Race Archives
Previous Winners: UP 200
1990 John Patten / Grand Marais, MN
1991 William Kleedehn / Willard Lake, Ontario
1992 Jamie Nelson / Togo, MN
1993 Jamie Nelson / Togo, MN
1994 Dennis LaBoda / Hovland, MN
1995 John Schandelmeir / Paxson, AK
1996 William Kleedehn / Carcross, Yukon Territory
1997 Brian McDougal / Whitehorse, Yukon Territory
1998 Keith Aili / Ray, MN
1999 Keith Aili / Ray, MN
2000 Keith Aili / Ray, MN
2001 Stan Passananti / Ely, MN
2002 Pete Curtice / Rumely, MI
2003 Doug Swingley / Lincoln, MT
2004 Frank Teasley / Jackson, WY
2005 Rick Larson / Sand Coulee, MT
2006 Tasha Stielstra / McMillan, MI
2007 Tim Calhoun / Tomahawk, WI
2008 Ed Stielstra / McMillan, MI
2009 Eric Morris / Port Wing, WI
Previous Winners: Midnight Run
1990 Kris Swanguarin / Petoskey, MI
1991 Scott Myre / Duluth, MN
1992 Chris Hanson
1993 Maggie Barker / McMillan, MI
1994Tim White / MN
1995 Tim White / MN
1996 Paul Guitard / Ontario, Canada
1997 Dan Bergerson / MN
1998 Allen Orazietti / Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
1999 Keith Pepplar / Bruce Mines, Ontario
2000 Sharon Nelson-Curtice / Rumley, MI
2001 Frank Holmberg / Newberry, MI
2002 Brad Zimpel / Elton, WI
2003 Andrew Cesario / Brutus, MI
2004 Jennifer Perrizo / Ray, MN
2005 Pete Curtice / Rumley, MI
2006 Sharon Nelson-Curtice / Rumley, MI
2007 Don Galloway / Makinen, MN
2008 Don Galloway / Makinen, MN
2009 Ken Josefsen / Marquette, MI
Previous Winners: Jack Pine 30
2003 Gunnar Johnson
2004 David Gill / Skandia, MI
2005 Kate Larsen / Hancock, MI
2006 Mark Churchill / Gwinn, MI
2007 Darlene Leafgren / Gwinn, MI
2008 Mark Churchill / Gwinn, MI
2009 Caitlin Curtice / Rumley, MI
A lesson in history and where they are now...
Many thanks to Sharon Smith for the research.
1990 John Patten
John Patten won the first U.P. 200 - Patten is a great story-teller and one of his favorite topics is sled dog racing. In 1983 he competed in the Sweepstakes Musher race, running from Nome to Candle and back. In 1988 he placed 18th in the Iditarod as a rookie. His time was 14 days, 3 hrs, 57 minutes and 6 seconds. He took home $2400. He won the very first U.P. 200 in 1990. In 1991 he was in the Race to the Sky at Dog Creek, Montana. The race was won by Doug Swingley with Patten coming in second seven hours later. Patten was Jerry Scdoris' former kennel partner. As a child, Rachel Scdoris thrived on Patten's Jack London-like stories about running the Iditarod. Finally, Patten is listed in the move "Iron Will" as the Animal Wrangler (dog handler).
1991 William Kleedehn
William won the UP200 in 1991 and 1996. He lists the UP200 as one of his best performances along with the Yukon Quest, Percy DeWolfe, and Copper Basin.In the past twenty years, he has run many races and finished 1st in nineteen. He has run the Yukon Quest nine times with second place finishes in 2003 & 2005. He is running it again in 2009. In 2008 he ran the Iditarod for the first time and received Rookie of the year with a finish of 29th and a time of 10 days, 12 hours, 50 minutes and 39 seconds. William's kennel is named "Limp A Long". He runs tourist cabin rentals at his Caribou Mountain Ranch located North on the Klondike Highway and North of Carcross in Canada's Yukon Territory.William has two teen age sons who help with training the dogs although they prefer to ride ski-doos. William was born in Germany and speaks German and English. Currently he is learning Spanish and working with a 4 x 5 Field Camera to improve his pictures. I urge you to check out his web site at www.yukonexplorer.com
1992& 1993 Jamie Nelson
The first woman to win the UP200 was Jamie Nelson and she did it two years in a row, 1992 & 1993. Her interest in dog sledding began in 1968 when she ran three German Shepherds in sprint races. Then followed working and racing more sprints, mid-distance races, long distance races and ISDRA gold medal weight pulling dogs. In fourteen years she accumulated four wins, three seconds, and three best cared for teams. Noteworthy among the many races, she won the John Beargrease four times and has competed in the Iditarod four times. She did the Yukon Quest in 2002.
