SLED DOG RACING: Port Angeles’ Isaac Halfacre enjoys Alaskan sled dog adventure

Published 1:30 am Thursday, February 26, 2026

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A Port Angeles boy and a pair of borrowed sled dogs recently enjoyed a truly authentic Alaskan experience — adopting the sport of sled dog racing and quickly winning his first competitive race the Junior Alaskan Sled Dog and Racing Association’s Two Dog Novice 1-mile Junior World Championship held last weekend.

Isaac Halfacre, age 11, decided to accompany his mom Jenna up to Alaska after the educator agreed to teach in Alaska this semester in the hopes of picking up a teaching position in Port Angeles in the future. He left behind his dad Erik, two siblings and his black lab Ranger.

With the 2026 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, Alaska’s famed 1,000-mile test of endurance, skill and survival coming up in March and anticipation reaching fever pitch, Isaac was excited.

“He’s really into dogs, just loves dogs,” Erik Halfacre said of his son. “He asked my wife if he could get set to go watch the start of the race but it turns out that it will be held during school’s spring break when they will be back here. So we looked up another sled dog race that he happened to be there for and they went but it was canceled by a rising river.”

But it wasn’t at all a failed outing.

“All the dog teams were still there and Isaac wanted to pet the dogs,” Erik Halfacre said. “I told him not every sled dog is nice, don’t pet without first asking the mushers’ permission. And he walked around asking every musher if he could pet every dog there.”

Isaac’s dogged enthusiasm didn’t go unnoticed.

“The race was canceled, so [sled dog owner] Karen [Llewellyn] taught me about dog sledding and said that I should go on a run with her and her dogs,” Isaac said. “One run was being on a sled tugged behind and the next by myself.

“They told me I was welcome to join the club and Theresa [Perez] accepted it and let me use Bruce (hound mix) and Karen let me use Rokka (Hedlund husky). I just saw how much the dogs were enjoying it, the beautiful experience and the scenery. They love to run.”

Isaac got some more laps under his belt with some practice sessions and completed in a points race Jan. 31, finishing third overall.

“I’ve only been in one other race and four other practices on the sled,” Isaac said.

Sled schooling

He learned the basics of dog sledding.

“To go easy on the turns and to make sure the dogs are having fun and I am having fun and the sled is staying steady,” Isaac said.

And the strengths of his dog team.

“Bruce is more for speed. Right now, I need to go fast, but he can’t go that far.

“And Rakka can’t go as fast, but he can go the longer distances.”

Bruce is a working sled dog who will next compete in a 100-mile race. Rakka is a former working dog who suffered a torn ACL and was adopted by Llewellyn earlier this winter.

Hedlund huskies are a rare, traditional line of Alaskan sled dogs developed in the 1930s-40s by Native Alaskans Rose and Nels Hedlund for trapline work, characterized by their calm demeanor and endurance.

Isaac was in second place after the first day of the three-day Junior World Championship race last Friday but posted the two fastest miles of the weekend last Saturday (4 minutes, 1 second) and Sunday (4:14) and won with a total time of 13:36, nearly two full minutes ahead of the next racer.

Video of Isaac and his sled dogs preparing for and racing their final run of the weekend can be seen at

“I was so surprised, especially because I crashed at the end,” Isaac said of winning.

The young sledder tipped just ahead of the finish line with the enthusiastic dog pack continuing on crossing and Isaac running his best after them.

“I had a choice of any restaurant I wanted and I got my trophy, a little picture of me in golden letters,” Isaac said.

Isaac participated in rowing in Port Angeles and said basketball is up next in Alaska.

“I learned not to not be too competitive in sports,” Isaac said. “To be nice and respectful to your team members and to trust myself and the materials.”

There are other divisions if Isaac wants to pursue sled dog racing as he gets older, with three-and five-dog racing from 2.8 miles to 5.4 miles and scholarships set up to cover travel expenses.

“He has his heart set on being a musher now,” Erik Halfacre said. “We are from Alaska originally. He just loves the dogs and the experience of being out in the woods.”

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Sports reporter/columnist Michael Carman can be contacted at sports@peninsuladailynews.com.