Local musher takes Rookie of the Year, By LISA KACZKE, Staff Writer

JR Anderson, of Ray, received the Rookie of the Year award at the Diavik 150/Canadian National Dog Derby Championship.
Anderson placed 10th in the race, which was held March 28-30 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada.
He said the race went well, but he hoped to do better. This year’s winner, John Beck, of Yellowknife, ran the race in 9 hours 32 minutes, breaking the record time for the race by an hour, according to Anderson. The previous record was set in the mid-1970s. It was quite a performance, said Anderson.
Anderson completed the race in 11 hours 20 minutes, or 10 minutes slower than the 2007 winner’s time. Anderson said he had prepared for this year’s race using last year’s winning time.
Seventeen teams competed in the race, coming from Canada and the United States and one from France.
The trip to Yellowknife from Ray is quite long, but its one of the biggest races JR and his wife Anna can compete in with the level of competition and the amount of money in the purse, Anderson said. He said he wants to race against the best, and not just in races close to home.