UP200 Sled Dog Race Kicks Off in Downtown Marquette, Michigan After 2-Year Hiatus

Written By Brendan Gutenschwager

The UP200 sled dog race kicked off Friday evening in Marquette, Michigan, an Iditarod qualifier back following a two-year hiatus due to poor conditions for holding the race in 2023 and 2024.

Spectators lined Washington Street in downtown Marquette in temperatures well below freezing to watch the start of the race.

Mushers race with 12-dog teams, and this year’s UP200 had 17 teams take the trail. The race, an Iditarod qualifier, is 218 miles, starting in downtown Marquette, going to Grand Marais, then back towards Marquette before finishing at the Ojibwa Casino, around 10 miles southeast of downtown Marquette.

Watch video from Friday evening’s kickoff here:

Brendan Gutenschwager
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