Percy Jr. Rules

Race Overview

• Distance: 100 miles (160 km)
• Trail: Dawson City, Yukon to Forty Mile, and return to Dawson, following the Yukon River with some bush trails depending on the ice conditions. The race follows most of Percy DeWolfe's original dogsled trail.
• Layover: Mushers take a mandatory eight (8) hour layover in Forty Mile.
• Please bring stove fuel and straw, if you want it. There is no water provided in Forty Mile. There will be 1 bale of straw per musher available at the Dawson Checkpoint.

Race Details

• Number of Dogs: Maximum nine (9), minimum (6)
• Number of Teams: The race will be limited to a maximum of twenty (20) teams (maximum two (2) teams per kennel) based on sign up order. Should the number of teams exceed twenty (20), a wait list will be maintained. A wait list has priority over late entries.
• Start Date: March 7th at 11:00 am, with a staggered start timed at two (2) minute intervals.

Registration and Entry Fee

• The Percy Junior is $100. After February 15 th , an extra $50 will apply.
• Entry will not be guaranteed until the entry form is complete and the entry fee has been paid in full.
• With the approval of the Race Marshall, mushers may be substituted up to and including the start of the mushers’ meeting.
• If a participant wishes to withdraw from the race after entry is confirmed and before the event, no refunds will be issued.

Prizes

Cash and/or sponsor prizes.

Race Rules

1. Mandatory Pre-Race Vet Check:
• There will be no mandatory pre-race vet check. However, we will have a voluntary pre-race vet check, where mushers can bring their dogs to the vet team to have them looked at, if they have any concerns about some of their dogs.
• Proof of current Parvovirus and Distemper vaccinations and Rabies certificates for each dog running the race needs to be shown to the vets.
2. Mandatory Mushers' Meeting:
   • The meeting will take place at 6:00 PM sharp at the Dawson Checkpoint, which is the Dawson City Visitor Center, located at the corner of Front Street and King Street. The door is locked at the beginning of the meeting, and there will be a $50 fine for late arrivals, payable before the end of the meeting.
     
3. Staging Area:
   • It will be at the corner of Third Avenue and King Street, by the Old Post Office.
   • All teams must be in a designated staging spot no later than 10:00am.
   • Teams deemed by Race Officials to be unmanageable in the staging area when they need to be brought to the start chute will not be able to start at their designated start time.
   • In this case, the team will start last, but will be timed from their initial designated start time.
4. Race Start:
   • The Percy Junior race has a timed start at two (2) minute intervals.
   • The time differential will be calculated in Forty Mile.
   • Teams must leave, within one (1) minute of their start time.
   • If unable to enter the chute at their designated time, the team will start last.
   • The team must leave within thirty (30) minutes of their designated start time or be disqualified and forfeit the entry fee.
5. Handlers:
   • The handler will be allowed to ride and/or assist to the start.
6. Number of Dogs:
   • Minimum: 6 dogs, Maximum: 9 dogs per team.
   • No loose leaders are permitted.
   • No dogs may be added to a team after the start of the race.
   • Dogs must remain under the musher’s contrul at all times.
   • No dog switching between teams is allowed.
   • All dogs must finish the race, either in the team or in the sled.
7. Treatment of Dogs:
   • There shall be no cruel or inhumane treatment of dogs. (As determined by the Race Officials.).
   • All care and feeding of dogs will be done by the Musher only (except in the case of a temporary Dog Drop in Forty Mile).
   • Only mushers may assist one another during the race. No outside assistance is allowed during the race, including checkpoints, unless an emergency is declared and judged so by the Race Marshall.
   • Incidental help at checkpoints is permitted.
   • Any pre-existing dog health issues must be identified to the vets prior to the race start.
   • If an issue is not declared before the race and is then noticed during the race, it will be deemed to have occurred during the race.
   • Teams will be assessed by Race Vet and Race Official as necessary.
   • Teams may not be allowed to proceed until cleared by Race Officials.
8. Mandatory Gear: Each musher must have the fullowing gear during the entire race:
   • RACE BIB – to be worn at the start and finish, must be returned in good condition.
   • Winter sleeping bag
   • Hand axe
   • One pair of snowshoes and bindings
   • Snow hook
   • Stove & fuel
   • First Aid Kit (excluding oral/systemic antibiotics or painkillers)
   • Flashlight or headlamp
   • 8 booties per dog when departing Dawson and Forty Mile
   • Sled bag large enough to secure 1-2 dogs and gear
   • Proof of current Parvovirus, Distemper, and Rabies vaccinations for each dog
   • Vet record tube (if required)
   • Sturdy mid-distance or long-distance sled (no sprint sleds allowed)
   • Tracking device as supplied provided by race organizers
   • Adequate amount of dog food (two (2) days' worth) per dog for the duration of the race.

