Michigan Native Completes 300 Mile Sled Dog Race in 55-Below Temps

Originally from Gladwin, Michigan, Shaynee Traska recently completed the Copper Basin 300 sled dog race which is said to be the toughest 300 miles in Alaska.

Not only did she complete the race earlier this month, she finished it in two days, eight hours, and 19 minutes with a seven-dog team. Traska came in sixth place after enduring brutal 55-below temps. It's hard to put into perspective just how cold that really is because most of us have never felt temps that cold.

Shaynee Traska:

When we pulled into Sourdough checkpoint, it was -55…when we left a few hours later it had warmed up to -35. It felt so warm, I didn’t have to wear my big parka!

I can't imagine a moment in my life where I will ever think of -35 degrees as "warm." However, I'm sure that's how it felt after dealing with -55. I also want to point out that it was -55 without the wind chill factor.

According to Midland Daily News, forty-two teams were registered for the race, but only 21 made it to the starting line and only 13 finished.

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This wasn't Traska's first time tackling the Copper Basin 300. Back in 2015, she finished in 16th place and took 12th place in 2019.

Traska also took part in the 2018 Iditarod which is roughly a 1,000 mile long race also in Alaska. She finished in 47th place and became the first woman born and raised in Michigan to complete the iconic race.

Shaynee and her Husband Jeremy own Howling Ridge Kennel in Two Rivers, Alaska. Shaynee formed Howling Ridge Kennel when she began training and racing her own team of dogs at age 14. What began as a four-dog team in Gladwin, Michigan is now a forty-dog kennel in the heart of Alaskan mushing country.

Way to go Shaynee!