Her Iditarod races are interesting. She finished in 1989 as a rookie. In 1994 she actually ran a team of Malamutes. It created much interest and excitement among the Inuit Indians with grandfathers bringing their grandchildren to see the dogs "we used to use". The Mals did the first and hardest part of the race with little problems despite those who believed they would not go 35 miles. The Mals were so cooperative with the Vets that they took little time for their exams because they would roll over and hold their feet in the air to be examined. However, after 600 miles they developed sore feet. Jamie stopped them although they were willing to go on with sore feet.
In 2000 Jamie finished the Iditarod with all sixteen dogs. This was attributed to herbal supplements she used on the dogs even when they suffered injuries to their shoulders during the race. The Vets found the dogs in excellent condition at the end of the race. This was the first time in twenty years that a team finished with all sixteen dogs. In 2006 she finished with twelve dogs in under twelve days. Her interest in dogs included working 23 years as a 4H volunteer dog project leader.
She has done and taught obedience and won CD (companion dog), CDX (companion dog excellent) and UD (utility) dog titles. In addition she has trained hunting dogs for field trials and now does summers doing dog agility training. In 1999 she teamed with Ann Stead to begin "Mushing Boot Camp". There is much information on the internet about this camp which teaches mushing to individuals and their dogs. Some of the accolades about this camp include seventeen year old Alana who completed the Jr. Iditarod and attributed a lot of her success to Jamie Nelson for "helping and showing me the ways of mushing". She finished 10th out of 22 mushers, won the Humanitarian award and a $1000 College Scholarship. A familiar name I found was that of a woman who helped revamp the Boot Camp website, Anna Anderson. Another group we recognize for giving the Mushing Boot Camp a huge accolade was signed by Matt & Paula Rossi and Andrew Letzring.
1994 Dennis Laboda
Dennis LaBoda, Hovland, Minnesota won the UP200 in 1994 as the UP200 continued to be dominated by mushers from Minnesota. In 1977 Dennis ran the Winter Carnival race that begins in Winnipeg and runs to St. Paul. The Winter Carnival of 1917 is the basis for the movie "Iron Will" although Iron Will was actually named Iron Fred and he finished dead last. In 1992 Dennis won the Beargrease.
1997 found Dennis running six dog races in the Annual Mid-Mn Sled Dog Race. He finished 14th in the Professional Class going 87 miles. Dennis finished 11th in 2003 in The Beargrease and last year Dennis attempted for the first time the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race (IPSSSDR) and finished a respectable 14th.
1995 John Schandelmeier
In 1995 the winner of the UP 200 was a native Alaskan, John Schandelmeier. He was born in Anchorage and settled in Paxton in 1970. Currently John and his wife Zoya DeNure reside at McClaren River, mile 42 on the Denali Highway which is near Paxton..John participates in many symposiums about dogs and dog sledding such as the 2001 International Sled Dog Symposium held in Fairbanks, Alaska. His topic was “Maximizing Your Dog’s Potential” His knowledge about training dogs and handling dogs in widely known and respected. He is President of the local Fish & Game Advisory Committee. He is a very active member of the Second Chance League in Fairbanks. Second Chance League is an organization devoted to evaluating and training unwanted sled dogs from the Fairbanks Animal Shelters.
