The Human Dog Sled Competition is an event held in February during the

Winterfest Winterfest is the name of several winter festivals held in various locations in North America. Cedar Fair parks WinterFest is a seasonal event held at Cedar Fair amusement parks, an event that enables the parks to remain open during the months of N ...

celebration of Lowell,

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

USA The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. Each year, a field of approximately 32 teams compete against each other in a double elimination tournament to determine the National Human Dog Sled Champion. The teams consist of six persons including four

sled A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners ...

pullers, a sled rider, and a sled pusher. The sled race is approximately 50 meters long and takes place along a snow-covered street in downtown Lowell. Team members often dress in wacky costumes and there is a prize for the most creative of attire. The Human Dogsled Competition has been recognized for several years by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (

PETA Peta or PETA may refer to: Acronym * Pembela Tanah Air, a militia established by the occupying Japanese in Indonesia in 1943 * People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, an American animal rights organization * People Eating Tasty Animals, an ...

) for its animal-friendly approach to winter fun. A variety of strategies are employed to gain victory. Some teams consist of burly football players who try to win by sheer power. Other teams consist of lightly built sprinters who try to win by having a pusher who may not weigh that much. In past years,

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has given brief coverage to the final matchups of the event. There is no prize money associated with this race.

External links

Lowell Winterfest
Massachusetts culture {{Massachusetts-stub