WOW!!! What a great event this year!! I could tell you all put your heart and soul into the 2012 race to make it go so smoothly!! THANK YOU for listening to all our concerns from last year and working hard to make all these great changes.

I was most worried about the ceremonial start and thought it would be a huge hassle. To my surprise, it was one of my favorite parts of the whole weekend! I have been waiting to have that downtown Marquette start for many years, so leaving the chute I got choked up as I headed down the street and saw all the people. It was amazing!! I wanted to keep going. Hopefully the snow will cooperate so we will be able to next year. The snowmobile trail by the lake lined with the bonfires and fans is always my favorite part of the race. This all went very smoothly and the short run didn’t affect the dogs at all. Having the sled catchers was an added bonus. Thank you for allowing us to use 6 dogs, making stopping easier. If we ever have to do this again, we now know it will work. I think it is needed for the fans/sponsors of this race. 

The Chatham restart was great as well. Only thing, if we ever have to do this again, another 30 minutes to get ready would have been nice. We were really pressed for time, it was chaos for us getting 2 teams ready to restart. Everything else went great, there were tons of volunteers and I thought the Chatham loop was nice. It was also very well marked.

LOVED the Chatham checkpoint. It is a HUGE parking lot, so it was nice not being packed in there like sardines. Also, I thought the vets did a great job and thoroughly checked every dog. 

The 2nd leg was great! The trail was VERY well marked. I really appreciated the pine trees and snow boulders blocking trails we weren’t supposed to take. Also, the fact that Pete & Lyle, two very experienced mushers, were out on that trail for weeks on end before the race was very reassuring. They did a super job of providing us with a fun, safe, well marked trail. I really appreciate all of their efforts. I also appreciate every single volunteer at those road crossings. Another bonus to starting later was doing the 2nd leg in the daytime. This was also great for the spectators at the end. Usually the race finishes too early in the morning to have very many people at the finish. The end of the 2nd leg is tight, but I could see the improvements they had made to this section. I also liked that short loop we did, I think it is the Addison Loop? 

You all did such an amazing job this year. I knew this race could be successful!! It will be a world class event. Word is getting out about how great the trail and organization was. Thank you for keeping dog & musher safety in mind by moving the starts. It is great that now there is a back up plan if the snow becomes an issue again. Also, we thought the purse was awesome!! It is always an added bonus to go home with some gas money. You all deserve a HUGE thank you for all of your hard work! We cannot wait to sign up again next season!!

Sincerely,

Joann & Larry Fortier

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