We get up close and personal with some furry athletes and their people as they take to the trails for the UP 200 in Marquette.
Experiencing the UP 200 Sled Dog Race
For some reason, in all the years of visiting Marquette, we’ve never experienced the UP 200 Sled Dog race. Back in 2014, we took a sled dog ride, but had yet to make it up to watch this iconic race. Finally, this year, we checked this one off our bucket list. All I can say is WOW– what a fabulous way to spend a winter weekend in Marquette.
If you aren’t familiar, the UP 200 is a 12-dog middle-distance race from Marquette to Grand Marais and back again. It runs over 228 miles of wild and wholly forested trails with plenty of hills, creek crossings, and deep snow.
The UP 200 gets the lion’s share of attention, but there are a couple of other races held over this weekend. The Midnight Run is an 8-dog race starting in Marquette (just after the UP 200) and covers 82 miles out to Chatham and back. Finally, there is the “sprint” known as the Jack Pine 30. This one features 6-dog teams running a 26-mile course that starts and ends at the First Baptist Church in Gwinn on Saturday of race weekend.
Becoming A Race Photographer
Initially, we were just planning to head up to Marquette, check out the start, and maybe a bit of the action in Grand Marais. Little did we know we’d get a behind-the-scenes look at the race. Not wanting to be “that guy” with a camera that gets in the way, I wrote to the UP 200 board’s secretary, Mari, to inquire about photographing the race. She replied that there was no problem taking photos. In fact, they routinely organize a group of volunteer photographers and offered to put me in touch with Mackenzie, their media coordinator.
The next thing you know, Mackenzie was filling me in on the various points to view the race. She also offered to get us into the Wetmore checkpoint, which is not open to the public. An exclusive for our race recap? Yes, please, sign me up! Little did I know what I was getting us into.
Registration
Our first stop was registration at the UP 200 headquarters at the Holiday Inn on US 41 in Marquette. While we weren’t actually racing, we dropped by to meet up with Mari and Mackenzie. While we were there, we browsed the silent auction items. There were plenty of awesome packages, especially if you have dogs and love beer. The proceeds from the auction items help fund the UP 200.
After wandering through the registration area, we met up with Mari Vaydik, the UP 200 secretary. She shared how she had started out as a Northern Michigan University (NMU) student who loved attending the races and volunteering. After school, she moved down near Detroit, yet continued to meet up with friends for the race and volunteering. Following the pandemic, Mari joined the UP 200 board and continues to enjoy supporting a race that she loves.
We then met Mackenzie. She started her UP 200 journey as an NMU student representative on the board. Since graduation, Mackenzie has continued volunteering with the race, serving as the volunteer photographer wrangler this year. As you may know, rounding up photographers can be like herding cats. Mackenzie had us well organized and ready to rock. She kindly gave us a gift card for volunteering, which was totally unexpected, unnecessary, and extremely thoughtful – Thanks UP 200!
Before making our way out for a rendezvous with our friend Janelle for beers at Kognisjon Bryggeri, we met Katie Rosebrugh, who is one of the Wetmore Checkpoint coordinators. She was extremely helpful in providing insights into what to expect at the checkpoint as well as tips on great viewpoints, particularly in Grand Marais.
Vet Check
Friday morning, before the race starts, is the Vet Check. Here, a team of volunteer veterinarians gives the athletes (aka the sled dogs) a thorough check-up to make sure they are in tip-top shape. Once checked out, the dogs are marked and tagged on their collars. Mushers can only race dogs that have been checked out by the vets.
While we watched many happy dogs get their vet checks, we spoke with one of the judges, Jon Brown. In a recent Sunday Sip (our newsletter), I marveled at how these dogs are actually ultra-marathoners. Talking with Jon, he shared that the comparison to an ultra-athlete is apt.
