"The race purse, the Pedigree musher support program, and the Wyoming people are all reasons mushers choose to participate in this race," Teasley says. "With the economy the way it is, mushers have become choosy about which events they race in. We are happy that the IPSSSDR continues to be such a popular race."

The IPSSSDR attracts many return racers like Sam Perrino and Grant Beck from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, as well as such newcomers as Chris Adkins from Montana, who is a rookie in the 2010 race. Buddy Streeper, the only musher in sport history to have won the five majors: Laconia, The Pas, Anchorage, Fairbanks and Yellowknife, returns to Wyoming to race to another victory; he won first place in his first IPSSSDR in 2004. (A full roster of 2010 mushers follows this release.)

The 2010 Jackson IPSSSDR send-off takes place January 29, 2010, at the Jackson Hole Winter Carnival complete with a bonfire, fireworks show, music and food booths, before heading on to stages in Lander, Pinedale, Cora, Big Piney/Marbleton, Alpine, Kemmerer/Diamondville, and Uinta County, and the big finish in Park City.

With its unique "stage stop" format, the race stops in a different town each night, giving the Wyoming communities turn on the hospitality for mushers and spectators alike with events from dog parades, kids’ dog sled races and ice sculpture contests to banquets, carnivals and pie socials. 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.

The International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race was founded in 1996 by Frank Teasley 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.

Mushers Registered for the 2010 IPSSSDR:
1. Stacey Teasley, WY
2. Dennis Laboda, MN
3. Debbie Moderow, AK
4. Bruce Magnusson, MI
5. Sam Perrino, NWT, Canada
6. Jarle Halsnes, CO
7. Krista Halsnes, CO
8. Jerry Bath, WY
9. Lloyd Gilbertson, MI
10. Mary Gilbertson, MI
11. Blayne Streeper, BC, Canada
12. Lina Gladh, BC, Canada
13. Aaron Peck, AB, Canada
14. James Wellert, OH
15. John Stewart, Scotland
16. Chris Adkins, MT
17. Grant Beck, NWT, Canada
18. Barrie Raper, WY
19. Kate St.Onge, UT
20. J.R. Anderson, MN

Media Contact: Darla Worden, WordenGroup Strategic Public Relations, darla@wordenpr.com, (307) 734-5335