Celebrating canine speed: Highlights from the Squamish whippet racing weekend

The whippets were back in town racing this past weekend.

Two clubs—the BC Whippet Racing Club and Pacific Northwest Racing—hosted the North American Nationals at Brennan Park.

Whippet racing has taken place annually in Squamish since 2001.

This is the fifth time the nationals have been hosted in Squamish, and it is the only Canadian destination to ever host, according to the B.C. Club's Darien Adley, who has lived in Squamish for 15 years and raced whippets since 1996.

(She has had whippets since she was four years old.)

The dogs were out

On Saturday, for the 200-yard straight race, there were 70 dogs, said Adley, who is race chair.

On Sunday, for the 300-yard U-val race, there were 79.

There were about 60 humans in attendance, hailing from near and as far as Washington, California, Alberta, Indiana, Illinois, South Carolina, Florida and Oregon.

When asked about a highlight of the event, Adley said that in the top 10 on Saturday, six dogs were from the Pacific Northwest, and three of those were from B.C.

Why Squamish?

"Squamish is a bucket-list destination for whippet racing enthusiasts across North America,” Adley said. 

“It is considered the best field anywhere by many who have raced their dogs on it. What makes it great, really, is all about the effort and time the District of Squamish puts into maintaining the soccer fields.”

She added that the ground is well irrigated, and weed-free with no holes or divots.

“It's about as good as it gets. This is combined with the [Stawamus] Chief in the background, providing the best backdrop,” she said. 

This year, for the first time, racers camped and held the awards event and catering on the Al McIntosh Loggers Sports Grounds.

"It was a superb venue. Our catering company was Lil Chef Bistro,” Adley said. "We very much value the local partners who helped us bring this event to Squamish."

Gone, but not forgotten

One touching aspect of the event is the memorial blanket run once each day.

"It is a blanket that has the names of dogs who have died in the last year," explained Adley. "The dog who carries the names on the jacket is a well-known dog who is an older dog as well."

The idea is that the owners of the dogs who have passed get to see their dog go around the track one final time doing what they loved most.

For more information, check out the British Columbia Whippet Racing Club on its website.