John’s first sled dog experience began in early 1980’s with running a trap line with three dogs, a German Shepherd, A Black & Tan Hound and a Mixed Breed sled dog. They didn’t work together very well but John soon learned how to make these three unrelated and unmatched dogs into a good team. In doing so he discovered his talents and now he is widely recognized as a “dog whisperer”. Laura Hither, a Wildlife Technician and sled dog handler worked with John and his wife, Zoya DeNure for a month. Laura raves about this wonderful couple. She confirms that John is truly a dog whisperer. She watched as this amazing couple raced competitively with many second chance dogs. They use dogs from shelters that have behavior problems and dogs too slow who have been discarded. John and Zoya actually turn the lives of these dogs around by using patience and passion. Their philosophy is to treat dogs as individuals and with kindness plus respect and utilizing hard work.
The Crazy Dog Kennel is home to John and Zoya. Zoya left a lucrative modeling career to become a dog musher in 2002. This city gal is from Madison, Wi. and she immediately fell in love with Alaska and those great dogs. Her mentor was Bill Cotter who taught her to care for dogs and to race the dogs. Zoya managed to obtain her own dogs and eventually they were merged with John’s dogs. Zoya ran her first Iditarod as a rookie in 2008 and finished 53 rd with a time of 12 days, 1 hour, 57 minutes and 36 seconds. John has raced primarily long-distance but has also done sprint and stage races. He is known for racing many times in the Yukon Quest. He won the Quest in 1992 and 1996 but he is better known for finishing eighteen times, many of which were with second chance dogs.
John is currently the 2009 Alaska Trail Coordinator for the Yukon Quest. See his thorough descriptive advice about the 2009 guide to the Yukon Quest Trail on the internet. He is obviously an excellent writer. The wonderful news recently is that John and Zoya welcomed a baby girl, Jona Ann Marie born on November 14. The pictures of this happy family and the healthy baby are posted on the internet. John and Zoya sponsor the Taiga 300 which is an Iditarod and Quest Qualifier. It is a continuous event of 302 miles completed in four segments and incorporates hills, frozen lakes and rivers plus the Denali Highway and mountains. John serves as the race official.
John’s personal goal is to raise awareness, within the sport of the ability of cast-off dogs. To quote John: “Sled dogs have been an on going learning experience for me; rarely a day goes by without discovering something new. I believe that we must constantly be experimenting with new training techniques in an attempt to do the very best we can with our animals.”
1996: William Kleedehn was the winner.
1997 Brian McDougall
Brian won the UP 200 in 1997. He is a heavy equipment operator from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. Brian’s career running dogs began in 1985 when he earned his rent by feeding dogs. From there the rest is history so they say. The Percy deWolfe Memorial Mail Race route follows theYukon River Trail from Dawson City to Eagle, Alaska and returns to Dawson City a 210 mile run. The temperature is anywhere from -35 degrees C to +5 degrees C. This is the mail route followed by mailman Percy deWolfe. The first musher (actually musher number 2 because Percy is always number 1) to leave the starting shoot carries special envelopes for delivery to Eagle. It is a qualifier for the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod. Brian won the Percy nine times: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2002 & 2003. He finished second in 1999 & 2001.
An interesting fact about this race is that in 2008, a participant entered named Oswold “Newton” Marshall with his Jamaican Dogsled Team. This team is sponsored by Jimmy Buffett. Jimmy is urging this man, Newton to become the first black man and the first team from Jamaica to finish the Yukon Quest. Newton raced nine dogs that he found on the streets of Jamaica or from the Jamaican Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Hans Gott helped Newton train the dogs. Newton finished 7th and qualified for the Quest. He is entered in the 2009 Yukon Quest.
Back to Brian - who won the Canadian Challenge in 2000, 2002 and 2005. The Canadian Challenge is a four day race from Prince Albert to LaRonge and back. It actually follows the early trappers' trail that was a transportation corridor between North West Mounted Police and the First Nations community. It is 600 kilometers, the longest race entirely in Canada and has attracted many international dog sled racers. The prize for the winner i s the Cameco Cup. Cameco is one of the world’s largest uranium producers. They are a leading provider of processing services required to produce fuel for nuclear power plants. Their vision is they will be a dominant nuclear energy company producing uranium fuel and generating clean electricity. They were formed in 1988 by merging two Crown corporations: Saskatchewan Mining Development Corporation with Eldorado Nuclear Limited. They also mine for gold. Brian won three of those huge Cameco cups. In March, 2000 the University of Saskatchewan announced that it will help the Challenge fulfill their need for veterinarians at the race by adding “Sled Dog Veterinary Medicine” to their curriculum. The only other information I found on Brian is that he is the Race Marshall in the “Reach for the Sky & Take the Beer” race. Their website features a naked man(?). I've got to talk with that webmaster....