Jon revealed that a key measure for endurance performance is VO2 max. It is a measure of how well you use oxygen. An average person at my age has a VO2 max between 23 and 36 mL/kg/min. For a top-tier human athlete, they get up to 80-90 mL/kg/min. However, a sled dog crushes us all with a VO2 max between 200 and 300 mL/kg/min. Over 5 times better than the best human endurance athlete! If you are curious about the marvels of sled dog physiology, I found this little article to be eye-opening.
Starting Line Celebration
The starting line for the UP 200 and Midnight Run is in downtown Marquette on Washington Street between 4th and 3rd Streets. The teams then run east on Washington down to the Iron Ore Heritage Trail off of Lake Shore Boulevard.
You may wonder how the dog teams run on the streets. Do they just drag the sled down the road in a hail of sparks coming from the sled rails? Have no fear, dog and musher safety is paramount. What the UP 200 team does is haul in tons of snow and spread it out over the road. It makes a packed snow trail through town until they can hit the actual trails down by the lake. Cool aye?
The dog sled teams start gathering near the start around 3 pm. This is an opportunity for race fans to see the dogs up close before the race. We had been warned that parking becomes a problem as thousands of folks head into town. Being a type-A planner, I got us downtown at 2:30 pm.
While it was great in terms of prime parking spots close by with good escape routes for later, this was WAY too early (see my hot tips at the end for more on this). With time to kill, we wandered around downtown and stopped at a couple of establishments for refreshments (ok, it was local craft beers).
We tucked into a spot on the barricade just west of 3rd street around 5 pm. Again, way too early. People arrived in a steady stream, but it didn’t get thick until 6. After the US and Canadian anthems, a few words from the local dignitaries and VIPs, the race was on!
The teams, starting with bib #1, left the starting line in two-minute intervals. Over the PA system, they provided information on the teams, including the musher’s name, history, as well as the names of their lead dogs. There was a sense of community celebration as the crowd roared when each team took off down the road.
With the UP 200 teams out on the course, Downtown Marquette became a winter festival with many people making a break for a beverage while others headed home. As we were scheduled to get up before the crack of dawn to be at the Wetmore Checkpoint, we trundled off to our rental just outside of town on Slippery Jim Road (Isn’t that just the best name for a road?)
Wetmore Checkpoint
The first leg of the UP 200 takes the teams from downtown Marquette, down past the little town of Harvey, and then into the woods to Wetmore. It is a journey of about 66 miles. The Wetmore checkpoint is located at Timber Products, a sprawling lumber mill located off M-28 about an hour’s drive from where we were staying.
Teams begin to arrive around midnight. At the checkpoint, the teams have a mandatory 5-hour layover to ensure everyone (dogs and mushers) gets some rest before heading to Grand Marais. Over the course of the entire race, each team must layover for a total of 16 hours, which is accumulated by stops in Grand Marais and again at Wetmore on the way back to Marquette and the finish line.
Thanks to a hot tip from another volunteer photographer, Colleen, we skipped the teams coming into Wetmore and made our plans to arrive before they head out in the pre-dawn of Saturday morning for Grand Marais. Given the teams are looking to rest and the lighting is minimal at best, it sounded good to us to plan on arriving about 5:30 am.
This time frame was ideal, as it allowed us to get past the security gate and reach the checkpoint. Katie (Wetmore checkpoint coordinator) told us to head all the way to the back of Timber Products and look for the big spotlight. She also provided a handy photo and map. Yet with all this information, this is a huge place, and it took a little wandering to find the spot near the checkpoint.
Inside one of the lumber warehouses was a warming station for the teams and volunteers. The warming station provided cots, a restroom, hot breakfast, coffee, and water. This is where we found the check-in time board, which showed the current standings of all the teams and when they could head out toward Grand Marais.
While cots were an option, it looked like most of the teams preferred to camp out in their trailers. I wandered around as teams were getting ready to rock and roll out on the trail. You could feel the excitement growing with each eager howl from the dogs that were ready to hit the trail running.
