Well, it’s been awhile! But I’m back with another race report. First of all, I need to introduce Journey. She’s an American Foxhound that we adopted in summer 2024.

Journey has been joining me on most of my hikes and runs since we got her. We started out running with minimal type gear. As we got more into it I invested in actual canicross gear (dog harness, bungee leash, and waist belt) in November 2025, under the guidance of my friend Ashton who runs with her dog, Juniper. Little did I know Ashton was preparing me for my first “canicross” race – a cross-country/trail race where the human and dog run as a team.

After several more months of running in our new set up, I was ready to commit to my first race. I signed up for the Rehab Rover Canicross & Trail Race in Gordonsville, VA, which took place on October 3.

On race morning my dad headed over with us to the equine rehabilitation facility where the race was held. It was chilly and raining pretty hard. I wish it hadn’t been raining for our first canicross race, but I’ll take that over the heat! After parking, we did packet pick up, attended the race safety briefing, and prepared to run. I also walked and jogged Journey around a bunch hoping she would take care of her business before the race, but she did not.

They started the race in small groups that are seeded based on projected pace. This helps spread the runners and their dogs out a bit on the course. The 5K officially started at 9AM and about 10 minutes later it was our turn to run!

We started out running on a gravel driveway. Of course, less than a quarter mile into the race Journey decided she was ready to potty. Once I got that picked up and taken care of, we continued on our way. From the gravel, we headed onto the grass and through some fields. The grass felt really soft to run on, a bit like running on sand, and sometimes it was also slippery.

From the fields we headed into a short, wooded trail section. The trails were so fun, albeit sloppy, and I loved anytime we hit a wooded section on the course. I didn’t know how Journey would do in this race setting with lots of other people and dogs around, but she seemed to be having a blast.

Mile two brought us through some more fields. We encountered a few hills, as we had in the first mile, which I hiked. Journey thought hiking was a great time to stop and sniff stuff, so we lost a little time to that as well. Just before the end of this mile we hit a creek crossing and I’m glad there was a bridge. My girl will go through water if she must, but she is not a fan (it’s kind of a miracle she was out in the rain with me, to be honest). I also opted to walk the bridge, as I’ve learned my lesson about falling into the water during races.

The final mile took us back into the woods. This section of trail was very muddy and slippery and had some large puddle sections. I saw several runners wipeout through here, but luckily I stayed upright. There was also two way traffic through here as the 10K runners made their way along the course, and Journey handled it beautifully. We had a few steep climbs in the woods and then popped out in another field section that had a sharp downhill before flattening out. We crossed the creek again (another bridge!) and headed for the home stretch.

As we ran across the final field stretch before the finish, we saw Ashton and Juniper out there looking strong in their 10K race. We both cheered each other on. Then there was one final hill to push through and we rounded the corner to see my dad cheering us on and the finish line just ahead.

We finished in 44:50 (by my watch, as I don’t have an official time). This being Journey’s first race, she definitely didn’t get the concept of the finish line. As we were supposed to be crossing the finish line, she took a hard left to try and say hi to the timer. What can you do?

Shortly after we finished, Ashton and Juniper finished their 10K. We met up with them in the finish area and it sounded like they had a great day out there. Ashton and I have shared many miles together and I’m grateful for her friendship, encouragement, and guidance as we wade into this canicross world.

Overall, I was a little worried about what Journey would think of the race setting with all of the other dogs. I wondered if she would have a good time or if it would be overwhelming. The rain is also definitely not her favorite and I didn’t know how she would handle that. She was not pleased with standing around in it for a little over an hour pre-race but once it was time to run she was happy. She had a great first race and I’m really proud of her. Personally, I was also happy to be back at a trail race. We picked a really good one for our first canicross race experience! I definitely think there are more races in our future.