Hello all. I am temporarily back in Georgia for family issues but things are going well in Minnesota and that is what I am talking about today.
As many of you probably already know, it looks like I am going to be running the 2010 Beargrease Mid-Distance (150) after all. The reason being (again, many of you probably already know this) that Jen is pregnant! We all were sitting on this “secret” for a while before it was “officially released”. It’s making for exciting times at MCK. Jen will not be racing this year but she is certainly going to be busy!
We had a good bit of snow - including one morning when we woke up to about six inches! - but mainly it has just rained…and rained and rained and rained and…rained. All the dogs are doing well in training and the pups are looking good.
Wolf Track Classic is primed to grow
10/24/2009 4:37:00 PM
by Tom Coombe
Entering its third year, the Wolf Track Classic is set to grow both in numbers and distance.
The fledgling local sled dog race had a waiting list in 2009, so organizers have opted to expand the 2010 event, set for Mar. 7.
As many as 60 six-dog teams, up from a capped total of 35 this year, and 25 10-dog teams, may take part in the respective races.
“We’re going to be a little bit bigger,” said Joe Russell, president of the Wolf Track Classic’s board of directors.
And a race that involved both the communities of Ely and Tower will now involve a third, as Cook comes on board in an expanded 10-dog race.
While the six-dog racers will continue to compete in a 30-mile sprint between Ely and Tower, the larger race is growing to 130 miles, from Ely to Cook and back with a mandatory eight-hour rest period along the trail.
Started in 2008, the Wolf Track Classic has quickly become a popular late-season stop on the sled dog circuit - and a late-winter boon to the Ely area.
The event has drawn dog teams and handlers from across the region and into Canada, as well as interested spectators from the Iron Range, North Shore, Duluth-Superior area and beyond.
It has also quickly outgrown its humble beginnings.
The move from 35 to 60 six-dog teams was prompted by the long list of mushers waiting for a spot, according to Russell.
“There were a considerable amount (of mushers) on the waiting list and I don’t like to see waiting lists,” said Russell. “So we increased the amount of entries to 60.”
Organizers have also scrapped an eight-dog, 60-mile, Ely-to-Tower-and-back event in favor of a 10-dog race that will go to Cook and spread out over two days.
The event has also outgrown its original starting area at Hidden Valley, and organizers have secure permission from Ely city officials to use Miners Drive instead.
“The new starting chute will be out in front of what is now Irresistible Ink,” said Russell.
The race itself is set for Sunday, Mar. 7, with the six-dog event beginning at 9 a.m. and the 10-dog contest at 3 p.m., but festivities are planned for throughout the weekend.
The day prior to the race, Sat., Mar. 6, is full of mushing activities. The traditional vet check of the dog teams, open to the public, will be held in Ely at a location still to be determined.
That evening, the Wolf Track Classic will hold its Adventurers Gala at the Grand Ely Lodge.
It’s a banquet that will include a lasagna dinner, introduction of the mushers and speeches from returning champions Rebekah Chapman, Matt Rossi, Maggie Heilmann and Clayton Scheider.
Race day includes the 6-dog start in Ely and the finish of the race at Tower, and a 10-dog race that will begin at 3 p.m. Mar. 7 and carry on through the night.
The first musher could arrive back in Ely around 8 a.m. on Mar. 8, but Russell said there will be plenty of action to follow before that.
“It will be an all-nighter,” he said. “It is going to be fun.”
Russell said that strategy will be a factor in the longer race as mushers decide how and when to use their mandatory eight-hours off.
“The first team into Cook may not necessarily be the leader in the race,” said Russell. “They may not have used any rest time. A lot of mushers have indicated to me they may burn right through Tower.”
The rest time must be used before the end of the race and can be done all at once or in increments, at the three checkpoints (Tower on the way down, Cook, and Tower on the way back).
But by the time mushers pull into Ely on Monday, rest time will have been used and a winner will emerge. The festivities will wrap up with a ceremony that afternoon.
The race committee has taken several steps to ensure safety, including the posting of signs along the race trail, which includes the Taconite Snowmobile Trail. The larger race will start late on a Sunday afternoon in order to minimize potential conflicts.
“We’ve had absolutely no incidents,” said Russell. “Snowmobilers have been great about it. They enjoy it as much as anybody else. They’ll pull over and let the dog teams go through.”
Ham radio operators will also be stationed on the trail to report what is transpiring.
Russell heads a board that includes seven members and seven standing committees. The race operates on a $25,000 annual budget, with entry fees and sponsorship money providing the key revenue stream.
It’s an event that will bring hundreds of dogs, and in organizers’ eyes, hopefully hundreds of people to the region.
“Our number one mission and my commitment is to see if we can generate some tourism in the community in a time when there’s not a lot of people in town,” said Russell. “We’re committed to making sure that happens for many years to come.”
More race information can be accessed online on the organization’s website at www.wolftrackclassic.com
