The Cibes Lift Ski-Willy Marathon Team tests a unique approach to race support: a trained service dog to assist athletes during long-distance events.

In long-distance races, support teams play a crucial role, providing equipment, nutrition, and assistance throughout demanding courses. However, in areas far from accessible roads or official service zones, quickly reaching athletes in case of equipment issues can be challenging.

To address this, the team experimented with the concept during this season’s Jizerská50 in the Czech Republic, a race with several remote sections where delivering traditional support on time can be difficult.

As part of the initiative, team member Hanna Riedl has trained her Whippet, Ari, to locate and assist team members on the course. The dog is conditioned to recognize individual athletes and can carry small equipment such as poles or lightweight gear.

According to the team, Ari was successfully deployed during the race, reaching an athlete who had experienced equipment issues in a remote section and helping her continue.

“We were surprised ourselves. Ari was able to reach our athlete, who was struggling with a broken basket, within 10 minutes in the wooded area north of Holubník, and enabled her to finish successfully,” says Team Director Peter Kiene.

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Read More: Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XVII 2025/2026

Ski Classics Pro Tour Season XVII (2025/2026)

Season XVII of the Ski Classics Pro Tour consists of 13 events across 9 event weekends in 6 countries. 

• Event 1: December 13, 2025 – Bad Gastein Pro Team Tempo – Sportgastein, Austria, 7km
• Event 2: December 14, 2025 – Bad Gastein Criterium – Sportgastein, Austria, 36km
• Event 3: January 17, 2026 – Engadin La Diagonela – Pontresina-Zuoz, Switzerland, 47km
• Event 4: January 25, 2026 – Marcialonga – Moena-Cavalese, Italy, 70km
• Event 5: January 30, 2026 – Bedřichov Sprint – Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 1.5km
• Event 6: February 1, 2026 – Jizerská50 – Bedřichov, Czech Republic, 50km
• Event 7: March 1, 2026 – Vasaloppet – Sälen-Mora, Sweden, 90km
• Event 8: March 7, 2026 – Orsa Grönklitt 50k ITT Women – Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 9: March 8, 2026 – Orsa Grönklitt 50k ITT Men – Grönklitt, Sweden, 50km
• Event 10: March 14, 2026 – Birkebeinerrennet – Rena-Lillehammer, Norway, 53km
• Event 11: March 21, 2026 – Marcialonga Bodø – Sulitjelma, Norway, 46km
• Event 12: March 28, 2026 – Reistadløpet – Setermoen-Bardufoss, Norway, 35km
• Event 13: March 29, 2026 – Grand Finale Summit 2 Senja – Bardufoss, Norway, 60km

For more updates and detailed information about the Ski Classics Pro Tour, make sure to visit skiclassics.com