Josi Thyr, 28-year-old musher from Olney, Montana, nearing the top of Rice Ridge early Sunday afternoon. Thyr took second in the 300-mile Race to the Sky finishing Monday night at 11:08 p.m. with eight dogs. She was four and a half hours behind winner Jessie Royer.
Seeley Lake musher Jessie Royer with her team at the Owl Creek Checkpoint in Condon Sunday evening.
Cindy Gallea putting booties on her dogs before they leave the Seeley Lake Checkpoint Sunday, Feb. 13. Gallea's team was led by Chase, Norma, Fin and Nome.
Right: Cindy Gallea (right) accepting her $150 purse from Race Director Mary Anna Rich in January 1991. The Seeley Lake 200 was her first race as a musher and she placed fifth. Left: Cindy Gallea turns the corner at the top of Rice Ridge 31 years later. in the 300-mile Race to the Sky. She is now 70 years old and has been mushing for 35 years. She placed third in this year's race.
Bailey Vitello, 24 of New Hampshire, leaving the Seeley Lake Check Point Sunday morning on his way to Owl Creek. This was his second Race to the Sky and first 300-mile. He finished fifth behind Clayton Perry, 62 of Power, Montana.
With a slushy start and temperatures in the high 40s Saturday, Feb. 12, Seeley Lake musher Jessie Royer took an early lead in the 300-mile Race to the Sky and never gave it up. First to all the check points, she returned to Lincoln Monday night just after 6:30 p.m., more than four and half hours ahead of second place Josi Thyr of Olney, Montana.
Rounding out the top three was Cindy Gallea, a musher who started her racing career in Seeley Lake in 1991 and now lives in Wykoff, Minnesota. Gallea plans to retire from racing, making this her final Race to the Sky.
"Weather and snow conditions this year made the race challenging," wrote Race to the Sky's Pam Beckstrom in a press release. "We want to thank the mushers for taking such good care of their teams, the veterinarian team for their incredible knowledge about sled dogs, the race officials for supporting the teams and the army of volunteers that donate their time and talents to this race."
Royer finished with 10 of her 12 dogs making her a six-time winner of Race to the Sky. She won the 1994 Race to the Sky 500 when she was 17 years old and the Race to the Sky 300 in 2015, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2022.
Royer has been mushing for 28 years. She was the highest placing female from 2008-2011 in the Iditarod and finished in third place in 2019.
Thyr was in second place at the final checkpoint. She held her position finishing just after 11 p.m. Monday night.
Thyr has been mushing for 14 years and races Alaskan huskies out of her kennel "There and Back Again Sled Dogs." She received the Best Cared for Team Award at the 2016 Race to the Sky.
Gallea also held her place leaving White Tail Ranch in third. She finished Tuesday at 12:16 a.m. with 10 dogs.
Gallea was first introduced to dog mushing in Minnesota. After moving to Montana in 1990, she started mushing recreationally with four dogs. She moved to Seeley Lake in the early 1990s to run dogs. By 1994, her hobby turned into a kennel with more than 40 dogs.
Gallea entered her first race the Seeley Lake 200 Sled Dog Race in 1991 where she placed fifth. She took second in the Race to the Sky in 1995 and 1997.
In her first race, Gallea was one of three women in the mostly male-dominated sport. This year, she was one of four women in the field of 12 mushers in the 300-mile and the top three finishers were female.
Gallea's three decades of racing took her many places including Alaska. Her rookie year in the Iditarod was 1998. She completed the Iditarod 12 out of the 16 years she entered with her fastest finish in 11 days, seven hours, 56 minutes and 20 seconds.
This third place finish in the Race to the Sky adds to her second place finishes in 1995 and 1997.
While Gallea said she will still have fun with her dogs, she will not get any more.
"It's harder as you get older and I want to have more time for other things like my sons and grandchildren," Gallea said.
"This is my favorite place to run dogs," Gallea continued. "My very first race was the Seeley 200 back in 1991 so it seems like the right place to [retire]."
This year's winner of the 100-mile Race to the Sky was Christina Gibson of Carleton, Washington. She has been racing Alaskan huskies for seven years. She won the 100 mile Junior Race to the Sky four years ago, came in fifth at the 2020 Idaho Challenge 100 mile race and fourth in the 2020 Race to the Sky. Nicole Lombardi of Lincoln, Montana came in second followed by Erik Oline of Ashland, Oregon in third.
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