Reynolds wins the Open North American Championship

March 25, 2014

University Relations

Arleigh Reynolds, associate dean for the UAF's Department of Veterinary Medicine, mushed down Second Avenue last Sunday, smiling and poised for victory. For the second year in a row, he crossed the finish line with the winning time for the Open North American Championship.

Reynolds credits the victory to his lead dog, Guts, who he said can't stand lagging behind other dogs.

Reynolds will retire from sled dog racing this season to focus his efforts on the joint veterinary program between UAF's College of Natural Science and Mathematics and Colorado State University.

Reynolds holds both a doctor of veterinary medicine degree and a PhD degree in veterinary medicine from Cornell University. He specializes in researching the relationship between nutrition and performance in sport dogs.

Reynolds is a veteran musher who competes in sprint races, where dogs run high speeds over relatively short distances. He is competing in one more race this year — the Tok Sled Dog Race of Champions, which he won last year.