The dogs didn't know it, but on Saturday they ran their last race of the season in the Yukon Brewing Copper Haul Twister League.

For the mushers, it was a day that allowed them and their team of dogs to gain a little bit more experience in a competitive event without having to travel a great distance.

"(This race) is just for everybody," said Jonathan Lucas, co-founder of the league and organizer of the race.

"There are some good mushers and some people with some really fast dogs, but also they will bring their dogs for training purposes.

This race is great because there is a lot of passing from behind and also head-on passing, which you don't get in training.

If you go out training on your own, you don't get to practice passing, so this enables the dogs to do very well."

In total, there were six races held in the league this season and each competition was sponsored by a different company.

Saturday's race was funded by Icy Waters and was 20-km for adults and 5-km for kids.

The event was open to anybody over the age of five years old, but to be a member in the league, a musher had to compete in at least three races and volunteer for one.

This year, there were five members of the league in the adult category and three competitors in the kids' category.

Adults in the league are anyone over the age of 14, while kids can be as young as five years old.

Mushers in league were awarded points in each race.

If a musher finishes in first come they are given 10 points, while a fifth place finish would get a league member two points.

At the conclusion of the season, the six races are added up and the person with the most points wins the Copper Haul Twister trophy and also a cash prize from Yukon Brewing.

First place this year was $250 and was awarded to Lee Kirkpatrick, who won the league title for the second year in a row.

Kirkpatrick finished second in the Icy Waters race, less than four minutes behind the winner.

Competitors on Saturday had the option of using a sled with two to five dogs or skijoring, using two to three dogs.

Twenty-two adults took part, while five kids raced the 5-km event.

The entry fee for the Icy Waters race was $10 for both adults and children.

Icy Waters gave away $400 in prizes and the top five adult mushers were given a cash prize.

The participant who finished with the fastest time in the adult category received $90, while fifth place was awarded $50.

The company also gave away a block of dog food to each of the mushers, valued at $5, so mushers were really racing for only $5.

The competition was time based and mushers started in two minute intervals from one another.

Dave Johnson finished with the fastest time on the day at 44:00, while Kirkpatrick placed second with a time of 48:22. Emilie Dessureault rounded out the top three with her overall time of 52:21.

In the kid's category, Nick MacDougall brought out the best in his dogs, concluding the race at 11:10 to place in the top spot for the event.

Jeff Diment's time of 12:16 was good enough for second place, while Sarah Diment was right behind him, coming in at 12:58 to finish in the third position.

Kirkpatrick has been running dogs since 1990, which was one year after she moved up to the Yukon from Winnipeg.

She said there are lots of positive things that come out of competing in these races.

"These races give us a big opportunity to get out and run our dogs that we wouldn't otherwise have, so thanks to Jonathan and Laura (Lucas) for organizing this league," Kirkpatrick said.

"If it weren't for them our dogs wouldn't get nearly the experience that they have. Part of it is training your dogs to pass other teams."

This was Kirkpatrick's third race in the league this season and she had won her previous two.

She said she didn't feel as confident about winning this one because of the effect the humid weather conditions had on her dogs.

"My dogs were pretty slow coming back," Kirkpatrick said.

"Going out they went pretty fast, but coming back in they were pretty hot and they were scooping a lot of snow.

That is when they sort of pull the sled over to the side of the trails, so they can get a mouthful of snow and cool themselves of a bit."

This was a special race for Kirkpatrick for a few of reasons.

She started in the fourth position and managed to pass the three individuals in front of her to be the first person to make it to the finish line.

Her time also helped move her up from third place in the standings to first place to claim the league trophy.

It was also special because it marked what will most likely be the final race of her lead dog, Laz. Laz is nine years old and has been racing for four years.

She said she uses Laz to mentor the other dogs on how to run successfully in a race.

"(Laz) is the slowest dog on my team, but he's the best passer," Kirkpatrick said. "I move other dogs to lead next to him, so they all have a chance to learn from him how to pass other dog teams."

Kirkpatrick plans on participating in the league next year and said the best part about being a member is socializing with all of the mushers who come out to the races.

"It is really a fun league," she said.

"It's not highly competitive, so it is fun for the mushers and fun for the dogs."