UP 200 Dog Sled Race

Sunday, February 21st, 2010 at 4:40 pm

This is totally non-quilt related, but since the UP 200 Dog Sled Race is the biggest thing around here this weekend, I thought I’d let you see a little bit of what’s going on.

This race is 241 miles long, from Marquette to Grand Marais and back again. The mushers leave on Friday night, and return to Marquette on Sunday morning.

Me in the background, with the dog sled mascot in front

Andrew took this shot this morning. It was really pleasant out today, warm and sunny. Last year was COLD and windy, with blowing snow, so this was a definite improvement!

Here’s a picture of the winner, Ryan Anderson, from Ray, MN. This is the seventh time he’s run this race. He came in second last year, and third the year before that.

Ryan Anderson, winner of the 2010 UP 200 Dog Sled Race

The first thing he did when he crossed the finish line was to pet every one of his dogs. He certainly couldn’t have done it without them!

Ryan Anderson, winner of the UP 200, petting all his sled dogs after their 241-mile trip

We pretty much made a day of it, eating lunch at L’Attitude downtown, and then going down to the Welcome Center south of town to watch some more teams come in.

The video at the bottom is from You Tube. It shows the second place winner, and has some shots of some of the dogs. You’d think they’d be big huskies, but, surprisingly, they’re pretty small and skinny. Hard to believe that these dogs just ran 241 miles. They look as if they’re still raring to go!

All in all, this was a fun way to spend a pleasant winter’s day. Tomorrow, I hope to get some fabric dyed and do some sewing!

Oh yeah, Marquette is leading the pack in the Dozen Distinctive Destinations voting! Be sure to vote for Marquette, early and often!