1998 - 2000 Keith Aili
The dynasty of the UP 200 began in 1998, ran through 1999 and ended in 2000. That quiet young man from Ray, Minnesota named Keith Aili could not be stopped during those years. A bear hunter and carpenter by trade, he became a giant in dog sledding. Although he was never a talkative individual, his record speaks volumes. Keith began dog sledding at the young age of fourteen.
In the Can Am 250 in 2001 Keith fell asleep for eight miles. During that time his dogs had to make decisions about which way to go at forks in the trail. They chose correctly and Keith ran the fastest time ever in the Can Am 250. His time was 24 hours, 30 minutes which was 1 hour ahead of Stan Passananti. Keith has also successfully run the Tahquamanen.
His goal of finishing as a rookie in the 2002 Iditarod was met. In 2003 he was unable to finish the race due to poor trail conditions that were injuring his dogs. The last year he won the Beargrease was with an average speed of 11.4 mph. The snow was fresh and made for slow mushing plus Keith was suffering from tonsillitis. He could not be stopped. His sister commented that by leaving dog sledding he would now have time for other activities and to take care of his tonsillitis.
In 2005 Keith ran his last race in Michigan. He won the Tom Cooley Award for the treatment of his dogs. It is difficult to find information on Keith on the web. He was not one to talk to reporters but was very good at communicating to his dogs. In 2007, another young man from Wisconsin swept through the U.P. 200, running a near perfect race to win. That man was Tim Calhoun. Pictures from that race show a familiar individual handling the dogs for Tim - none other than Keith Aili. Turns out many of the dogs Tim was running were formerly Keith's. He was a great competitor and we miss him.
In a recent conversation with Keith, I learned he is still recovering from being burned out with dogs and sled dog racing. He tells me he continues to take it easy doing contracting and guiding work. However, he indicates he is beginning to develop an interest in getting back into dogs and racing, particularly a serious run at the Iditarod.
Keith bred his own dogs. His philosophy was to always improve the dog through breeding to a better animal. It is not to replicate a good dog but to make an overall improvement such as a goal of creating a faster, stronger, better eater or just an animal that will improve the team. Keith understands dogs and believes he can take a dog team that is average and work with it for several weeks and improve it to the point where it is competitive.
If you recall Keith had a rivalry with Frank Teasley. In the seven years that Keith and Frank raced together they never spoke to each other but they always respected each other and their dogs. Would you believe that Keith and Frank now work together and run the Stagecoach race in Wyoming?
Keith had good things to say about racing in the UP 200 and about Michigan and the people who helped with the race. This is a man who knows how to accomplish goals. If he determines he wants to get back into racing with the goal of the Iditarod it is going to be exciting.
2001 Stan Passananti
Stan won the UP 200 in 2001. He was followed closely by Keith Aili and Frank Teasley. These three were terrific competitors and this year the race belonged to Stan. Often we see him coming in second or third but this time he was obviously ready for them. He contributes winning to very good dogs that year. Actually 2001 was the first year that Stan ran the big race or the UP 200. He says he will always remember the comments from Dick Macke who served as race judge that year. Dick Macke’s comment as Stan finished the race in first place was “those dogs are finishing at the same pace as when they began the race”. Stan says he will always value that comment from an Iditarod competitor.
In the same year, Stan finished the Can Am second behind Keith in the fastest Can Am ever run. He had faster dogs on some of the runs but over the long run, Keith beat him. In 2002 Stan completed the Iditarod again just behind Keith. Stan and Keith were both rookies that year and were running in friendly competition to accomplish the goal to finish. After the race Stan commented, “It was tough. No doubt about it. You learn a lot about dogs. But I thought it was pretty exciting. The memories I have are going to last forever”. His Iditarider contributed $710 for that race.
