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Festival of the Sled Dog
In place of the canceled UP200 races, the “Festival of the Sled Dog, Powered by NMU” will take place on Friday, February 16th from 6 pm - 10 pm in downtown Marquette. The arch will be up, the streets will be filled with snow for sledding, and there will be sled dog demos, meaning there will be sled dogs! There will also be live music and other activities.
The unseasonably warm temperatures and the lack of snow will not keep us from gathering downtown and having a great time as a community!
Grand Marais Winterfest
The “Grand Marais Winterfest, Powered by NMU” will take place on February 17th in downtown Grand Marais. Please join us for a day filled with fun for the whole family! There will be merchandise for sale, a chili and jumbo hot dog luncheon, sled dog demonstrations, and so much more.
For more information, check out the schedule of events linked below.
Experience the fun and excitement of Sled Dog Racing at this year's UP 200- one of America’s premier 12-dog, mid-distance sled dog races drawing mushers from around the United States and Canada; the 8-dog Midnight Run race- coinciding with the UP200, this race draws premier sled dog teams wanting to test their skill on a technically challenging trail. MNR mushers will again leave the chute in downtown Marquette at 8:30 p.m.; and the JackPine 30 - the race that rounds out the weekend’s fun with a six-dog, 26-mile trail starting and finishing in Gwinn, Michigan. The JP30 will start at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday morning!
The UP 200 race covers approximately 230 miles from Marquette to Grand Marais, with a return to Marquette along the same trail. The terrain includes stretches of near-wilderness, creek crossings, hills and valleys, and heavily forested land. Mushers say this is one of their favorite races, not only because of the challenging race, but because of the beautiful trail, the cheering crowds and warm welcome they receive at every checkpoint along the trail here in the Upper Peninsula.
The UP200 is an Iditarod qualifying race. Registration is limited to 40 teams, and mushers are required to have finished the Midnight Run or other equivalent sixty (60) mile continuous running races within the past three seasons.
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