Dog mushers young and old came out for the 14th annual Carbon Hill Dogsled Race, held on Saturday at the Lorne Mountain Community Centre, which is off Annie Lake Road.

The event also gave mushers participating in the Quest an opportunity to get added experience by competing in the 30 Mile Dogsled Race, which was the longest sledding contest offered at the competition.

'I think mushing is such a big part of Yukon life, so people coming together and doing it together I think is the biggest goal here,' said Agnes Seitz, the recreation director for the Lorne Mountain Community Association. 'Annie Lake Road is mushers' paradise.

There are trails everywhere we can use and we have way more snow than on the other side of town, so that is why all the mushers end up moving here and staying here. It is just the perfect fit.'

The dog sled race is one of the biggest competitive events that the association puts on throughout the course of a whole year.

This year, 48 mushers participated in the event's four adult classes, while 11 participants competed in the children and junior races. The four adult race classes were the 30 Mile Dogsled Race, the 30 Mile Skijor Race, the 10 Mile Dogsled Race and the Six Mile Skijor Race.

The event's youth races classes included both the 200 M Kids Dogsled and the Two Mile Junior Dogsled.

Registration was held up until the day of the event and cost anywhere between $10 and $40.

Participation was up from the previous year in race classes such as the 30-mile, which had 14 participants in 2007, while in 2008 there was a total of 22 people involved. The event was also held earlier this year compared to the last year, when it had to be delayed until March because of the Canada Winter Games.

Cash prizes for the top five times recorded in the 30 Mile Dogsled Race were $500, $300, $200, $100 and $75. The total amount of money awarded for the other races was a little lower, but prizes were also given out by local businesses including Coast Mountain Sports, Mark's Work Wearhouse, Paradise Alley, Boston Pizza, Yukon Brewing Company and others.

Crispin Studer's time of 2:23:19 was the fastest for the 30 Mile Dogsled Race, while Darryl Sheepway was the winner of the 30 Mile Skijor Race with an overall time of 2:56:27.

The 10 Mile Dog Sled Race was won by Jonathan Lucas, who finished at 0:36:27 and Kendra Murray won the Six Mile Skijor Race.

Murray, completing the race with a time of 0:23:13, was just 10 seconds ahead of second-place winner Karen McKenna.

The 200 Metre Kids Dogsled was won by Abby Cruikshank, who finished the race in 1:07, while Justin Mac Dougal's time of 7:10 was the best in the Two Mile Junior Dogsled Race.

Seitz said there are a few reasons why this event is so prominent.

'It is a community event; it is really just for the fun of it,' she said. 'It is kind of like bringing out the dogs, bringing out the people, bringing them all together and that is the main purpose of it.'

Kyla Boivin finished the 30 Mile Dogsled Race in ninth place with a time of 2h 46:45. Boivin, who will be competing in the Quest for the sixth time, said she enjoys taking part in the Carbon Hill Dogsled Race.

'If I am here I like to come because it is a good community event,' Boivin said. 'I would say the best part is just to show up.'

Boivin said competing in the Carbon Hill race doesn't help a whole lot to prepare for the Quest.

'It is nice just to put some of the young dogs in a dog race, just so they get to see a start line,' she said. 'It is not a major boost one way or another.'

She has been mushing competitively for 10 years and said that her current team of dogs is the best she has ever had.

'I'm not a real champion, but I'm working on becoming one,' Boivin said. 'In general things are starting to come together after years and years of building a team. Now it is staring to get there. It is time to put the roof on.'

Boivin's highest finish at the Quest was 15th place, but her goal this year is to make the top 10.