New Sport Ties Old Friends - Canicross team heads for competition
By Dan Daly, Journal staff Sunday, November 11, 2007
RAPID CITY — There’s an old saying in dog sledding: You are only as fast as the slowest dog on your team. Nolan Taylor of Rapid City knows exactly who the slow dog is on his team.
It’s Taylor.
He and Grody, his German shorthaired pointer, participate in the sport of canicross. It’s like dog sledding without the sled.
Human and dog, tethered together by a 9-foot bungee cord, run in cross-country races. With the constant tug from the dog, the runner can take strides as long as six feet and run at speeds of up to 18 mph.
“It’s a crazy, adrenaline-filled sport,” he said. “Uphills are crazy fast, downhills are just crazy.”
Canicross is a variation on the emerging group of dog-powered sports that grew out of mushing, or dog sledding.
The list includes skijoring (dog-powered cross-country skiing), bikejoring (dog-powered bicycling), scootering (using a push scooter with a dog), gigs (dog-powered carts) and canicross. Some people even do inline skating with dogs.
Taylor said the so-called “dryland” summer sports, such sa canicross and bikejoring, have been viewed as off-season diversions for mushers to keep themselves and their dogs in shape. But increasingly, he said, dryland racing has become a sport in its own right. That’s especially true in South America and Europe.
Next week, Taylor and Grody will put their training to the test. They travel to Brainerd, Minn., to compete in the East Meets West Dryland Challenge. Dog-powered events include bikejoring, cart races, scooter races and canicross.
Taylor had to petition race organizers to let him enter in the pro division. His own credentials were solid. Taylor is a seven-time All-American cross-country runner.
Event organizers were concerned about Grody’s lack of experience. There will be lots of dogs, runners and other distractions; there’s no room in the pro division for novice pups. But Taylor persuaded the organizers that Grody is up to the challenge.
At the East Meets West, the canicross trail covers 1.7 miles. Teams run it twice over two days, and the sum of the times is the team’s score.
“If we can do 4:20 or 4:30 (minutes per mile), we have a shot at running with the big dogs,” he said.
Taylor, 25, is originally from Montana. In 2003, he was a standout track and cross-country runner at Minot (N.D.) State University. He also had an interest in dog sledding, so when he returned to Montana and went to work for a local musher. Taylor picked up dog droppings — and picked his mentor’s brain about the sport of mushing.
He later moved to Pennsylvania, where he ran an outdoor education center. It was there he got involved in skijoring.
So how much faster can a runner run with a dog? Without Grody, Taylor said he can run six miles in about 42 minutes. With Grody, he has run five miles in just over 26 minutes.
Under canicross rules, the cord between the dog and the runner must be 7 to 12 feet and include a bungee cord to smooth out the pull. There’s no jerking or yanking on the tether.
Taylor adopted Grody, 2, from the Humane Society a year ago. He turned out to be a natural canicrosser. Although most people think of huskies when they think of dog-powered sports, Taylor said such breeds as the German shorthaired pointer are well-suited for dryland racing. They handle warm weather better than huskies do, and they have enough brawn to pull a canicross runner.
But Grody is no mutt on a mission. Taylor said the dog is a well-trained team member. He knows how to keep the tagline tension right to keep the team moving.
Taylor has another dog — with no interest in canicross. He’d rather stay home. But Grody lives to run. The two train regularly on M Hill and other local trails.
Taylor said he gets a variety of reactions from people on the trail. Most are very interested and have lots of questions. One day when Taylor and Grody were on M Hill, they met a man who was hiking with his husky-mix dog. The man stopped them; he wanted to know more about the sport and how to get involved. “He said, ‘It looks like you both are having fun,’” Taylor said.
But another man, a bicyclist, muttered an obscenity as Taylor and Grody passed him on the trail. Taylor stopped to inquire. The man accused Taylor of cruelty to animals for making the dog pull him up the hill.
Taylor was puzzled by the accusation. He insists that Grody loves to run with him. The dog jumps and barks at the very sight of the canicross harness. Rather than argue with the bicyclist, Taylor resumed his run.
“I’ve got to be an ambassador for the sport,” he said.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is, predictably, opposed to dog-powered sports.
But Rapid City veterinarian Susan Jones said dogs, like other athletes, should have no trouble if they are in good physical condition.
“If the dogs are in shape, and they work into it with training sessions, they should be fine,” she said. It’s important to bring plenty of water and not to let the dog work too hard for too long, Jones said.
“It’s a good sport to enjoy with your dog. They love to be outside, and they love to be active,” she said.
Contact Dan Daly at 394-8421 or [email protected]
Letters To The Editor about this article:
Journal Watch wrote on Nov 11, 2007 2:25 PM:” So, what the headline ACTUALLY should say is that the sport ties old friends TOGETHER. ”
rooster wrote on Nov 11, 2007 10:39 AM:” love your story what a great new sport ”
Dogs Rule wrote on Nov 11, 2007 9:55 AM:“Great article Dan - couldn’t help but notice the reference to PETA and the moron on the trail accusing this guy of being cruel to his dog - the guy rescued the dog from being put down and helps the dog lead a very enjoyable life. PETA ever comes around here, they’d better get ready for some fine rhetoric back at them. Many thanks to people like Nolan Taylor - being GOOD to his dog! “
