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The Dog Powered Sport Association of the Yukon鈥檚 middle-distance winter race may have a new look in 2017.

During a planning meeting for next year鈥檚 race at Whitehorse Elementary School last night, a new area of trails was proposed for the event.

Fabian Schmitz, a local dog musher who chaired the meeting, said they were looking at the Fish Lake Trails.

He brought up a map on his computer to show the small group of four that gathered to provide input at the meeting where the trails are located.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a beautiful mountain area that you can鈥檛 really see from here, but it鈥檚 absolutely amazing trails up there,鈥� he said after the meeting.

A play spot for local snowmobilers and used by Sky High Wilderness for tour operations, the trails are well-known and well-established, he said.

鈥淚 find it鈥檚 challenging in many ways,鈥� said Schmitz.

The trails there could have users navigating frozen lakes, wind-blown trails, and going up and down mountains.

鈥淵ou have everything the mountains throw at you and I think that鈥檚 pretty cool,鈥� he said. 鈥淎 lot of challenges.鈥�

DPSAY first ran a middle-distance race in 2010. The idea was to work up to having a 200 or 300-mile qualifying race for the Yukon Quest or the Iditarod.

In the first year, the race was called the Road Runner 100, because it followed parts of the Old Alaska Highway, but there were trail issues and creek crossings that wouldn鈥檛 pan out, so they switched locations in its junior year to run along the Takhini River from Whitehorse to Mendenhall.

The race remained as the River Runner for four years (100 and 120-mile variations) before a lack of snow forced another change.

That change, starting at the Takhini Hot Springs and going to Braeburn and back on part of the Yukon Quest Trail resulted in the Cinnamon Bun Run, which has been the race in its latest form for the past two years.

At its peak, the middle distance race had upwards of 20 teams, including both skijorers and dog-sledders.

DPSAY already hosts a season full of sprint races thanks to the Twister race series.

鈥淲e just wanted to contribute to that and fill that little gap that was kind of missing between a 15-mile race and a 1,000-mile race,鈥� said Schmitz.

The DPSAY races are most commonly attended by small kennels and newcomers to the sport.

鈥淲e want to have a race for the small people in the dog mushing world and if the big names come, that鈥檚 fantastic, that鈥檚 great, but it鈥檚 not necessarily just a race for them,鈥� said Schmitz.

In its first year, the Road Runner 100 race attracted Yukon Quest names like Crispin Studer, Hugh Neff and Didier Moggia. Hans Gatt has also competed in other years.

鈥淲e also want to cater to smaller kennels that want to get their first, kind of, foot in the door in distance mushing,鈥� said Schmitz.

He thinks that next year鈥檚 race, which will likely fall on the last weekend of February, will be somewhere between 100 and 150 miles. He and Adam Robinson, who is also familiar with the trails will both sit down and piece together a proposed route.

Schmitz said the distances will be roughly what they used to be. 鈥�(They) aren鈥檛 going to change much,鈥� he said.

Changing the route also helps provide a more level playing field, as not many of the mushers go out and train in the Fish Lake area.

Planning a race is no small task and Schmitz welcomes anyone who鈥檚 interested in lending a hand to contact DPSAY.

鈥淎nyone who wants to help is welcome,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f folks just want to help out serving liquor on the banquet night, great. If they want to help us paint trail markers on a weekend, that鈥檚 fine. If they want to be the race director, they can join us too.

鈥淲e need anybody.鈥