MARQUETTE - For the first time in its 22-year history, the U.P. 200 will not start or finish in Marquette, due to lack of snowfall.
Instead, the shorter Midnight Run will hold a ceremonial start in downtown Marquette, with both races officially beginning in Chatham.
Pat Torreano, president of the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association, which hosts the event, said even if the area receives a large snowfall, it would take too long to reroute the race back to its original starting point on Washington Street.
"For the first time ever we've had a true contingency plan and this is it," she said. "We can't change this back even if we got two feet of snow because we have to reroute a thousand volunteers."
The entire route for the race has also been changed to make up for the mileage taken away by moving the starting point. U.P. 200 mushers will go from Chatham to Wetmore where they will stop for a mandatory three-hour rest plus a time differential. They'll continue on to Grand Marais, then go back to Wetmore, before going back to Grand Marais for the finish. The earliest finish time will be Feb. 19 at about 10 a.m., with mushers continuing to arrive until about 1 p.m.
"This is to give the mushers the best race possible under very weak snow conditions," Torreano said. "The mushers have worked with us ... (some) are quite excited about this. There are lots of races cancelled in the lower 48 and we're going to be able to give them a nice race."
Though the U.P. 200 will have no presence in Marquette this year, the Midnight Run is still scheduled to have a ceremonial start at 7:10 p.m. in downtown Marquette before having its official start in Chatham at 10 p.m. Feb. 17. Teams will race down Washington Street and make a turn onto Lakeshore Boulevard. On Spring Street, teams will load onto trucks for the trip to Chatham. Mushers will make a 50-mile loop around Chatham, stop for a mandatory five-hour rest and then head to Munising for the race finish. Approximate arrival time for the first teams is 11 a.m. Feb. 18.
"It will look exactly the same to the spectators (in downtown Marquette). There's 30 teams going," Torreano said. "They're just going to see a different set of mushers, which might be fun for a change."
Festivities scheduled for downtown Marquette will continue as planned.
The Jack Pine 30 will also see some changes.
It will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 18 at Larry's Foods in Gwinn. Instead of running to Marquette, the race will follow the old U.P. 200 trail near M-553 to Sands Station. It will then follow railroad tracks to Goose Lake and finish at Marquette County Road 480.
All other events will still be held at their previously scheduled times and places.
Jackie Stark can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242.