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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 2019)
A16 Wallowa County Chieftain NEWS Wednesday, January 30, 2019 Race: Enterprise veterinarian triumphs in Eagle Cap Extreme 100-mile event Continued from Page A1 Rice also took home the ECX Veterinarian’s award for the best kept team in the 100-mile race. “This award considers the mush- er’s organization, effi- ciency of care for their team, how well the musher can quiet the dogs and get them to rest when they need to,” said head veterinar- ian Dr. Kathleen McGill. “But most important is the respect the musher has for the dogs. When we can see a connection, we know there is something special going on.” In the closely-con- tested mid-distance race, a total of 62 miles over two days, local favorite Mor- gan Anderson tied for sec- ond place with Dina Lund of Okanagan, Washington, both with times of six hours 53 minutes. They were just two minutes faster than fourth place finisher Jane Devlin of Bend. Race win- ner Miriam Osredkar won with a time of six hours, 28 minutes. Osredkar won the 200 mile race last year, but decided to run the shorter event this year as a train- ing event for her “puppy” team of one and two year- old Alaskan Huskies. The father-son teams of Brett Bruggeman and Spen- cer Bruggeman, both of Great Falls, Montana, dom- inated the premier 200-mile event. They ran most of the course together, averaging almost 20 mph for the first half of the race. Spencer won the event in a time of 31 hours 51 minutes, while his father, Brett crossed the finish line in 31 hours, 57 minutes. “I want to thank our dogs,” Brett said. “I think of our dogs as champions. When we are back in the kennels and we look at each other, we all know that we have given our very best.” Best Kept Team award in the 200 mile race went to Gabe Dunham of Darby, CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP LEFT: OPB Films start Oregon Public Broadcasting camera captures Spencer Bruggeman’s eager team at the start of the Eagle Cap Extreme 200 mile race. Musher Roy Etnire and his dog, Coal, await vet checks in Enterprise on Wednesday afternoon. Etnire and his team took third place in the 100 mile race, and also won recognition for the aid he provided to fellow musher Hugo Antonucci. Miriam Osredkar guides her “puppy” team of young Alaskan Huskies towards Salt Creek Summit. Osredkar, from Fairfield, Montana, won the mid-distance two-day race. Alaskan Husky lead dog of David Sindelar’s team is eager to start the first 31-mile segment of the mid-distance race. Photos by Ellen Morris Bishop/Chieftain Montana, who placed third. “I think this is more coveted than winning first place,” she said. Weather and trail condi- tions seemed ideal for the race. However, the rela- tively warm sunny weather, particularly for this time of year, proved a challenge for some teams, causing the active dogs to overheat and mushers to rest their teams and/or drop dogs more than in cooler years. Brett and Spencer Bruggeman, 200 mile winners, rested their dogs by carrying one or two in their sleds for the last 50 miles of the race. Every year a hero emerges in the Eagle Cap Extreme. This year it was Roy Etnire. Roy, who fin- ished third in the 100 mile race, rounded a corner on the trail and found that Hugo Antonucci’s sled had gone off the trail and tipped over. Hugo was fine, but his dogs had vanished. It took an eight-mile run to find and corral Hugo’s dogs, plus more time to return them to Hugo’s sled. Two Oregon Public Broadcasting crews filmed the race, focusing on local musher Morgan Anderson, and the father-son duet of Brett and Spencer Brugge- man. The story will air on Oregon Field Guide later this year, according to pro- ducer Ian McCluskey.