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Show Doug Willett to defend title in Uinta Summit Classic by David Hampshire "Pssst. Wanna tip on the dog races? Put your money on Doug Willett to win the Uinta Summit Classic," "Doug Willett? What kind of a dog is that?" "That's not the name of a dog, stupid. That's the name of the driver." "The driver? What kind of a dog has a driver? "A sled dog, stupid." "Oh yeah." . Since betting isn't legal in Utah, there's no way to tell whether Doug Willett of Highland Estates is really the favorite to win this weekend's Uinta Summit Classic between Heber and Kamas. But when you look at his track record (excuse the cliche), you've got to consider him one of the favorites. For one thing, he's the defending champion. He won when this race was last held two years ago. For another, Willett is on a winning streak. This winter he has finished first in all three of the middle distance races (50 to 60 miles) he has entered. But Willett is the first to admit that he may have some stiff competition this weekend. Included in the field will be Gary Jacobson, who won the overall title at Wasatch Mountain. State Park in January. " At least from the layman's standpoint, Willett is a traditionalist. He races only purebred Siberian Huskies, those wild and wooly dogs of the north. Jacobson, on the other hand, has been cross-breeding his sled dogs with hounds in an attempt to develop more speed. The question, Willett says, is whether he has sacrificed endurance in the process. He gives his Huskies more of an edge as the races get longer. "When you go over 25 miles, these guys are as fast as anything." . Jacobson's wins at Wasatch Mountain State Park came in distances from three to eight miles. This weekend's race will be run in two 35-mile legs. Willett, a mathematics professor at the University of Utah, started sled dog racing about 12 years ago. His racing T kennel now includes about 30 dogs. An untrained person would have trouble telling some of them apart. But not Willett. "They're just like children a big family, that's all." Training first starts when a puppy reaches about five months. If the dog proves itself in the harness, it may start racing at 14 months and run competively for about eight years. The most important quality ina good racing dog, Willett says, is the desire to run. "I think 75 percent of a good dog is mental. But, of course, all the desire in the world can't make a bad body move fast." Physically there is a vast difference between a good racing dog and a good show dog, Willett says, although both may be from the same hrpfH Racino Hnoc apo direction. The trail will cross over three mountain passes with an altitude as high as 10,000 feet. "It's a pretty challenging trail," Willett acknowledged. He said the presence of snowmobilers shouldn't bother the dogs much. His biggest concern is the weather, particularly after training in the rain which doused the area Sunday. "I don't like this rain... For some reason, humidity can really wear a dog down." Willet expects between eight and 12 teams to enter the race. At this writing he has heard from teams from North Dakota, New Mexico, Idaho and Colorado as well as four from Utah. He said the Utah contingent should include Pat Shane of Bountiful, Marv Mavpll nnH his snn Rrvrp races but may have trouble with a 35-mile course. In this race a driver may use as many dogs as he likes. However, after a certain point adding dogs to the team becomes a logistical problem. Doug's wife, Moone, who also competes in races, points out that the pairs of dogs are harnessed 100 inches apart, so that a large team could stretch 75 to 100 feet in front of the sled. If there is a tangle near the front of the team, that's a lot of ground for the driver to cover to get things straightened out. Doug says he plans to use 13 dogs this weekend, "if they're healthy." For spectators (excluding those on snowmobiles or crosscountry cross-country skis), the best vantage rjoints are at the start and finish of Summit County, and possibly Frank Vincent of Midway. "Vincent called me last night and said he's really thinking about it seriously." Like Jacobson, Vincent has looked to another breed to give his team more speed. He has developed a team of Irish Setters, starting with a female he rescued from the Orem city pound. Willett says the Setters, like hounds, have proven themselves in sprint r lines, Doug says. In previous years the Uinta Summit Classic has been run along the Mirror Lake Road to the Bear River Ranger Station and back. However, Willett says the state's decision to plow a longer portion of the road forced organizers to change the route. Sponsors of this weekend's race are Glencoe Husky Dog Food and the Gold Miner's Daughter lodge atAlta. 'J fm?'- .fjitty f Vkk - - ;l : . ' 'tii- ' ; jr w H vt"!;!;'..; fl' . - x ' I .AN. . V sleek, thin, well-muscled, long-legged long-legged animals. Show dogs (reflecting the taste of the judges) tend to be stocky. "It's kind of like the difference between a thoroughbred and a draft horse," he says. With 30 canine mouths to feed, you might think Willett would be in the poor house. But he says he makes enough money winning races and selling dogs to just about break even. Willett says he has managed to hold his own against drivers with much larger kennels. "Some of them measure their dogs by the acre," he smiles. One group from British Columbia travels with a semi truck carrying about 100 animals. Willett's reputation for winning sled dog races has helped his reputation as a breeder of race dogs. He points to one animal which has been sold to a sled dog owner in Norway. A good racing dog may command $300 to $500, he says, unless it's a leader. Then the price jumps into the thousands. Weather permitting, this weekends race will start at 9:30 a.m. Saturday in Lake Creek Canyon at the end of Center Street about seven miles east of Heber. It will follow a 35-mile snowmobile trail (which is maintained by the Utah Department of Parks and Recreation), finishing on the Mirror Lake Highway about 14 miles east of Kamas. On Sunday the contestants will retrace their tracks, going from Kamas to Heber. First place will go to the team with the fastest combined time. Willett estimated that it will take three to five hours in each LEFT: LET'S GET ON WITH IT. One dog expresses its impatience vocally while next-door neighbor uses body language. RIGHT: YOU CAN LEAD A DOG TO THE HARNESS BUT YOU CAN'T. ..Doug Willett prepares to hook up part of the sled's canine power plant. v j M 1 .;,V ... - ' ' ; ' i r 1 ' , r VK- 1 f ' ":4;l " r ( v 1 ii Ml'- A 7 l j h f J 1 V 1 i !! J lw r 4 ,;44 ;' " -nsSe i : J. i ( 1 "II inn - -i li i - ' i i in |