As the snow amounts to keep increasing throughout the Upper Peninsula, so too does the enjoyment for the return of a number of precious sled dog races.
Over the next couple of weeks, the UP200, Midnight Run, Jack Pine and CopperDog sled dog racing occasions will illuminate U.P. routes with numerous sled dog groups, while countless viewers from throughout the state and beyond pertained to cheer them on and take pleasure in the competitors and cameraderie.
“This is a very community-oriented spectator event,” says Darlene Walch, among the UP200′s organizers and the board president of The Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association.
Indeed, the races are a volunteer-driven emphasize each winter season, and the neighborhoods along the race paths typically participate with hot cocoa, pie, bonfires and other deals with for participants.
Want to be part of these exhilarating winter season weekends? Spectators usually view a race’s high-energy start and/or surface, or wait at race checkpoints to cheer on the groups as they move by. In the case of the UP200 races, each group is equipped with a satellite tracker that permits anybody to follow the groups’ development from home — a terrific alternative if you can’t make it face to face.
Read on for a fast introduction of each race, and discover details about race paths, times, checkpoints, what to anticipate and more on the races’ sites:
The UP200 Powered by NMU – Feb. 16-20: In a test of both ability and endurance, this Iditarod qualifier covers 228 miles of difficult surface from Marquette to Grand Marais and back once again, through forested land and near-wilderness. Read up on this year’s groups, choose your favorites, see a path map with checkpoints, discover how you can offer, and discover more details at up200.org.
The Midnight Run – Feb. 16-20: This faster-paced, increasingly competitive 82-mile race occurs within the UP200 weekend, following an out-and-back course in between Marquette and Chatham. Teams leave Marquette on Friday night and ought to start striking the goal, at Ojibwa Casino, on Saturday early morning by 8:30 or 9 a.m. Find all the information, consisting of a list of contending groups, at up200.org.
The Jack Pine 30 – Feb. 18: The 3rd race within UP200 weekend is far more low profile, with rivals running an approximately 23-mile path that starts and ends in Gwinn, about 20 miles south of Marquette. Spectators are welcomed to the First Baptist Church in Gwinn to fulfill the dogs and mushers, cheer on the groups, then take pleasure in the regional stores and dining establishments prior to heading back to witness the goal. Find all the information at up200.org.
CopperDog – March 3-5: The very first weekend in March illuminate the snowy Keweenaw Peninsula with numerous sled dog races, consisting of the three-day CopperDog 150. Organizers call the completely volunteer-run occasion a “labor of love,” right down to regional homeowners assisting mushers with their dogs, offering real estate, and managing path crossings. Learn more at copperdog150.com.
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