Cordingly Race

This race is shorter, but still challenging.

The Cordingly Race is named after Warren Cordingly and his son Don Cordingly. In 1927 Warren traveled to the Banff Canadian Race to represent Ashton.  The previous year the Canadians had come to Ashton and suffered humiliating loses to our local mushers.  (More details on this in coming weeks.)  To save face, they claimed they were the masters on their own home course.  So Warren traveled there to prove Ashton's superiority.  And prove it he did.  He not only won the 86 mile, 2 day course, he broke all the Canadian records in doing so.  As the only American in that race, he not only represented Ashton well but also our country.

Don, Warren's son, won his first Ashton race at age 17 by one second.  He won two more first places - one on wheels and one in record time: 1 hour, 51 minutes, and 41 seconds on a 25 mile course.  Like "Tud" Kent, he became a permanent owner of the Leyson-Pearsall trophy, which was given to any musher who won 3 times.  The 40 mile race is named after this father and son tradition.