Keweenaw Gears Up for U.P. 200 Companion Race

by The Upper Peninsula's ABC 5/10, February 2, 2010

Marquette County is just beginning to calm down from the additional traffic of the U.P. 200 race weekend.The weekend-closing musher breakfast took place this morning. But the Copper Country is getting into high gear, preparing for its own sled dog event. It's the Copper Dog 150.

As the name suggests, it's a 150-mile dogsled race from Calumet, to Gay, to Copper Harbor, and then back to Calumet. One of the organizers is a musher himself. He wanted to help bring the U.P. 200 weekend's unique flavor to the western U.P. Race Director Brian Tiura says he competed in the 2009 U.P. 200, and in fact he was the first musher out of the chute that Friday night. He says the experience of the spectators three- and four-deep on Washington Street in Marquette, cheering his team and the other teams on, convinced him to get involved in the Copper Dog 150 once he heard of plans to start it.

The 150 starts and ends on 5th Street in Calumet outside the Conglomerate Cafe. The U.P. 200's downtown start is a large part of the race's appeal, so Tiura thought it was critical for the Copper Dog 150 to have one as well.

http://www.tv5and10.com/news.php?id=1169

Sled-dog races go from dream to reality; three new events in Michigan for 2010

By Howard Meyerson | The Grand Rapids Press

The dream of launching a 150-mile sled-dog race to the most frigid and northernmost tip of Michigan was born over dinner two years ago, according to Brian Tiura, one of the organizers of Michigan’s newest long-distance mushing event, the Copper Dog 150.

The Copper Dog is scheduled for March 12-14. It is one of three new mushing events on the 2009-10 race season calendar for Michigan.

“It’s a late-season race,” said Tiura, owner of Team Upland Racing, a 14-dog kennel of Alaskan huskies. “We are sitting up here at that time of year with the best snow of the season and the snowmobiling activity has slowed down.”

The race will begin at night in downtown Calumet, a spectacle for tourists and enthusiasts alike, according to Tiura. The start was fashioned after the U.P. 200, which will start at midnight from downtown Marquette on Feb. 19.

Read the FULL story and see pictures here:
http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2009/12/sled-dog_races_go_from_dream_t.html

CopperDog 150 Mapped Out

by Michael H. Babcock, Mining Gazette, January 2, 2010

CALUMET - Copper Dog 150 co-race directors Brian Tiura and Lori Weir have been busy over the last few months preparing for the inaugural event scheduled for March.

Recently, the race added a second race and a unique mid-race banquet and released a map for the 150-mile race.

"We have a six-dog race that we plan on having leaving Saturday after the Great Bear Chase," Tiura said. "This event will be happening during the 24-hour layover in Copper Harbor."

The second loop will be much shorter, running from Calumet to Hancock and back, around 30 miles with only six dogs as opposed to 10 for the 150-mile race.

"It will be different racers, with a different dog, a more sprint-style dog that will be traveling faster than our 10-dog race," Tiura said. "This allows us to reach a broader base of mushers because there are a lot of recreational mushers that would do this."

The broader base of racers includes local mushers Kate Larson and Brad King, among others.

At the same time as the 30-mile race, there will be a banquet for the distance racers in Copper Harbor.

"This will be a unique opportunity to talk about the race highlights and allow teams to strategize," Tiura said. "It's a little bit different than usual; it's something exciting for the mushers because typically you don't get to meet face-to-face with the mushers mid-race."

While all of the details of the map have not been finalized, an overview of the race map has been made available to the public, with three 50-mile legs including rides through Copper City, Mohawk, Gay, Lac la Belle, Copper Harbor and Delaware.

"We're still in our permitting process; the DNR couldn't issue a permit until after Jan. 1, so we're still looking at securing the insurance and securing the landowners' permission," Tiura said. "Things are looking very positive, the DNR seems very supportive at this point.

"One thing that has helped us out is the precedence with the U.P. 200 because they blazed a path for us to follow."

For Main Street Calumet Director Tom Tikkanen, who also serves on the race's board, the event's progress has been impressive.

"What a fine regional event," he said. "It's connecting our communities all the way from Hancock to Copper Harbor in one event.

"Wherever you are in the Copper Country, you'll have an opportunity to be a part of a magnificent event."

The race is scheduled for March 12 through 14. For more information, visit copperdog150.com.

mbabcock@mininggazette.com.

Link to Article: http://mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/507147.html

Copper Dog 150 set for Bear Chase weekend

by Michael H. Babcock, Mining Gazette, October 24, 2009

CALUMET - When organizers of the Portage Health Great Bear Chase and Copper Dog 150 looked ahead to dates for their 2010 events, it wasn't even a thought to go the same weekend.

A small series of events changed the outlook, and late last week organizers made it official: March 12 to 14 is the weekend both events will run.

