With a fresh outlook, great attitude and very little experience running a dog sled race, the CopperDog 150 has taken the Keweenaw by storm.
Downtown Calumet is buzzing in preparation, and the little northern towns of Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor, which have been going through a renaissance of sorts when it comes to winter tourism, are fired up for the big races.
"Everyone's a stakeholder, and by working together, everyone wins," race director Todd Brassard says. "We've proven that we're capable of being a real race, but we're only halfway there, we're still just getting started."
The third annual CopperDog 150 is this weekend, beginning with the wildly popular opening ceremony, race start and downtown party at 6:30 p.m. Friday.
In its first year, organizers faced unseasonably warm temperatures that not only melted the course down to a trail that was as much mud as snow, but they faced the uncertainty of a new event.
"We really had no idea if anyone would show up," Brassard recalls.
What they quickly found out, though, was people were ready to be amazed. Organizers estimated 4,000 people lined the streets of downtown Calumet that night.
The crowds were smaller at other stops, but mushers were continually impressed by the mass of volunteers that made every checkpoint an event.
"We just want people to have a good time," Brassard says.
The groups of volunteers were there at all hours of the day and night, sitting by bonfires to keep warm and cheering for each of the two dozen mushers and their dogs as they blew by like a ghost in the night.
Smiles, cheers and laughs were only amplified in 2011, when thousands once again lined the streets downtown for the start. This time, though, they got to see a downtown finish as well.
The crowd was smaller Sunday as mushers ended their 150-mile journey, but the energy was still there.
"I've been doing this for 30 years and this is the best-supported race I've ever been to," yelled Ian Mackenzie as he and his dogs crossed the finish line. "That includes the Iditarod."
That's quite a statement for a race still in its infancy.
"We're still trying to wrap our heads around this thing," says Brassard. "We're just the new kids on the block, the underdogs, the rebels."
It's true, the race does things a little differently than other races. It focuses attention on the final product, producing a community atmosphere of high-energy excitement, and it has yielded unexpected results.
"The CopperDog 150 pulls amazing performances out of people," Brassard says. "We are able to get people energized, get people and businesses to perform, to engage, unlike any other event I've ever been to."
Hundreds of volunteers flock to the event, including groups from businesses from all over the Copper Country, even the Midwest.
River Valley Bank, which is headquartered in Wausau, Wisconsin, has undertaken a major role in the event, including bringing in volunteers from their corporate headquarters every year. Other sponsors are coming on board as well.
"Fundraising has been amazing this year," says Brassard, boasting nearly $50,000 has been raised, "for the most part, $300 at a time. The event is inspiring."
The mushers are excited too; just two weeks after opening registration, the event was full. At one point, eight teams were on the waiting list.
This year the downtown start will once again feature music, drinks and fireworks, with the addition of food, in a family-friendly atmosphere.
The race committee is focused on creating more excitement for the northern checkpoints as well, and has high hopes for the future of the CopperDog 150.
"We're just trying to get the formula right," Brassard says. "I don't want people to just come out and watch a dog sled race, I want them to come and think 'Wow, this is incredible!' That's hard to do. It's not just a race, it is a show."
The group is aiming to do that by making it as friendly as possible for people attending and participating. That starts with its website, and continues through musher registration and then the race's starting chute, where teams are given space and time to begin their jaunt through the Keweenaw.
"We try to hide the logistics, hide the administration, let the outsiders think it's easy," Brassard says.
To see a full schedule of events for the CopperDog 150, visit
this website or the event's
Facebook page.
Michael H. Babcock is a graduate of Michigan Technological University who currently works at Portage Health after nearly 2.5 years experience working with The Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton. Michael's passions include technology, social media, hockey and cheese.