Stan always wanted to win the Beargrease. However in his best effort his main leader was injured and he finished second to Cliff Wang. Stan reported that when his daughter went off to college they got away from dogs and no longer have dogs. I was surprised when Stan told me that he became a race car driver. He raced a Porsche and a DSR for a few years. With his knowledge of the concrete business in Chicago, Stan along with his brother and others was able to help the Chapman’s in building their dog yard and cabin. The Chapman’s had become neighbors when they bought property near Ely, in Northern Minnesota. Rebekah Chapman bought many of Stan’s dogs. In fact, Stan handled her dogs when she made a remarkable run in the UP 200 moving from the back of the pack to finish in the top five.
May, 2004 Stan along with Rebekah Chapman organized a potluck held in Northern, Mn. This informal event created much discussion among mushers and those interested in mushing to discuss checkpoint strategies and nutrition. This was a great opportunity to talk about dogs and past races and share stories from the trail. These events are wonderful because there is no pressure among the attendees, just good stories and information. This was reported by Eric Morris, another musher that we all know.
Stan also helps his community by co-sponsoring a city wide clean up day. Currently Stan owns and operates a waste management business. Stan has had many adventures: racing dogs, racing cars, flying float planes. However in looking back he believes his most thrilling adventures were when he raced sled dogs. He loved the UP 200 and stated there is no better race because of the exciting beginning down through the streets of Marquette with the excitement of the dogs and the enthusiastic crowds urging the teams and then on through the woods and trails. There is no other race like it including the Iditarod.
2002 – Pete Curtice
After thirteen years of tremendous sled dog racing filled with excellent competiton, the UP 200 reached a pinnacle when a man from Rumely gave Michigan fans great pride by being the first Michigan resident to win the race. Pete says everyone treated him very well and continued to congratulate and tell him how proud they were of him long after the race. He was truly the home town hero. Pete says he will always remember that 2002 UP 200 race.
There was a lack of snow creating difficult racing conditions for about seventy miles between Escanaba and Gwinn. It was very challenging to maintain a reasonable pace without injuring dogs. After leaving the Gwinn checkpoint he actually came from the back and in the last 35 miles he passed several excellent teams, namely; John Schandelmeier, Lloyd Gilbertson and Frank Teasley. He reports that his team was very strong. The first person to congratulate him after the race was John Schandelmeier who told him, “Pete that is one of the greatest experiences I have had in seeing you pass me on the trail with dogs that looked strong and striding in unison like a top well trained team”. Pete says this compliment coming from John was deeply appreciated. “John is a sincere, good human being and his knowledge of dogs is awesome.”
Also in 2002 Pete placed fourth in the St. Ignace Enduro and fifth in the Beargrease Marathon. In 2005 there is a first place in the Empire 6 dog Pro and first place in the 6 dog Pro at Tahquamenon. In 2005 Pete won the Midnight Run and received the Cooley Challenge Award for exemplary care and welfare of his dogs. In 2008 he place third in the 8 dog Apostle Island Sled dog race. Pete’s accomplishments are many and can be viewed at the Ridge Runner Kennel website.
So where is Pete Curtice today? Well you might find him working around his property as most husbands and fathers do, or attending basketball games or other school and community events and, of course doing dog duty.Pete and Sharon Curtice are busy parents and great neighbors as signified by the opinions expressed by those in the community.
An example of this from another article on the web tells how Pete and Sharon offered support by giving advice and dogs to Katherine Manderfield a young up and coming musher. They find time for their professions, their families and those tough dogs who obviously received the best care and training. In addition Pete and Sharon are helping their children learn about dogs and sled dog racing. They are fortunate in that they can leave their back door, hook up the dogs and immediately begin training runs.
The kennel currently houses 22 or 23 dogs. The thought is to teach the kids that winning is not everything and that a better goal is to learn how to maximize the potential of the dog. The results are evident in that their 14 year old daughter Caitlin placed 4 th in this year’s 6 dog Sport class at the Tahquamenon Country Race and son Cooper finished 2 nd in the 4 dog race. The kids are looking forward to the Jackpine 30 this year.
