Rancho Luna Lobos sled team ready to run for world championships – Park Record

The Rancho Luna Lobos sled team is gearing up for the racing season with hopes of reaching the podium at world championships this year. 

Competition is set to commence in January, and the dogs are training to represent team USA. 

Fernando Ramirez, the musher and owner of Rancho Luna Lobos in Browns Canyon, has been an athlete his entire life, a background that shapes his approach to training.

“I ran for Park City High and then Utah Valley University for one year, and then I ran for an Olympic development program in Eugene, Oregon, from 2005 to 2008,” he said. “It was fun and an eye-opening experience, for sure.”

Ramirez, whose educational background is in human physiology, has designed a system that incorporates a holistic approach to training through various forms of conditioning, which he said emphasizes science. 

“The canine anatomy somewhat parallels the human anatomy in terms of muscle groups, ligaments and things like that. Throughout the years, we’ve actually contracted doggy chiropractors and massage therapists,” said Ramirez. “We’re putting a scientific approach to their training. And what we’ve seen doing that is that we’re able to promote really good health with the dogs.”

Swimming is one of the main exercises the dogs do during the summer. It improves the dog’s core muscles and posture, which not only contributes to their overall fitness, but also helps them have a better digestive system, contributing then to their overall health, said Ramirez.

He has decades of experience as an athlete, musher and coach, which all pairs well with his drive to develop a better team each year. As a runner himself, Ramirez understands the training of a distance athlete, and that influences his approach with the dogs. 

“In the past, I’ve been training the dogs kind of like a 10,000-meter track athlete. Now I kind of train the dogs sort of like a miler, up to 3,000 meters. So just under two miles, where it’s long enough to put enough sting while they’re running, in a sense, but they know they can handle that threshold,” said Ramirez. “I’m looking at high RPMs, little shorter miles, but they’re making every run count.”

His attention to detail in training translates directly to results on the circuit. Reflecting on the results of last season, when the team ranked sixth in the world, Ramirez has made adjustments down to the feeding schedule. 

“Cumulatively over the three days (of a world championship race), I was only 43 seconds from a bronze medal,” said Ramirez. “That’s like a potty break or like a dog jumping over another one. Just those little things. So I’ve even been playing with their feeding schedules so that I know they have gone to the bathroom, so while they’re not needing to go while running because they’ve all got it out before the run. It’s intense. I never would have thought it’d be down to that.”

Earlier this year on a fall training run, Ramirez showcased the details that comprise their training regimens. 

Before the run, each dog was harnessed and readied to be connected to the gangline. Their personalities showed in their demeanors, some patient and focused, while others jumped into the air wriggling, unable to contain their energy. Each howl, bark and scream added to the anticipation.

Ramirez signaled that it was time to begin, and the loud commotion fell into complete silence. It was time to run, and the dogs were off, their focus now fixed.

The gangline was attached to a four-wheeler in which Ramirez would follow his pack down the trail. This is one of the dry-land training methods to train off snow.  

After the run, the team lined back up in their original spots attached to their trailer and relaxed as Ramirez served up some “doggy gatorade,” an electrolyte-filled water that aids post-run recovery.

Next, it was time to stretch. After each run Ramirez stretches out each dog individually and checks them for any issue or imbalance.

“I have to stretch all of them out, and then as they start running more miles, we start applying massage oils and creams, just so their muscles recover right as they’re resting,” said Ramirez. “There’s a whole science to it.” 

The team is looking to have a successful season this year, with mile-per-hour times surpassing past teams. 

“I think what it comes down to, honestly, is the time that you spend in the dog yard with them. You really get to know their little, quirky personalities. You get to see when they’re happy and really excited, when they’re frustrated with other dogs, or when maybe they’re just not in the mood to play and they’re kind of wanting to do their own thing,” said Ramirez. “Building that relationship to where when I’m running on the team, I can really tell just by the shift in ears or the shift in their tail what they’re feeling or what they’re thinking.” 

Due to extensive travel requirements and regulations placed on traveling internationally with dogs, Ramirez made the tough decision to forgo the world championships in Norway this year. 

“We decided it would be easier to skip that one race,” said Ramirez. “Unfortunately, that one race is the world championships, but that’s specifically under the eight-dog class, so I am racing the open-dog class World Championships instead this year in New Hampshire on Feb. 19-21.”

The Luna Lobos race team will kick off their season with a race in Silverton, Colorado, which will serve as a preview for the pro circuit races later in the season before kicking off a busy pro circuit race schedule in February and March. 

“The pro circuit entails a lot of these grand prix races. So the two of them are the Yellowstone, West Yellowstone races, which brings some of the most elite mushers in Canada, Alaska and the lower 48,” he said. “And then from there we head over to Quebec, Canada, all French speaking. It’s a lot of fun and a highly competitive circuit.”

Many of the pro circuit races and world championships are broadcast online for viewing worldwide. Ramirez said they plan on sharing the links to these races on their social media for anyone interested in watching. 

To stay up to date with the Rancho Luna Lobos race team throughout the season, follow them on their social accounts @RanchoLunaLobos.

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