I made my way over to the checkpoint shortly before the first team left for Grand Marais. It was pitch black, save for the monster spotlight. It was also seasonably cold. With temperatures expected to crest 40 degrees during the day, most teams were looking to get out just before sunrise.
To get a better angle for photos, I decided to head out by the trail. While the trail is groomed and packed, the snow to either side is not. A couple of steps and I was up to my thigh in snow! In case you are wondering, they get a LOT of snow in Wetmore. Seeing the teams just take off down the trail was a testament to the fantastic work of the UP 200 trail team.
Grand Marais – Crossing Number 5
From the Wetmore Checkpoint on Saturday morning, the teams follow a winding trail through Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore for about 48 miles before reaching the seaside (ok, lakeside) town of Grand Marais. The lead teams were running between 6 and 9 miles per hour, so we had time to make our way out to Grand Marais and get some breakfast.
The UP 200 website is loaded with information, and one key resource is their listing of viewing areas for each day. In particular, they have a PDF map of the various road crossings leading into their stop at the community center in Grand Marais.
As we made our way toward town, we stopped at a few crossings to get a feel for what might make a great photo location. In all honesty, each stop is grand. However, crossing number 5 near the end of Ridge Road was perfect.
The trail comes out of the woods alongside the Holy Rosary Catholic Cemetery, down a short hill, across the road, and then back on the trail through the trees. The tricky part is that the teams must make a relatively short S turn coming down the hill and then on the road before swinging back on the trail.
We arrived at Crossing Number 5 just as volunteers Jess and Sara were setting up hay bales to define the turn across the road. Once again, probably way earlier than needed, but it wasn’t all bad, as Jess and Sara were great to chat with. Soon, other folks started to arrive, including Jess’s husband and her mom, Gail. Little did we know that we had stumbled upon a neighborhood/family gathering of sorts.
The S curve turned out to be tricky indeed. One team decided that the road offered the best route into town. The musher stopped the team as Sara helped to get the dogs back on the course. They hopped a hay bale, knocked down a trail marker, but found their way back on course.
At least three sleds tipped over as they came down the hill and hit the turn. At least one musher was heard to say, “I’m too old for this shit!” as they righted the sled and moved along.
As we listened to radio chatter from the other checkpoints indicating the status of the teams on the course, it was clear that the UP 200 was a community event. A majority of residents were volunteering on the course, including our friends Robin and Bill. In town, a small festival of sorts was going on as the teams gathered at the community center, which was hosting a chili cookoff. The people of Grand Marais were definitely having a great time supporting the UP 200 racers.
UP 200 Finish – Ojibwa Casino
After a short rest in Grand Marais, the teams made their way back to Wetmore for another check-in and rest. They were up again before dawn on Sunday for the final leg from Wetmore to the finish line at the Ojibwa Casino –a distance of roughly 54 miles.
From the online standings and live tracking on the UP 200 website, it was clear this race was going to be tight. Erin Aili (bib #3 – Minnesota) and her team were in the lead out of Wetmore, yet Matthew Schmidt (bib #10 – Minnesota), Ryan Anderson (bib #13 – Wisconsin), Martin Massicotte (bib #7 – Quebec, CA) and Remy Leduc (bib #16 – New Brunswick, CA) were running just behind.
Coming out of Grand Marais, Matthew Schmidt’s team had pulled into the lead. Yet coming out of Wetmore toward the finish, Erin was back in the lead by 16 minutes. It looked like she was going to walk away with the win. Once again, using the average speed that the teams were running, we made our way to the finish line at around 10 am to catch the top finishers.
I found a spot near the finish line as other race fans gathered nearby or at the last turn before the finish. We were glued to the live feed, straining our eyes to see which team would come in first. To my astonishment, we could see via the live tracking that Ryan Anderson (bib #13 – Wisconsin) was closing in on Erin. With perhaps 15 miles to go, Ryan passed Erin. They stayed locked in with Ryan’s team pulling ahead by six minutes to snag first place. Erin’s team came in second. Not far behind in third place was Matthew Schmidt (bib #10 – Minnesota).
