2026 UP200 Powered by NMU Mushers - Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association - UP 200

I was a college student who wanted a dog. Found one online and went to pick her up at a mushers house. He invited me for a sled dog ride, had me in the runners a mile in, and it's all history from there.

UP, can am-fort Kent, chic choc-Gaspe, Quebec, St Pamphile Quebec

Hallucinating tree houses and bridges during a race. Last year in the forest during the UP I swear I could hear people talking. 

I originally got into mushing from being a race volunteer at the Sawbill checkpoint at the Beargrease. To add to the excitement from that experience, my wife/kennel manager Cristen and I stayed with Deke Naaktgeboren on our honey moon where Deke gave us our first four sled dogs.

Minnesota, Michigan, Alaska

We have a nice collection of Red Lanterns

Why not!

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Maine, Canada

Last year's race was interesting.....broke the sled at the starting chute, dog team went off a small bridge, crashed into a snow machine in the middle of the trail. Could it have been worse - I doubt it.

Great way to spend time outside.

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Wyoming, Alaska

Every timeout on the trail is a new adventure. Great to be able to share time on the trails with the dogs.

I like to compare my training, feeding and my dogs breeding with the other teams. I love to see the power of my dogs especially in a race and I like to travel in the wilderness with them.

I usually race in North East of America, and last year I won the UP200 for the first time of many years of trying. I 2022 I raced the Iditarod, where I placed 21st, I realized the dream of my life.

My most scary experience was in the Iditarod 2022, when me and my leaders were attacked by a moose. I invite you to read the book "LA PISTE DES BRAVES" written by my wife Marie-Josee Dulong for details.

Fell for a musher, then for mushing.

WI, MN, MI (UP), AK, Sask

Every day out on the trail with these dogs brings a new adventure. They've brought me to know places and meet people I would never have otherwise met. Our community of #uglydogs fans supports not only a whole lot of sled dogs, but also one another, and I think knowing and seeing that community form has been one of the greatest gifts of all. 

For love of the dogs.

Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin

None

5th grade sled dog ride behind a team of malamutes at school.

Iditarod - Alaska
UP200 - Michigan
Beargrease - Minnesota
CanAm - Maine
Denali Doubles - Alaska

I finished rookie of the year in 2014 at the Iditarod. "That was pretty satisfying."

I got my first dog from a recreational sled dog kennel.

Quebec, Maine, Saskatchewan, Michigan, Minnesota, Yukon, Alaska

I have frozen my nose really bad in the first night of the Yukon Quest in 2019. I couldn't hide my nose because it was fogging up my glasses. When I got to the check points I took my glasses off and a chunk of skin stayed stuck on it. That first night got so cold that the lenses of my glasses fell off. I got lucky that it fell on the drag mat. I put the lenses back and held it in place with hockey tape. That was the moment I decided to get Lazer surgery for my eyes hahaha.

My family had sled dogs when I was a kid. 

MN, WI, MI, MO, WY, UT, ID, ME, AK, Ontario, Manitoba

Looking forward to another UP200 Blizzard! 

I bought an Alaskan Husky from Steve Peterson, she needed more exercise than I could give so Steve allowed her to run with his team. One day he asked if I wanted to learn how to drive a sled and now here we are.

MI, MN, CO

I got involved in sled dog racing through the Mushing Club at Michigan Tech. This is now my fourth and final year at school and in this club, and I have had so many amazing adventures through this. 

UP200, Copperdog, Beargrease, Hiawatha

It was great to finish the UP200 last year, lets run it back! 

I wanted an excuse to travel and skip sleeping so I started handling and got hooked.

Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana and Maine

I fell asleep one year running a leg in UP200 and I fell over. Fortunately, I held on to the sled and tipped that over, too, which woke up me and the dog in the sled bag. We were all fine and I was more awake for the rest of the leg! 

My dogs killed Leon Wellman's chickens and he gave me a sled and harnesses and coerced me to run them on a sled instead of free running them.

Michigan, Minnesota and Ontario.  The First UP200 in 1990.

Running the Midnight Run in 2009 I lost my team trying to pull a glove back on as they popped the snow hook out. They chased off after Mary Gilbertson's team without me. I ran down the trail cursing myself for about 20 minutes when all of a sudden I looked up to see a UFO coming down the trail cruising straight at me... looked like fifty little bouncing orbs flying down the trail.
Turns out it was the eyes from my dog team. My leader Dagwood had turned them around and brought them back.