A LEADING British dog sled racer is working with sport experts from the University of Worcester to help her enhance her performance ahead of a major international tournament.
Vickie Pullin, who is the top ranked female sled dog racer in the UK, holding multiple top-15 World Rankings, has been undergoing physical tests with the University’s Sport and Exercise Science Institute, ahead of the ‘International Federation of Sledding Sports’ Dog Sledding European Championships’, in Norfolk next month.
Using data collected through observing Vickie’s maximum power, recovery rate and lactate threshold, the sport science experts have helped the 31-year-old, from Bredon, to train in the most effective way.
A former member of the British Snowboard Cross Team, Vickie developed a love of huskies while in Canada and now has 30 dogs, which she competes with on sleds, bikes and scooters.
Vickie has represented Great Britain at the European and World Championships, where she finished 11th last year and became the first British musher to take part in the World Championships’ four dog team mass start.
“I want to be world champion, that’s the dream,” said Vickie.
“We’re looking at small marginal gains to try and increase my performance and to enable me to become world champion. This is an opportunity to make a difference because it’s not just the dogs that contribute.
“Biking is when I have the biggest physical input. The dogs and I both work as hard as we can across a three-mile sprint.
“In the rigs, I’m pushing with one leg and running as well. Even handling the dogs and holding on is very physically demanding.
“I think the dogs’ fitness and what they do is massive and the equipment we’re on needs to be the best it can be, but the fitness of the athlete is just as important as the other two,” she added.
Matt Davies, a sport science technician at the University said the nature of Vickie’s sport meant she could be doing intermittent exercise with short recovery periods.
“We perform specific tests to inform Vickie’s training according to the demands of the sport she competes in. By optimising her training, we ensure she’s not wasting time doing something that won’t benefit her performance,” he added.
