Canicross championship 2026

After many years of running and competing in canicross, this year we entered the Czech National Canicross Championship for all breeds for the very first time. And what a ride it was!

This year’s Championship took place at Máchovo Lake as part of the Leskros Mácháč race, organized by Rozběháme Česko. It was a two-round race, with one round on Saturday and the second on Sunday. The course was the same on both days, with the distance varying according to the age category – from 800 m for the youngest competitors up to 4.2 km for adults. In between the rounds, there was very little time to recover and get ready for the next day.

To compete in the Championship itself, an official mushing race licence is required. Until now, we had only competed in races and categories where a licence was not necessary, so before the Championship we first had to pass a mushing theory test and complete all the procedures required to obtain the licence. Everything went smoothly, so from now on we are also eligible to compete in official mushing races.

For us, the whole family took part in the event – four family members, four very different racing teams. The whole venue was buzzing with adrenaline, an electric atmosphere and fantastic performances from everyone involved! And of course, our team of White Swiss Shepherds was back in action, doing what we love most. It was an incredible weekend for our entire team!

On Saturday, there was also an Open race for competitors without a licence, featuring special categories such as Senior Dog and Junior Dog. Erik chose Diamond as his partner and they competed in the Senior Dog category. Mirka raced with Bella in the MČR Elite (40+) category, Natálka raced with borrowed Lia (European Sled Dog) in the Youth (15–18 years) category, and Karolínka competed with Amiga in the Younger Pupils (7–10 years) category. According to the race regulations, the youngest competitors were required to have an adult accompanying them for safety reasons.

Karolínka and Amiga are Czech National Canicross Champions!

But it was an incredible battle and a real nail-biter.

Saturday: 3:04 – provisional 1st place, with a lead of just 0.2 seconds
Sunday: 2:45 – almost 20 seconds faster, increasing their lead by another 1.2 seconds

After two rounds, Karolínka won the Championship by just 1.5 seconds. Six girls aged 7–10 competed in the category, making it an incredibly close battle from start to finish.

And just a few days before the Championship, we weren’t even sure whether Karolínka would be able to compete. On the Tuesday before the race, she badly injured her forehead at school and needed three stitches.

Then, after Saturday’s race, her dad – who had been her mandatory adult escort that day – injured himself and was unable to accompany her on Sunday. We had to find a replacement at the very last minute. Thankfully, Jura, a member of our running team and owner of one of our NIKTEL dogs, stepped in and did a fantastic job. Thank you!

Karolínka and Amiga never gave up and fought all the way to the finish – right to the top of the podium.

This victory is even more special to us because our team competes with White Swiss Shepherds – a breed that is not typically associated with top-level canicross and cannot naturally match the breeds specifically developed for pulling and high-speed running, such as pointers or European Sled Dogs.

We are incredibly proud of our little racer and our amazing Amiga!