Recent Articles - Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association - UP 200

February 13, 2020

P12 Films, Iditarod Trail Committee, and the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon have partnered up to present anEXCLUSIVE 3-FILM Educational Bundlethat takes you through a unique experience of the dog mushing world.This collection includes the feature filmThe Great Alaskan Raceand two short documentaries: IditarodsWhy Do They Run?andLure of the Northproduced by Jonathan Chapman and presented by The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.

January 19, 2020

Help us celebrate our 30th anniversary by becoming a member. Memberships help support the UPSDA by providing funds for trail and race expenses. Choose the Membership tab on our website and select the membership level that suits you best. Secure your membership via PayPal (can use a credit card or PayPal account) or by check mailed to UPSDA, PO Box 15, Marquette MI 49855. Please include your name, address, phone number and email address. Join the UPSDA today!

November 08, 2019

Working dogs were featured in an afternoon session of the Fresh Coast Film Festival Family Program on October 19, 2019. A sled dog, search and rescue dog, and therapy dog wagged happily with participants who gathered to learn more about these working dogs. Darlene Walch, UPSDA President, was joined by musher Lynne Witte and her sled dog Snow White to show and tell about the sport of mushing and the awesome dogs who run the trails. Thank you, Lynne, for sharing your time, expertise, and beautiful dog!

November 08, 2019

Mushers from Midwestern US and Canada raced beautiful trails at Negaunee (MI) Township Park in the UP200 Dryland Dash held October 12 & 13, 2019. In the 6-dog Rig class, Benjamin Thompson took 1st place by covering the 2.2-mile trail in 00:07:20:41 on Saturday and 00:07:15:07 on Sunday for a total time of 00:14:35:48. Benjamin also captured 1st place in the 4-dog Rig event. A shout goes out to Susan Hoppe who finished the 2-Dog Rig registered breed event. Melissa Omernick took 1st in the 2-dog Bikejoring event, followed by Keith Omernick in 2nd place.

October 01, 2019

Registration is now open for all three races. Mushers, register by October 31 and you could win a refund of half your entry fee! We will draw one winner from each race.

September 25, 2019

The 2019 UP200 Dryland Dash & Fun Run will take place on October 12 13, 2019 at Negaunee Township Park. Come see the equipment, dogs in training, or try your own dog on the trail!

September 25, 2019

It was with much sadness that we learned earlier this month of the passing of our long-time friend and race judge, Carl Mackenzie. You may have already seen postings about Carl on our Facebook page. Carl has been a well-respected member of our judging crew and we valued his knowledge, experience, humor, and calm demeanor. We extend our sincere condolences to Carls family and friends. He will be greatly missed by all of us.

May 01, 2019

The annual meeting of the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association (UPSDA) will be held at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 15th in the Ampersand conference room located in the Masonic Building, 132 W Washington Street, Marquette. The purposes of the meeting are to present an organizational year-end summary of UPSDA activity, elect three (3) board members who will serve for three years, and consider revisions to the Bylaws. The UPSDA board meets monthly (except July).

April 21, 2019

A field trip to Natures Kennel gave UPSDA Board members a chance to visit with dogs, learn about the kennel, and drive their own dog teams. Board members have seen dogs get their pre-race vet checks, leave the start chute and cross the finish line. Theyve worked tirelessly (or maybe at race time tiredly is more accurate) to keep all parts of the UPSDA sled dog events working smoothly. Given the Boards hard work, we thought it would be great to get a different perspective by visiting a kennel and driving a team of sled dogs.

March 10, 2019

Its still snowing in the Upper Peninsula which makes it easy to stay in sled dog mode! Big, gentle snowflakes and three inches of fresh snow have created a gorgeous first day of daylight saving time. Get out your calendars and make your plans for next winter! The 30th anniversary of the UP200 & Midnight Run is set for February 13-17, 2020 and the Jack Pine 30 will run February 15, 2020.