82 racers participated
LUCE COUNTY -- The winner of last year's Tahquamenon Country 12-Dog Pro Class race has done it again. Rene Marchilden finished Saturday in first place with a time of 4 hours and 18 minutes.
Bruce Magnusson took the title for the 8-Dog Pro class with a time of 2 hours and 52 minutes.
Overall, organizers say the general consensus from competitors is Saturday's race was a great start to the season.
A mix of grass and snow aren't the most ideal trial conditions, but teams were ready for the 63-mile trail that lay ahead.
The lack of snow didn't stop people from showing up; there were 82 teams racing. That's even higher than average, and the number includes veteran mushers.
"There's some real competitive teams here," says race marshal Michael Murphy. "We've got a number of Iditarod veterans and past champions."
Organizers admit the trail isn't perfect, in fact they were forced to cancel the Skijoring category because there are areas of exposed trail. Extra volunteers were on hand in the field during the novice races for that reason.
For many teams, this was one of the first chances to get out and hit the open road, sled style.
"There's not a lot of mushers here that have had sled time, there's just not that much snow," Murphy says. "Everyone has been training on four-wheelers and getting tired of it."
A race in Minnesota has already been cancelled this year. Organizers and teams are hoping Mother Nature will come in full force in the coming weeks for a good season.
All race results have been posted on the Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race page.
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