MARQUETTE, Mi. — Hundreds of spectators lined the streets of a small Lake Superior town tonight, as mushers and their 12-dog team kicked off the UP 200 Sled Dog Race!
Spectators cheered and waved on the mushers, as they barreled alone out into the wilderness, to battle the brutal weather ahead. Heading into a Blizzard Warning, it will prove a true test of the teams stamina.
The first leg of the trail goes about 65 miles westward to the checkpoint. Teams will leave their posts early Saturday morning and continue further west, to Grand Marais, before turning back around to Marquette for the finish on Sunday morning.
That’s a total of 228 miles. The UP 200 is a qualifier for the Iditarod in Alaska, which will be held on Saturday March 5th.
