Old Habits Die Hard – Day 2 – by Jake Robinson
For Anny Malo winning laps by putting together steady, fast runs is habitual. The reigning champion battled back the yellow bib and made time on fellow contender Remy Coste on the second day of the 2026 Pedigree Stage Stop Race. While unofficial splits had Coste up at the loop, Malo was able to make time back and put herself in the drivers seat of this dog race. Bruce ‘The Moose’ Magnusson put together another quality run with a conservative pace going out and a strong performance coming home, but ceded some turf to Malo and ‘The Coste Comet’ in the overall standings. Bruce’s run from the loop in indicates that there’s some gas left in this dog team and he’s in position to capitalize on any mistakes the front runners may make.
Out of the top 5 finishers for the day, Malo, Coste, and Alix Crittenden put down faster laps on the 34.2 mile trail than yesterday, showing that this race is heating up and these experienced racers are ready to duke it out in the days to come. While Crittenden has been a beat off of the pace of the top 3, she has proven time and time again that she’s got the capability and willingness to get gritty later in the race and pull off some big runs for a podium position. Rounding out the top 5 is Quebec’s own Stephane Roy, who last year showed fans and competitors alike that he’s not here to mess around. Having checked his rookie box, he seems to be taking a more measured approach in the early opening moves of this year’s dog race but is still in striking distance of a podium finish.
Other notable runs came from Liam ‘Young Gun’ Conner and Ryan ‘Nickname TBD’ Beaber, both who shaved significant time off of their runs from yesterday and made climbs in the standings. ‘Minnesota’ Mike Bestgen is holding strong and making ground in the rankings as well, despite facing significant weather related challenges this training season. We are starting to see ‘races-within-the-race’ emerge and all of the hard work of both dogs and mushers alike bear fruit.
Pool and run/rest strategies become increasingly important with each leg and the vast majority of mushers are opting for 10-dog (or less) teams, and preserving rest in their pools. Breaking from his successful 2024 strategy, Coste took a 10-dog team today, indicating that he had at least two dogs that also ran yesterday. Crittenden ran 9, giving her a lot of depth and options for the days to come.
With the two longest laps of the race completed, questions begin to emerge: Is Coste coiling up to strike later in the week, or is Malo squarely in control of this dog race? Will Bruce continue this trend of strong runs and be in a position to move up? Who will round out the top 5 when all is said and done?
Teams are on the move tonight and getting ready for the race’s first change of scenery. The Big Piney trail will have some of steeper climbs of the week and we’ll get a chance to see who’s got the grit to gear down and grind up and then fly down the hills, testing the versatility and literal strength of both dog and mushers. Throwing another curve ball into the mix is the spate of warm weather expected throughout the week, making even the ‘easy’ parts of each day tougher. Stay tuned!
