Iron Paws Stage Race News and Current Standings
Iron Paws 2018 is Underway!
This year, in order to protect our participant's privacy, our Facebook group page is closed to non-participants, so you won't be able to follow the action if you are not participating. We know we have some loyal fans that enjoy following the fun, and we hope you understand.
This year we have grown, with 166 teams. We have expanded to the north, east, and south. We have participants from the Yukon Territories, to New Mexico, to Florida, and then all the way north to Nova Scotia. If you are wondering, that is 8 Canadian provinces and 14 U.S. States.
Special congratulations go to our special award winners from last year. Allyson Mitton picked up the Sportsmanship Award, and Neil Fisher was our Rookie of the Year. Both Allyson and Neil are from team Nor'easter, and were outstanding additions to our Iron Paws family.
The race this year runs from December 31, 2017 - March 4, 2018. That's 9 weeks of crazy dog powered fun!
2017 Regional Team Champions
Northwest Washington
As always, 2017 was a hard fought race, with new and creative Regional Runs, and more points scored than in any previous year. The 2nd annual Iron Paws Dryland Relay hosted by NW Washington in Stage 9 attracted enough teams to secure the top regional team spot. All teams scored very well, even tiny team Nor'easter. Now that the Nor'easters have the rules figured out, look out!
2017 Team Results
2017 Small Team and Overall Champion
Kathi Fraser - Paws of Steel
The Grand Champion spot for 2017 went to Kathi Fraser. Kathi also was our top Master Musher. The top 5 small teams were 1. Kathi Fraser/Paws of Steel 2. Christina Sparker/Molly Mayhem 3. Kelly Owen/5-1-5-0 4. Karla Boyle/Fluffy Bugs and 5. Anissa Sanchez/MiniSledMonsters tied with Karla Boyle/Lil Bits.
2017 Overall Scores
2017 Big Team Champion
Dan Fraser - Blue Thunder
Because of the huge increase in small teams in 2017, big teams were defined as team in the 3-4 dog classes and up. Dan and Blue Thunder had a great year and ended paws above the competition. The top 5 big teams were 1. Dan Fraser/Blue Thunder 2. Donna Peck/Howling Winds 3. Diana Swinden/Salt and Pepper Pawdlers 4. Ingrid Earle/Cozmik Voyagers and 5. Kathy Thomas/KT Sams.
2017 Class ResultsWhat's New in 2018
There are some minor rule changes, which you can check out on the rules page. The biggest change this year concerns the privacy of our participants. We will continue to share the fun on Facebook, but our group this year will be closed, with posts only visible to this year's registered participants. After you have successfully registered, you will be added to the group page. So share all those great photos and videos that we all love to see every week.
The Howladays have also been updated for 2018. You will see a few old favorites, new challenges, and some twists on last year's challenges. This year we have added an Old Dog's Rule (ODR) class, for dogs that are unable to participate in the regular classes, but don't want to be left behind. You can see their stories here. Welcome Back!