Northland mushers have their fingers crossed for enough snow to fall for the Gunflint Mail Run, scheduled for January 9-10. This 12-dog, 100-mile race is popular with dog sledders and racing fans alike. Pictured here is Shawn McCarty being greeted at the finish line in the 2012 event.
The Gunflint Mail Run Sled Dog Race set for Jan. 9 and 10 will feature its usual 12-dog, 100-mile race that includes two runs, approximately 50 miles each, over a two-day stretch. This year, an added attraction will be an eight-dog shorter and faster race (70 miles).
“Our county is becoming known as the dogsled capital of the Lower 48— only Alaska and Canada have more dogsledding than Cook County,” said Linda Kratt of Visit Cook County. “In addition to the Gunflint Mail Run and the John Beargrease Marathon, which happens later in January, many of the local mushers make sled dog rides available to visitors to our area.”
During the Gunflint Mail Run, up to 30 mushers will start and finish at Trail Center Lodge on Poplar Lake, approximately 30 miles up the Gunflint Trail.
“The shorter, faster eight-dog race will add a whole new dimension to the Gunflint Mail Run,” according to race co-director Jack Stone, owner of Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply. “This shorter race also gives newer mushers or mushers with smaller team kennels the opportunity to compete in this race.”
The total purse for both races is expected to be $6,000, depending on the success of the online auction and the raffle for the new all-terrain vehicle (ATV), which is on display at the Holiday Station in Grand Marais.
Raffle tickets can be purchased at Holiday Station, Trail Center, Stone Harbor, and at the Super America in Grand Marais.
Fika Coffee is creating a special “Mushers Blend” for the event, which will be served at Trail Center and will be for sale there and at Stone Harbor.
For more information about the event, contact Visit Cook County at (218) 387-2788 or visit www.visitcookcounty.com.
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