Royer wins Race to the Sky, heads to Iditarod in March

by NBC Montana Staff

Tue, February 14th 2023, 2:05 PM UTC

The Idaho Sled Dog Challenge is returning to the West Central Mountains of Idaho Jan. 21-Feb. 2, 2023, for its fifth year. Part of the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown, the race features world-class mushers and is an Iditarod and Yukon Quest qualifier. Pictured here on Jan. 29, 2020, at the official start of the 300-mile race, Jessie Royer from Seeley Lake, Mont., won the event, as well as the inaugural 300-mile race in 2018. Born in Idaho and raised on a Montana cattle ranch, Royer is considered one of the mushing world's top contenders and placed third in the Iditarod in 2019 and 2020 and 13th in 2021. She has placed in the Iditarod's top 10 for the last 8 years and is competing in it again this year. (Photo by Melissa Shelby)

MISSOULA, Mont. — Jessie Royer of Seeley Lake won her seventh Montana Race to the Sky on Monday night.

Royer won her first Race to the Sky when she was 17 years old, and she is headed back to the Iditarod next month.

In second place was Erik Oline of Missoula.

Charmayne Morrison finished third.

Full press release:

Jessie Royer won the 2023 Race to the Sky 300 mile at 7:40 this evening. Royer is from Seeley Lake, Montana. She has been mushing for 31 years and operates the J Team Kennel. She has now won the Race to the Sky seven times. After first winning the 500 mile race when she was 17 years old, she started training to run Iditarod. She has finished may Iditarod (over 1,100 miles) races and has several third place finishes recently. She is headed back to Iditarod next month.

Erik Oline was next to cross the finish line at 8:48 p.m. with 12 dogs, finishing in second place. Oline is a fishing guide and college student from Missoula, Montana. He is running dogs from the J Team Kennel (Jessie Royer’s) that he has been running all season doing tours. This is his second year running tours for Royer and running Race to the Sky. This year the 300 mile, last year he finished the 100 mile race.

Charmayne Morrison finished the Race to the Sky 300 in third place at 10:15 p.m. with 8 dogs.

She has been mushing for 8 years, starting with the Junior Race to the Sky and finished the 2019 and 2020 Race to the Sky 100 in third place. In 2020, she was the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown 8 dog champion. She is planning on running Iditarod.

Clayton Perry is scheduled to leave at 11:15 tonight to head to the finish line. He is expected to finish between 4 and 5 a.m. Tuesday morning at Hi-Country Snack Foods.

Awards ceremony will be at 1:00 Tuesday at Hi-Country Snack Foods Trading Post for the 300 mile teams. The public is always invited to attend.

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