FRAZEE -- Eddy Streeper of Osage took home the gold at the Third Crossing Sled Dog Rendezvous at Frazee with a two-day time just over one minute ahead of 2006 champion Buddy Streeper of Fort Nelson, B.C.
Eddy won this event in 2005, and several other previous years in the races' 8-year history. Eddy's nephew Buddy was the defending champion after beating Eddy in the 2006 race.
This marks the first time Eddy has defeated Buddy at the Third Crossing Sled Dog Rendezvous. It is also his first win against Buddy this year.
Eddy finished with a total two-day time of 1:29:45.29, Buddy's time was 1:30:50.82, and third place overall finisher Robert Pebbles of Picardville, Alberta, finished with in 1:34:35.97. The open course runs 14.75 miles.
Herve Belanger of Val D'or, Quebec took home the win in the 8-dog event, ousting day one winner and 2006 champion Amy Streeper of Osage by five seconds.
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Streeper had to stop her team to work out a tangle and lost valuable time. Belanger, running for the first time in Frazee, ran the 7.9-mile course over the two days in 49:53.39, followed by Streeper at 49:58.91, and third-place overall finisher Katie Harris of Iliff, Colo., at 51:56.48. Twenty-one teams finished the two-day course.
In the 4-dog pro event, Katie Harris took home the win, followed by Caleb Tysver of Battle Lake and Sebastian Harvey of Quebec. Fourteen mushers finished the race on the 4.2 mile course.
In the novice 4-dog division, Mariah Ahlert of St. Cloud took first, followed by Andre Duval of Brainerd and first-time musher Michael Jordan of Aberdeen, S.D. who had to borrow a sled to compete.
Jim Benson, Blaine, won the gold for the third Frazee race in a row in skijoring pro, followed by Tom Carlson of Erhard and Dan Carlson of Shorewood. Scott Offerman of Medina won the novice race with his black labs, who are some of the top duck hunting dogs during the off-season.
Russell Berstler, Warroad, took top honors for the Frazee-Vergas Forum sponsor team in the five-team event.
He was followed by Micheal Reyes, Kansas City, Mo., mushing for Perham Super 8, Tyler King, Frazee, for BTD Manufacturing of Detroit Lakes; Andrea Craig for J & H Signs of Perham, Samantha Brune, Frazee, for Tuffy's/Nutrisource Dog Food of Perham, and Ashley Renollet for United Community Bank in Perham.
Winning the three-team grudge sponsor match was John Furey of We Foam Homes, followed by Delair Kaas of Frazee-Vergas Forum and Tyler King of Seamless Gutter Systems.
Crowds were exceptionally high over the two-day event, The Frazee Sled Dog Club attributed the high crowds to school participation and the great news coverage the race received this year from all media -- television, radio and newspapers.
