Inaugural NC Sandhills Dryland Mushing Challenge Draws Teams to Hoke Forest

North Carolina Urban Mushing is staging the NC Sandhills Dryland Mushing Challenge at Hoke Community Forest, 1758 Vass Rd, Raeford, on Saturday and Sunday, Feb 21-22, 2026, billed as the "1st Dryland Sled Dog Race in North Carolina" and sanctioned by ISDRA. The event pages state, "Welcome to the 1st Dryland Sled Dog Race in North Carolina with North Carolina Urban Mushing!" and add, "Our goal is to promote the safe participation in dog powered sports in North Carolina with this ISDRA sanctioned race."

The race uses a two-day, combined-time format: "Racers compete in their classes on both days for two completion times which will get combined for one overall finisher time for consideration for final class and group ranking." Organizers require a "Mandatory In-person Drivers Meeting will be held at the Starting Chute at 7am on Saturday (a pre-race drivers video will be distributed as well but does not take the place of the in-person meeting)." The registration pages also state a strict scratch rule: "If a team scratches or does not complete their race class run on Saturday, they will not be allowed to race on Sunday."

Event registrations list a full slate of classes across canicross, bikejor, scooter, and wheeled rigs, preserving organizer nomenclature: Women's Canicross (1 dog), Men's Canicross (1 Dog), 1 Dog Bikejor (open), 1 Dog Bikejor (RNB), 1 Dog Bikejor (Sport), 1 Dog Scooter (Open), 1 Dog Scooter (RNB), 2 dog bikejor (open), 2 dog bikejor (RNB), 2 dog Scooter (open), 2 dog Scooter (RNB), 4 dog rig (open), 4 dog rig (RNB), 6 dog rig (Open), 6 dog rig (RNB), Juniors 3 Dog Rig, Juniors 2 Dog Wheeled, Juniors 1 Dog Canicross (~1.1 mile course), Junior's 16 and Under - Rig (2-3 dogs), Junior's 16 and Under Bikejor + Scooter (1-2 dogs), Junior's 16 and Under Canicross (1.1 mile course), Fun Run (Untimed 1 or 2.2 mile options)- Saturday Only, Fun Run (this can be rig, scooter, bike, or canicross)... This will be Saturday only.

Logistics on the RunSignup and Trisignup pages warn that parking at Hoke Community Forest is limited: "Parking is limited on site, small teams with 1-2 dogs who are not camping will be parking alongside of the road [...]" The pages instruct stewards to leave the park as found: "Park is to be left just as we found it. Please clean up after yourselves and your dogs." Registration policy text makes clear that "Refunds will not be issued after signing up unless the race is cancelled (refunds will not include the registration site fees), changes between classes is allowed up until registration closes."

Promotional material on the event's Instagram highlights course character as a selling point, saying the course "features fast, flowy trail sections, beginner-friendly." The registration pages include functional notes for competitors: "In order to use RunSignup, your browser must accept cookies." Competitors who use the page's SMS feature see this warning: "Please be advised that utilizing this text feature may result in additional SMS and data charges from your mobile service provider." The RunSignup and Trisignup listings include a Google Maps link and a "Race Website" link on the event pages.

Several operational details are not present on the registration extracts: no entry fee amounts, no scheduled start times for individual classes, no course map or lap distances beyond junior canicross listings, and no definition for the "RNB" or "Sport" labels used in class names. Competitors planning to enter should register via the RunSignup or Trisignup event pages and arrive for the 7am Saturday drivers meeting at the Starting Chute at Hoke Community Forest, 1758 Vass Rd, Raeford.