>1. If this is not how most races start, then how do they usually start?As glorious as I try to make it out to be, most of the time we leave out of plowed out parking lots, in the middle of nowhere, at 2 minute intervals; first day is drawn out of a hat, second and any subsequent days can either be run fastest first, or slowest team first. Which one really depends on the race. Factors include distance and the time to finish. Slowest team last means the ground crew needs to stay out extra long. Slowest team first means you have dogs running down other teams, which makes them run harder, and its more exciting... but then if you have too many teams passing on the wrong trails, it might be needlessly dangerous and a real disaster, especially with big teams.
I could imagine this being in your town, actually, although it's in a little town called Ashton Idaho. They bring in snow and you run right down main-street on a ribbon of snow 6 feet wide, totally out of control with nothing to brake or hook to, just pavement.
>sprint racesRight, that how I got started. You have sprint (4-dog, 4 miles, 6 dog 6 miles, etc up to 10-12 dog, then it goes to 'open class') mid distance (8 dog 40 miles, 12 dog 60 miles), and distance (over 100 miles continuous)... and you have different formats, such as 'continuous' (A->B) vs a 'stage race' (A->B, B->C, C->D), but there is lots of overlapping and the spectrum is very wide.
>black labsPointer crosses. Hounds have really overtaken the the sport. I had 1/8 pointers for a little while and they were great. Nothing is like the old school malemutes.... heheheheh lots better, but nothing quite like them:) I actually took care of 2 dogs that went on polar expeditions with Steiger, one of which, 'Chewy' ('Chewbacca') actually went to BOTH poles. How cool is that? Its a shame those dogs are a dying breed. True Beasts. Nothing like their modern counterparts, like my little old 'Blue Ruin':