   Penalty for Missing Gear: Each missing item will result in a 1-hour penalty added to the musher’s total race time. Teams missing essential gear will not be allowed to start until all required items are present. Gear will aslo be checked in Forty Mile.

9. Recommended Supplies:
   • Adequate amount of food for the musher
   • Secondary flashlight or headlamp
   • Extra straw, if needed
10. Trail Clearing and Passing:
    • Any musher setting up camp must clear the trail of their dogs and gear.
    • Slower teams must yield to faster, overtaking teams and provide the overtaking team sufficient time to untangle if necessary before following.
    • A musher being passed is responsible for controlling their dogs to allow for a clean pass.
    • The team being passed cannot pass the overtaking team for a minimum of five (5) minutes.
    • Teams still heading towards the Forty mile river must yield the trail to mushers heading back towards Forty Mile village.
11. Littering:
    • Absolutely no littering anywhere along the trail or at the checkpoint.
    • Handlers are required to clean up after teams in the staging area and dispose of waste in designated areas.
12. Forty Mile Checkpoint:
    • All mandatory gear will be checked in Forty Mile.
    • Mushers will notify the timer/checker immediately upon arrival, and have the checker note arrival and departure time.
    • Every musher must personally sign in and out of Forty Mile.
    • All dogs, sled, gear and mushers must remain at the checkpoint area at all times during layover.
13. Mandatory Layovers:
    • Eight (8) hours of mandatory rest time is required by mushers.
      
14. Dog Drop:
    • There is no dog drop available for the Percy Junior. The musher is responsible for the care and
      transport of all their dogs.
    • The musher is responsible for the care and
      transport of all their dogs.
15. Sports ethics:
    • All mushers must conduct themselves in a civil manner, adhering to the principles of sports ethics, for the duration of the event, from the Mushers' Meeting through to the end of the Awards brunch.
16. No Man's Land:
    • No man's land shall be considered the land between the Moosehide Village (approx. the last three (3) miles) and the finish line.
    • Within this area, trail does not have to be given at the request of the overtaking musher.
17. Finish:
    • An official finish shall be determined by the front of the sled crossing the finish line.
    • Gear will be checked and teams must be cleared by a race official before entering any vehicle.
18. Penalties:
    • Failure to adhere to any and all rules will result in a penalty.
    • Race officials will determine suitable penalties.
    • A musher may request a penalty review by the Race Marshal.
19. Appeals:
    • A further appeal can be made to the Appeal Committee.
    • The decision of the Appeal Committee is final.
    • Any appeal has to be made to the committee prior to the start of the Awards Brunch.
20. Censure:
    • The Committee may reject any entries submitted for any reason of past conduct.
21. Protests:
    • Any observed infraction of these rules may be protested verbally to the next official on the trail.
    • A written report will also be required within a time frame, as indicated by the Race Official.
22. Vehicles:
    • If mushers have vehicles, they must be in the finish line vicinity as indicated at the Mushers' Meeting.
23. Vet books:
    • Mushers with a vet book containing information about dogs must present it to Race Officials/Vets at checkpoints.
24. Mandatory Forty Mile Stop:
    • Mushers must stop in Forty Mile, and may be required to take extra rest at the discretion of Forty Mile Race Officials/Vets.
25. Vet Care:
    • Any pre-existing dog health issues must be identified to the vets prior to the race start at the Pre-race voluntary Vet Check.
    • If an issue is not declared before the race and is then noticed during the race, it will be deemed to have occurred during the race.
    • Teams will be assessed by Race Vets and Race Officials as necessary.
    • Teams may not be allowed to proceed until cleared by Race Officials.
    • Should any vet administered IV fluids or shots be deemed necessary and given at any time to a dog(s) during the race, the entire team will be disqualified.
    • Any bagged dogs due to vet inspection/instruction, must stay within the bag and cannot be run again.
    • Mushers with a vet book must present it to Race Officials/Vets at checkpoints.
26. Forty Mile Checkpoint :
    • Forty Mile is a co-managed site between the Tr’ondek Hwech’in and the Yukon Government. As a sign of respect, consumption of alcohol and/or drugs will not be tolerated.

On this note, have fun, be safe, care well for your dogs and enjoy the Yukon wilderness. Thank you for participating in the Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race!