Passion for dogsled racing started with a rescued Siberian Husky
by Dan Holland
When Richfield resident Ron Hayden adopted a Siberian Husky through a rescue group 11 years ago, he had no idea it would lead to a new passion: dogsled racing.
“I would go out to Lakewood Dog Park and meet up with the rescue, and a bunch of us would meet up there who had Siberian Huskies,’’ Hayden said. “I ended up adopting a couple of more Siberian Huskies…and I decided I needed to figure out a way to exercise them a bit more than just going out to the dog park every morning.’’
Hayden started by having the dogs pull him on an old pair of rollerblades.
“That was terrifying; it wasn’t a good idea,’’ he said, laughing. “But then I saw a dogsled for sale out in Kirtland. I thought, ‘I’ve been rollerblading with my dogs, so they should have an idea of what to do.’ It was a total disaster at first. A couple days later I tried it again, and the dogs got a little more of a hang to it. I tried it again, and it just started to snowball from there.’’
He has since entered sled dog races in Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada. He has nine dogs in training in addition to two Siberian Huskies he adopted a number of years ago. His sled dogs in training are all Eurohounds, a cross between Alaskan Husky and a number of pointing breeds specifically bred for the sport.
Hayden began sled dog racing in 2012 by participating in mid-distance races – between 20 and 45 miles – using a six-dog team running in pairs. But he has since had to refigure his time with a growing family.
“Since my youngest son was born, I don’t have the time to train like that, because it was six hours a day, four days a week,’’ he said. “I switched to what’s called ‘limited class’ racing, which typically is one mile per dog.’’
Nowadays, Hayden races every other weekend January through March.
Hayden sometimes runs his sled dog team at Eastwood Preserve in Richfield when there is adequate snow cover, but he mainly trains his dogs at Carlisle Reservation in Lorain County and at a number of state parks, including Punderson State Park in Geauga County.
Dry land racing has become popular in the Midwest and other areas where there is not a consistent winter snow base, according to Hayden. “It’s called Canicross, which is essentially just running with your dogs to scootering — it’s a kick bike with one or two dogs pulling,” he said. “Then you have your freight classes, which is basically a dogsled on wheels
Dry land racing is popular with beginners, he said, adding “It’s a great way to get into the sport, because you don’t need a bunch of dogs. If you have two housedogs – it doesn’t matter what kind of dogs they are – you can go out and do it and have fun with them. And that’s really what the sport is all about, getting out and having fun with your dogs.”
His sled dogs are fed a special high-protein, high-fat brand of dog food, only one of several financial commitments to the sport, said Hayden.
“It’s just the fact that I’m feeding multiple dogs, and then I’m traveling a lot in the winter and fall,’’ he said. “Then you add in fuel costs, equipment costs, lodging and other expenses.”
Hayden said a sled dog race in 2014 on the Keweenaw Peninsula in northern Michigan was one of his most memorable.
“It was my first long race, a 42-mile race,” he said. “That race has 2,300 feet of elevation increase. And then add that it was minus-23 degrees at the start. I was all bundled up, but as you start running up hills, you start shedding layers really quickly. It was really eye-opening as to how amazing the dogs really are. They handled that trail like it was nothing.”
Hayden lives in Richfield with his wife, Ashley, and their sons, Dominic and Lincoln. He works as a full-time firefighter in Cleveland and was recently appointed to the Richfield Village Parks and Recreation Board. He is in the process of becoming a part-time firefighter in Richfield, pending approval. Hayden is a member of the Trailbreakers Sled Dog Club of Ohio and the Great Lakes Sled Dog Association of Michigan.
“It’s a great way to get yourself outside, especially in the wintertime,” he said. “You get to go outside and have fun with your dogs. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing with them; if you’re skiing, running or hiking, you’re spending good quality time with your dogs. And for kids getting into the sport, it helps teach them responsibility and discipline working with the dogs.”
Feature image photo caption: Ron Hayden and six Eurohounds compete at Kalkaska Winterfest in Kalkaska, Michigan. Photo courtesy of R. Hayden