Awards Breakfast
We dropped in on the Awards Breakfast held on Monday morning at the Holiday Inn in Marquette. The UP 200 provides cash prizes all the way out to 15th place. This is a fantastic feature as it takes quite a bit of money to race. Each musher who finished the race received their check and time at the podium to share their thoughts and express their thanks. For a full rundown of all the finishers, check out the 2026 race results.
The last-place finisher (but far from least) and winner of the Red Lantern Award was Quince Mountain (bib #6 – Michigan). He gave a great speech about the camaraderie on the trail. One fan at a crossing even provided a trail beer! Now that is the mark of a true fan.
Coming in sixth place, Ward Wallin (bib #4 – Minnesota) shared a great story on the support each team provides to each other. At one point in the race, Ward’s team had gotten off course. As he worked to get his team back, Nate Schroeder (bib #5 – Minnesota) asked if Ward needed a hand. He replied something along the lines of “hell yes,” and Nate stopped to lend a hand. Shortly after, Erin Aili came down the trail and pitched in to help. Ward joked that while Erin may look easy-going, her dog commands definitely get your attention.
In addition to the awards for the top three finishers, the UP 200 presents two other awards. The first is the Tom Cooley award, presented by Dr. Lara Stephens-Brown and Dr. Elizabeth Schnabel to Erin Aili for the team with the best-looking team in terms of care and handling. This award is named after a beloved UP 200 volunteer veterinarian.
The second award is the Dr. Tom Porn Award, presented by UP 200 Board President Ross Anthony to Erin Aili for sportsmanship. All the other mushers vote on a single musher that they feel displays a great attitude, fair play, and compassion. This award is named after a longtime UP 200 board of directors member and the organization’s first official photographer.
Final Thoughts and Tips
The UP 200 is an event where everyone participating is invested not only in the race teams but also in the community. During the awards breakfast, Ross shared a heartfelt thank-you to everyone involved in making the event happen. An event of this size and scope requires a ton of resources, both in people and dollars. Listening to Ross, I felt inspired. He reaffirmed what I’d felt throughout the weekend, and that was love. Love for the dogs, the mushers and their support teams, the volunteers, the race organizers and sponsors, and especially for the communities in the U.P. that host the event. All of the fans and people involved have a passion for the UP 200 that is so very heartwarming. I very much felt honored to attend.
Hopefully, this recap gives you a glimpse into the UP 200. If you are planning to attend (which I highly recommend), here are a few tips.
- Don’t get too worried about parking for the start. 2:30 pm is way too early. I’d say arriving at 4 is fine. You can get an early dinner, wander a bit, and then snuggle into a viewing spot around 5:45 – 6 pm.
- If you are a volunteer photographer planning to be in Wetmore (you need to be approved first, so be sure to contact the UP 200 staff), as Colleen suggested, focus on getting there no earlier than 5:30 am. If you monitor the race standings on the UP 200 website, you’ll get a good idea of when the first team will head out.
- Definitely head out to Grand Marais to catch the teams on the trails. The folks out that way are grand, and it offers close views of the teams in action.
We’ve got more photos from the UP 200 Dog Sled Race 2026 in our gallery.
Become a Supporter!
We warmly invite you to join our Life In Michigan community. Your support is not just appreciated—it is essential. It allows us to continue sharing the unique, captivating stories that showcase Michigan in all its vibrant glory. Whether you buy us a beer, treat yourself to a snuggly warm hoodie, or provide ongoing support through Substack, every contribution helps enhance our mission.
If our content resonates with you, we encourage you to become ambassadors of our stories. Share our work on your social media or forward a link to someone who would appreciate it as much as you do. Your support, in any form, breathes life into our cause and keeps the spirit of Life in Michigan thriving.
Thank you for being a vital part of our community.
Stay Connected
We’d love it if you liked our Facebook page. Better yet, subscribe to our Sunday Sip newsletter through Substack. You can also find us on Instagram.
