Jackson, Wyoming—The 2004 International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR), the largest sled dog race in the lower 48 states, will travel through ten Wyoming communities, January 24-January 30, 2004, announced Race Director Frank Teasley.  The 2004 IPSSSDR begins in Jackson, then travels to Kemmerer/Diamondville, Evanston/Mountain View/Lyman, Alpine, Pinedale and Lander before returning to Jackson’s Teton Village.

“For the ninth year, Wyoming communities continue to give the race and the mushers tremendous support,” says race co-founder Frank Teasley.  “Many of the mushers return to Wyoming each year to visit the friends they’ve made along the way.”

With its unique “Stage Stop” racing format, the race stops in a different Wyoming community each night. Towns host festivities for mushers and spectators ranging from junior dog sled races for children, dog parades and ice sculpture contests, to banquets, carnivals and fishing derbies.

The IPSSSDR is limited to 30 teams. Previous IPSSSDR champions include Rick Swenson, Alaska, 1996; Hans Gatt, Austria, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001; Jeff King, Alaska, 1999; Melanie Shirilla, Montana, 2002; and Gwen Holdmann, Alaska, 2003.  Holdmann, the second woman to win the race, will return in 2004 as the defending champion. 

Pedigree® Food for Dogs is the title sponsor of the IPSSSDR.  The Pedigree® brand actively supports a wide range of programs that promote responsible pet ownership and highlight the contributions dogs make to society.  Such programs include Homeward Bound, a national pet adoption support program to encourage adoption of the nation’s 12 million homeless animals; the National Association for Search and Rescue; police canine units; and non-profit organizations that train and place service dogs for hearing and visually impaired people. 

The International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race was founded in 1996 to make sled dog racing more accessible to the public. For more information, visit the race Website at www.wyomingstagestop.org, contact the race via e-mail at wystagestop@blissnet.com or telephone at (307) 734-1163, or visit www.pedigree.com.

  2004 International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race Schedule