Checkpoints
HEADQUARTERS (located at the Holiday Inn): Starts Wednesday morning and runs until Sunday evening when the last musher is back safe and sound.
Phone – 906-225-9170
Aileen Todd,Headquarters Coordinator
Beginning at the start of the race, our headquarters becomes the 24 hour "heartbeat" for the UP200 and Midnight Run. This is an excellent opportunity for volunteers to stay warm and yet feel every bit a part of the action as others do along the trail. Volunteers help the Headquarters Coordinator beginning Thursday afternoon and ending Sunday morning. Volunteers answer phones, do some general office-type work, run errands, relay race information, and enter information into the computer and other numerous tasks which are deemed necessary. The telephones get notoriously busy during the race from fans, numerous newspapers, radio stations and television media from all over the world, wanting race updates. For the family members of the musher’s, handlers and many of the volunteers. Headquarters is perhaps the only communication avenue they have to keep up on the race and to get emergency messages out to the trail.
Headquarters staff will also man the website www.up200.org, be sure to check it out for updated race info!
Other then the Headquarters the Holiday Inn will also be the home of the Silent Auction and Race merchandise along with various vendors.
GWINN CHECKPOINT
Phone 1-906-346-5800
Sarah Kimball, Gwinn Coordinator Cell phone 1-906-360-8801
Home of the Midnight run start , Gwinn Location is at Larry's Family Foods, 120 E. M-35, Gwinn, Headquarters will be at Lynn's Cafe, right across the street. Race Headquarters number 906-346-5800, which is Lynn's Cafe. Mushers can start arriving at Larry's Foods at 1:00pm, Bag Check will start approximately 5:15, Manadatory. Opening Ceremony at 5:45, first dog out the gate at 6:00pm.
DEERTON CHECKPOINT
Phone - 906-343-6638
Ben Bohnsack, Checkpoint Coordinator
Deerton is a small village comprised of the Autrain-Onota School, the OnotaTownship Hall and Fire department, and a few homes. It is located between Marquette and Munising, south of M28, 14 miles east of Harvey and 25 mileswest of Munising. At M28 and Deerton Road, go two miles south. On Friday of race weekend, Deerton is a great place to watch the race,because all teams of both the UP 200 and the Midnight Run pass through there. UP 200 teams go through without stopping, usually between 9 and 11pm. Midnight Run teams usually arrive between 11 pm and 1 am, stopping for a required five hour layover. Their musher trucks arrive ahead of them,parking at the school to provide a place for the dogs to eat and rest. From 9 pm until dawn Deerton is a picturesque and busy place, with food and merchandise and warmth for all in the Township Hall, veterinarians helping dogs, medical aid at the Fire Hall, and spectators all around. The bridge across the Laughing Whitefish River glows with lights, and a bonfire nearby adds light and warmth. Teams are timed as they arrive and then again as they are restarted in the middle of the night, usually beginning about 4 am. All day on Sunday, as the UP 200 teams are on last leg of the race, Deerton serves as a "Dog Drop," which simply means that mushers can leave a troubled dog and continue on their way. Veterinarians are on hand to treat dogs and teammates are there to receive their dogs. Again, spectators are welcome. Road Crossings nearby are also good places to see the teams. On Friday nightand throughout the day on Sunday you can see teams about a half mile southof M28 on both Sand River and Whitefish Roads. About sixty volunteers work at the Deerton Checkpoint in various roles, most from the local area.
WETMORE CHECKPOINT
Phone - 906-387-4760
Bill Mills, Checkpoint Coordinator
This checkpoint is the 1/4 and 3/4 stopping point for the UP200 dog sled teams. Our headquarters is located just behind the America's Best Value Inn in Munising, about 5 miles east of Munising on highway M28. The dog sled teams arrive around midnight Friday on the upbound part of the race. The volunteers help to manage the dogs across the highway and into the checkpoint, time the dogs in and out, lead the teams to and from their bedding spots, and provide straw and water. Vets also check the health of the dogs at this point and provide any medical assistance that might be needed. The teams typically rest here for approximately 6 hrs. and then continue on up to Grand Marais. These tasks are repeated Saturday night as the teams are now downbound back to Marquette. They will stay at the checkpoint from midnight Saturday to around 10:00am Sunday. This is a good place to view all the teams in one location and to see the interaction the mushers have with the dogs. The checkpoint wouldn't be complete without plenty of food and hot drinks in the headquarters and roaring bon-fires around the timing line! The fun and cooperating as a team is contagious and truly enjoyable ....you don't want to miss it!
GRAND MARAIS CHECKPOINT
Phone - 906-494-2362 (during race weekend)
Cathy Egerer,Checkpoint Coordinator
The Grand Marais checkpoint is the halfway point of the UP200. When the mushers and dogs arrive at the Community Center on Saturday, they have traveled 120 miles from Marquette through the night and are ready for a rest. Their handlers meet them here, the veterinarians are on hand to check over the dogs, and straw is laid down for the dogs to rest in. Most mushers spend at least six hours resting here, and the teams begin to depart on the return run to Marquette starting in late afternoon. Visitors are welcome to walk through the dog lot and see the teams. In addition to the race excitement, the Grand Marais Women's Club has a luncheon going on all day, with great sandwiches and all the homemade soup you can eat! The Methodist Church holds a bake sale, there's a great Silent Auction from 10am - 4pm, free movies for the kids, and great UP200 merchandise for sale all day. Grand Marais is the best place to see the dogs and teams up close. Come on up and greet the teams as they arrive in our little lakeside village!
All of the UP200 action takes place at the Grand Marais Community Center on Brazel Street. The Community Center will be open all day and evening on Saturday, February 20th. Parking will be on the streets around the Community Center; only checkpoint workers will be allowed to park in the lot due to space issues. The finish gate is on Brazel Street right in front of the Community Center.
Regular and diesel fuel are both available in Grand Marais.