Pete talked at great length about his philosophy of dogs and racing. During the height of their racing season he and Sharon took turns racing the best dogs and they won many races. However fourteen years of racing dogs and raising children requires a critical look at priorities. In 2004 the couple decided they would leave long distance racing and concentrate on the shorter races of 4 , 6 or 8 dog pro class. They found it to be fun and their success rate was substantiated by winning eight or nine races and finishing second in others.
Pete is very willing to take time to discuss his experiences with dogs and his feelings about them. Some of his thoughts follow:
a)A dog team is only as good as the slowest dog.
b.)Dog training takes a lot of extra work and begins with a good dog.
c.)Sometimes it all seems to be a matter of the right thing at the right time.
d.)Dogs want to do the things that make the Musher happy. Praise must be administered immediately to make the dog understand what is expected.
e.)Some dogs are good immediately and others develop slowly.
f.)A musher must have patience.
g.)Try to get a good dog by spending the least amount of money.
h.)Sometimes it doesn’t work so a decision must be made whether it is worth the time to continue training.
i.)When a musher is forced to scratch during a race, he must find a way to improve and correct the team to prevent this occurring again.
Pete found he had better training success by switching to dogs from the blood lines of Doug Swingley’s dogs. Several articles on the web mention Strider, an excellent male who is reproducing good sled dogs. Strider and Elron are the two main leaders for the Curtice’s. They are from Doug Swingley’s dogs and are five going on six years old. Pete and Sharon have raised and trained them since they were pups.At this point in his life Pete wants to back away from racing for a year or two. He finds there is more to life than running sled dogs. After all racing results are based on what you put into it. There may be a time when he comes back to being competitive. But at this time his family and community obligations come first.
2003 - Doug Swingley
We’d had a long day but were eager to do our part as volunteers at the road crossing on M-28 in the dead of night. It was cold, so very cold. They told us it was -23 degrees and it felt like it. There was a huge bonfire but after while you wanted to stand in it to feel the heat. The heat was impotent because it could not overcome the cold. Many other volunteers thrashed about in the dark looking for more firewood to keep the fire blazing.
The night was beautiful. The snow was deep and white and the trees were shadowy objects of sheer beauty. The night was still and it was very late. It was after 2:30 am and we had retired to our vehicle to keep warm. The cry echoed “Musher coming!”
We began watching the trail. His headlamp glowed from a long distance away. Sometimes it was in sight, other times the trail would dip or turn and we could not see him. It seemed a long time before he began to close and we took our places on each side of the snowy crossing over M-28.
Then suddenly he was there, coming out of the woods relentlessly. The only sound was the swish, swish of sled runners but the energy of those dogs was apparent. They moved in unison with a noticeable lack of effort, just drifting easily but quickly. Their appearance was strange in that there were icicles formed on their muzzles and their coats appeared to be gray from the dusting of snow. The musher was gray and icicles hung from his face mask. The leader looked back at the musher to determine if they were to stop, change directions, or whatever. The musher uttered a word, I believe it was “on” and without breaking stride they were gone as quickly as they had come out of the woods, they disappeared back into it.
It was the most awesome sight and I will never forget it as long as I live.
That was Doug Swingley, of course. His record is astonishing. The first non-Alaskan to win the Iditarod and he won it four times. His UP 200 race was great for us and Michigan’s own Frank Holmburg was hot on his trail for most of the way. Doug was gracious in accepting the first place award. He complimented the UP 200 organization for their handling of the race.
He has retired from long distance dog sled racing but does do stage races and it is reported he is training to do endurance horse racing.
2004 - Frank Teasley
He raced the UP 200 many times and has been featured on ESPN2 as well as other television and sporting media.
He is best remembered in my mind when he accepted his bib position at the mushers banquet and shouted loudly “Who let the dogs out”.
The founder of the International Pedigree Stage Stop Sled Dog Race in 1996, Frank Teasley is a professional musher. The above race begins in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and has become the largest stage stop format dog race in the lower 48 states.
