09/19/2024
Arctic Star Dog Sleds
An introduction to Paul Therriault the owner of Arctic Star Sled Works formerly Arctic Star Dog Sleds!
Paul started mushing in 1985 with his pet dogs Flame, Max, and Blaze the woods behind his house. He bought some "real" sled dogs the following fall and trained them alongside his pet dogs. He entered his first race in Lincoln, Maine with mixed results, but was hooked! In 1987 he drove a team of dogs 300 miles across the top of Maine to benefit the Maine Kidney Foundation from
Van Buren to Greenville and entered his first mid-distance race, the Sandwich Notch 60. Paul discovered he loved running the longer distances and ran many races from 30-400 miles over the next several years, including the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race and the Labrador 400. Paul's children were getting older and life happened requiring him to "get a real job" so in 1997 he switched to sprint racing. He entered the Open class at the World Championship Sled Dog Derby 2024 in Laconia, NH where he parked next to Johnn Molburg and Nancy Molburg and got to see his first Arctic Star Dog Sleds. "They were so nice to chat with and they even offered for my three year old son to enter the one dog junior race with their famous dog Poppy", Paul Therriault says. Alexander Therriault was thrilled to run his first race and is still running dogs 33 years later with his own sled dog touring business, Ultimate Dog Sledding Experience! Paul Therriault purchased his very own Arctic Star Sled, the Shooting Star model, and still runs it to this day! Paul says, "It handles nicely and has stood up to years of abuse from a plus sized musher". Paul Therriault continued racing in Sprint races for several years until 2012 and held several board and officer positions in our local clubs including president of DESDC for several years. Paul underwent another career change and had to give up racing due to working every weekend. Finally, in 2022 Paul was able to take some vacation time and entered the Wilderness Sled Dog Race, which was his first race in nearly 12 years! He borrowed dogs from his son, Alexander Therriault to run the race, and decided to build up a racing team again. He now has a full kennel of adult dogs and some puppies to race into the future! All the while, Paul dabbled in building and repairing dog sleds, dog houses, and even dog boxes for dog trucks! Earlier this year, Paul retired early to make mushing his full time endeavor. He saw that Arctic Star Dog Sleds was for sale and contacted Johnn Molburg and Nancy Molburg right away. After a visit to their home and some time apprenticing with Johnn Molburg and Nancy Molburg in their home and workshop, he was convinced that this was his calling. Paul Therriault states, "After racing Arctic Star Dog Sleds for over 30 years and repairing dozens of sleds through the years, I am now thrilled to be running my own business in my own shop and carrying on the traditions that Johnn Molburg and Nancy Molburg started so many years ago. I will forever be grateful to them". So, while the name has changed a bit and the focus of the sleds may expand to more mid-distance and distance models (message for more info!), the tradition will carry on with Arctic Star Sled Works!