"With dogsled races, they get few participants and a lot of spectators; with cross country skiers we get a lot of participants and few spectators. I'd like to see us basically swap crowds, have some of the people watching the sleds and also watch the skiing," Great Bear Chase Race Director Arnie Kinnunen said.

"It's a great opportunity for both events, it lets us ride the coattails of an existing, very professionally run event," Copper Dog 150 Race Director Brian Tiura said. "It works very well with our race format because we leave downtown Calumet Friday night and then run up to Gay and Copper Harbor, where we'll be all day Saturday.

"Then the Great Bear Chase takes over in Calumet and runs on that downtown snow."

While the move should help both events, it will also be a big boost to the community.

"This is a great benefit, not just to the Calumet economy, but to the whole Keweenaw economy," Main Street Calumet Director Tom Tikkanen said. "The combining of the two events will probably fill hotel rooms from Copper Harbor to Chassell and an event of this stature should project a positive image for the whole region."

Tikkanen thinks the GBC will be able to help the Copper Dog 150 learn the ropes of a well-run organization.

"The Great Bear Chase organizers are veterans, they have remarkable volunteers, they're very talented and have a lot of insight on how to do things properly," Tikkanen said. "I know that the Copper Dog organizers are very appreciative of being able to work in consent with this group."

Besides bringing in larger crowds to both events, it will also be a money saver for the two groups.

"The schedule is a no brainer because the dogs will start Friday night and be gone until Sunday," Tikkanen said. "The skiers have already decided to switch the GBC to Saturday, and the race will still finish up downtown and all the snow will remain in place until after the dogs finish Sunday afternoon."

Tiura said that eases the stress a little for his organization.

"It helps to share the costs of bringing the snow and it will help create a block-party attitude all weekend in Calumet. It's a great chance to bring your family out because there will be something going on all weekend," Tiura said.

For Kinnunen, it just adds that much more excitement to an event that brings in over 500 people to the Copper Country.

"It's going to be a really exciting weekend, I hope everyone comes out," Kinnunen said. "The Bear Chase alone brings in 500 people, hopefully the local businesses will be ready and welcoming to the people."

mbabcock@mininggazette.com.

Link to Article: http://mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/507147.html

Sled dog race continues to make progress

by Michael H. Babcock, Mining Gazette, October 24, 2009

CALUMET - The Copper Dog 150 has been in the planning for quite some time, but it wasn't until late this summer that things really started to fall into place.

In late August, Brian Tiura, was named race director, and since then three important agenda items were crossed off: the race is set for March 12 to 14, a logo has been designed and the Web site is up and running.

The logo and Web site were put together by local media company Brassard Media, and according to Tiura, the Web site is everything they could have hoped for.

"It's great because it looks professional, it's one of the most professional Web sites in sled dog racing, maybe just outside of the Iditarod," he said. "It definitely legitimizes us in the musher community when someone who is driving across the country sees this Web site."

The Web site can be found at CopperDog150.com, and it's somewhere Tiura is hoping people will get used to checking.

"It's a great marketing tool for us, in this day and age the Web site is the hub of how we communicate with the world," he said.

Along with the Web site came the logo.

"We were looking for something that symbolized the energy of the dogs, the historic nature of downtown Calumet and the entire Upper Peninsula," Tiura said. "We also wanted a copper theme, so the logo has some copper tones."

With the logo completed, it gives the entire event a legitimate feeling.

The Web site still contains several dead links, but Tiura said that will change soon, as "a lot of that will gel here once we're able to finalize a few more sponsors."

In the meantime, anyone interested in volunteering can let organizers know by e-mailing them at info@CopperDog150.com.

mbabcock@mininggazette.com.

Link to Article: http://mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/507148.html

Directing the Dogs Northward

by Michael H. Babcock, Mining Gazette, Sept 10, 2009

CALUMET – A combination of passion for sport and community has brought Brian Tiura and Lori Weir together in an effort to make the proposed CopperDog 150 race a reality.

The CopperDog 150 race is envisioned to be the third jewel in the “triple crown” of Lake Superior sled-dog racing, slated to take place in March after the Beargrease (Duluth, Minn.) and the U.P. 200 (Marquette).

Wednesday night, Tiura and Weir introduced themselves, in their new roles, to community members interested in the event’s success. Tiura is taking the reins as the race’s director while Weir is participating as an assistant director.

“I have a passion for having a (sled-dog) race in my hometown,” Tiura said. “With my experience in racing and my business experience, I could bring a unique background to the race.”

Tiura’s been racing for three years and has participated in a variety of events, but it is what he does locally that could help him excel.

“I train on our local trails, I have a construction business and I’ve worked in marketing in the past,” Tiura said. “I’ve always had an interest to contribute to this event, but I wasn’t going to be director. They looked like they were having a hard time though, and I decided I really wanted to see this happen.”

