Caleb Nickerson
BRISTOL Oct. 20, 2017
On Friday, community members and local officials met at Timberland Tours in Bristol for a press conference promoting the upcoming Bristol Dryland Canadian Championship Dog Race.
The race has been running annually since 2010 and attracts hundreds of racers from all over North America and beyond. This year’s race will take place this coming weekend, with events kicking off on Oct. 28 at 9 a.m.
Dryland racing is quite similar to sled dog racing and involves competitors maneuvering wheeled chariots around a packed dirt course pulled by a team of dogs. There are also bikejoring and scooter categories, where racers are pulled on bikes and scooters respectively, as well as canicross, which is cross-country running while harnessed to a canine.

Organizer and Timberland Tours owner Denis Rozon explained that he grew the race from roughly 50 racers at the inaugural event and currently expects close to 300 this year.
With a purse of over $10,000, he expects top competition and said that the current world champion would be in attendance. Rozon added that last year they added a sled-dog race during the winter that he thinks will take off in a similar fashion to its dryland counterpart.
“This year’s [sled race] is the big one,” he said.
Many sponsors were present for the conference, as well as Pontiac Warden Raymond Durocher and Bristol Mayor Brent Orr. Daniel Richer served as emcee and touted all the work that Rozon has done to put on such a spectacle.
“This is the most standing still you’ll see Denis do till the end of the weekend,” he said with a laugh.
Orr thanked Rozon for hosting an event that brings lots of tourists and visitors to the region.
“Thanks Denis for your vision,” he said. “We’re happy to do anything we can to help.”
Durocher echoed the sentiment.
“When Denis first came to [the MRC] with the dryland run, none of us knew what he was talking about,” he said. “Thank you Denis, don’t stop what you’re doing.”
Following the speeches and food offerings, guests got a sneak preview of some of the action that will be taking place this weekend. Jeremy Poulin and Murielle Ovendon each gave a bikjoring demonstration while Jérémie Drapeau, Charlie Fleury and Alexi Fleury showed what the canicross is all about.
Poulin, who currently lives in Shawville, will be competing in the event for the first time. He said he’s been training for the past few months and judging by the blistering pace he set on the course, the practice has paid off.
Rozon emphasized the important role the community has played in building the event from the ground up.
“All this, it’s not just me,” he said. “It’s the sponsors and all the volunteers that make it happen.”