed Clifford, 37, of Raymond, N.H., a UPS employee.

Competitors will include dozens of people from other nations besides the United States, such as Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Poland, Canada, Portugal, France, Russia, South Africa and Ukraine.

Tim White, the Minnesota-based president of the International Federation of Sled Dog Sports, says people don’t typically think of mushing as an activity done on dry land.

“But when one lives in an area without snow, one has to improvise,” White said. “In many parts of the world this is the only type of mushing you can do.”