Frank raced the Iditarod seven times. His best finish was in 1991 when he placed sixth. He also earned the Sterling Award for most improved team that year. In 1989 he received the coveted Leonard Seppala Humanitarian Award for best cared-for team. He also competed in the LaGrande Odysee along with Dr Tim Hunt and Tasha Stielstra.
Frank is one of our favorites at the UP 200. He runs sled dog tours and it is noted that he began the Stage Stop race to provide for his retirement dogs and to teach inexperienced mushers about driving dogs. He is truly a friend of dogs.
2005 - Rick Larson
This musher from Sand Coulee, Montana recently won the West Yellowstone Sled Dog Race held last December 13 & 14. He is racing frequently to upgrade his training plan. He is entered in the 2009 Iditarod and believes dogs must race to reinforce their training program. He is considered one of the top mushers in the Western States. Rick presented several topics at the Race to the Sky Training Camp last September 5 & 6 at the Symposium and Trade Show XVI held in Missoula, Montana.
He is a construction worker and is most noted for finishing the Iditarod and one hour later learning that his house built on a bluff overlooking the town of Sand Coulee had burned to the ground. His kennel was a short distance away and the dogs were spared.
In 2005 as we walked through the dogs waiting for the start of the UP 200 in 2005, Rick called us over, pointed to a tall black dog and said, “See that female over there, if she is on, I will win this race”. She must have been “on” because he did win by finishing seconds ahead of Tasha Stielstra. Rick and Sandy’s web site is impressive. It can be viewed at www.ricksracingrovers.net
2007 - Tim Calhoun
Tim Calhoun is the first man from Wisconsin to win the UP 200. He is from Tomahawk, is married and has three children. Dogs are a family affair and everyone helps. Tim is a skilled snowmobile and water craft mechanic. Tim has always been an outdoorsman. He began hunting and trapping in his teens. For several years he was a big game guide in Montana and Colorado. It was during this period while living in Seely, Montana that he saw his first sled dog race. After watching the beginning of the Seely Lake Sled Dog Race, he found himself very interested.Later during a visit to Dr. Ron Cortte, owner of Quietwood Kennel in 2004, Tim questioned the Doctor on his sled dogs. That same year he began working for Dr. Cortte at the kennel. In 2005 he successfully trained a team of Dr. Cortte’s dogs for the Iditarod and they were able to finish the race. That same year Tim actually began racing sled dogs.
Tim is very new to sled dog racing but is showing a lot of promise. He has made a few rookie mistakes such as setting a pace too fast in the 2008 Beargrease and being forced to drop half his team when the weather changed dramatically. In 2007 he won the UP 200 and led the entire race. His comments after the race were, “This was one of the best tight trails I have ever been on, and the trail was awesome, other than how hard it snowed”. He also received the Tom Cooley Humanitarian Award for exemplary care of his dogs. His long range plans include the Iditarod. Tim is coming back to the UP 200 this year, we look forward to seeing him
2006 & 2008 Tasha and Ed Stielstra
Tasha won the 2006 U.P. 200 and Ed Stielstra took the prize in 2008. They are Michigan residents of the Upper Peninsula and own Natures Kennel near McMillan. As professional mushers, they have almost one hundred Alaskan Huskies. Ed has been racing dogs for thirteen years. It is noted on their website that Tasha wasn’t certain if she fell in love with Ed or his dogs. Ed tries to find a place for every dog because he states, “everybody fits the team”. Tasha has run the LaGrande Odysssee, the John Beargrease 150 and the UP 200 three times. She won in 2006 and was second in 2005 only seconds behind Rick Larson. She is featured in the Feb/March 2009 Country Woman Magazine. Ed has raced the UP 200 twice and the Iditarod four times. He is moving up in his Iditarod finishes. He claims he has the best dog team in the lower 48. We look forward to seeing Ed back in the UP 200 this year. He is also entered in this year’s Iditarod.Go to their website to read about this couple and their dogs. www.natureskennel.com
Need LAST YEARS WINNER!!!!!
