MARQUETTE - Spectators lining Washington Street Feb. 17 can still expect plenty of sled dog action, even though the starting point of the U.P. 200 has been moved to Chatham.
Due to a lack of snow on the trail between Marquette and Deerton, the U.P. 200 will have no presence in Marquette this year, but the Midnight Run will still hold a ceremonial start on Washington Street at 7:10 p.m.
"It's going to be just like having the U.P. 200 down there," said Pat Woods, coordinator for the opening and closing ceremonies of the races.
A total of 30 teams competing in the Midnight Run will head east down Washington Street from Fourth Street, round the bend onto Lakeshore Boulevard and then head to Spring Street, where they will be transported by truck to Chatham for the official start of the race at 10 p.m.
All the festivities scheduled for that evening will happen as planned.
"There will be a brass band playing, the Marquette Male Chorus, the color guard, it will be the same," Woods said. "We still want all the people to come down and enjoy it ... it's just going to be the Midnight Run going out."
The Midnight Run traditionally began in Gwinn, but the decision was made this year to move the starting point to Marquette for safety reasons.
Pat Torreano, president of the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association, which hosts the event, said there were issues with teams racing out of Gwinn in the dark.
"There have been major trail problems running from Gwinn in the nighttime, particularly the danger of crossing M-553 and County Road 480 at night," she said.
Veterinarian and Skandia resident Tim Hunt, a 16-year veteran of the U.P. 200, said the changes to the 240-mile Iditarod qualifier were also made for safety reasons. The race is now set to begin at 8 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Michigan State Experiment Station in Chatham.
"We're trying to achieve a trail that's safe for the musher and the dogs," Hunt said. "I think it's a good idea. It's better to have a race than to cancel the whole thing. A lot of time and work has gone into it the whole year. To have canceled would be unfortunate."
Hunt said this isn't the first time the U.P. 200 has seen major trail changes. The race originally ran south to Escanaba via the Ford River, but issues with water on the trails caused the route to change go ending in Grand Marais.
"The race trail was changed to Grand Marais to try to assure good snow conditions on a yearly basis," Hunt said.
Mona Lang, director of Marquette's Downtown Development Authority, said it was unfortunate that the weather didn't provide enough snow to keep the U.P. 200 in Marquette.
"The weather is the weather and there's nothing we can do about it," Lang said. "It's an unfortunate situation."
Jackie Stark can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 242.