Making the inaugural year a success is all Tiura is focused on at this point.

“The ultimate goal is to pull the race off,” he said. “But it’s also to create an event that will happen year after year that the people of the Copper Country can take ownership over, so I won’t necessarily need to come back.”

Weir thought the idea was too valuable to pass up.

“Being a Calumet community member, I have a lot of family in this area and love to see it succeed, and I had read about the race in the Mining Gazette and thought this sounds like a really fun event to bring to the Copper Country,” Weir said. “So I became a volunteer.”

While she doesn’t have any experience with sled-dog racing, she does have skills that will be useful to developing the race.

“I have a lot of experience on the administrative side, and they had a need for someone to help organize the effort,” Weir said.

At Wednesday’s meeting, Tiura and Weir told a group of nearly 20 their plan for the event.

“The first step in this race is to get this out to the public,” Tiura said.

From now until March, Tiura will be working with volunteers to become involved in whatever ways they can, ideally preparing themselves for a strong community presence come January and February when they approach potential sponsors.

“I don’t want to be the first person they hear about the race from,” Tiura said. “I want those that we ask to support us to already know.”

That will be quite a challenge, but Weir listed a dozen promotional ideas, including events with sled dogs in the coming months, working with local businesses to host special events and hosting an adopt-a-musher program for area youth.

They’ll also be focusing on developing the planned route, which they hope will run from Calumet to Copper Harbor and eventually finish back in Calumet with potential stops in Eagle River, Lac La Belle and Gay.

“We have to establish the trail; that’s huge to me,” Tiura said.

The group is also working with Brassard Media to develop a Web site, which will eventually be found at copperdog150.com.

Michael H. Babcock can be reached at mbabcock@mininggazette.com.

Link to Article: http://mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/506526.html?nav=5006

CopperDog 150 Looking for Director

by Michael H. Babcock, Mining Gazette, July 29, 2009

CALUMET – The CopperDog 150 is still in the planning stage, but the first goal has been set.

“The first big hurdle is to get a race director hired,” said Tom Tikkanen, who is a member of the steering committee.

On July 22, the CopperDog 150 received a $1,000 pledge from Carmelita’s restaurant in Calumet to help find the director, and organizers hope that is the first of many donations to get the event underway.

“Jerry Mitchell and his wife, the owners of Carmelita’s, started things out with pledging $1,000 to help find a director, issuing it out as a kind of challenge to other businesses and donators around the community,” Tikkanen said.

Tikkanen said the group isn’t looking for someone with an extreme amount of racing or sled dog experience, but instead someone who will work hard with local and national sponsors.

“Number one, this person needs to possess good organizational fundraising skills and a real burning desire to work,” he said. “Sled dog or racing experience is not a requirement, that’s going to the be the responsibility of the board of directors.”

The goal is to find someone by Sept. 1.

Tikkanen said the group will also look for a logo and Web site.

“We need a logo that can travel with this race as it grows,” he said. “We’re asking for submissions on that from people we want to be supportive of the event.”

Tikkanen said the race needs support from local residents.

“We can take this as far as the community will let us,” he said. “It’s a great chance to get involved with something that will draw attention from people all around the nation. Families love it, people of all ages.”

The race date is tentatively set for the week after the Portage Health Great Bear Chase in March.

The group will accept resumes up until Aug. 15, which can be sent to the CopperDog, c/o Main Street Calumet, P.O. Box 188, Calumet, MI 49913. For additional information, interested individuals can call 337-6246.

The steering committee is now meeting weekly at 7 p.m. The Web site mainstreetcalumet.com will have updates on the meeting location.

Michael H. Babcock can be reached at mbabcock@mininggazette.com.

Link to Article: http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/506018.html

CopperDog 150 in Planning Stage

by Michael H. Babcock, Mining Gazette, July 22, 2009

CALUMET – The first planning meeting for the CopperDog 150 sled-dog race will be at 7 p.m. tonight at Carmelita’s Restaurant in Calumet.

Tonight’s meeting comes after a general meeting in April that saw about 20 interested people, said Tom Tikkanen, executive director of Main Street Calumet.

“We’re hoping that we have more than that this time around,” said Tikkanen.

While Main Street Calumet is hosting the meeting, the real job right now is to find someone else to run it.

“We need to take (the race) to the next level, which is recruiting a race director and board of directors to head the various committees,” Tikkanen said. “That’s what we hope to be close to achieving after this meeting. We want this to happen, we’re very supportive of it, but Main Street Calumet itself does not have the resources to support an event of this nature.”

The idea for the event has floated around since the last St. Urho Copper Classic in the early 1990s, Tikkanen said.

“There’s a surprising number of mushers and those that are interested in it throughout the Copper Country,” Tikkanen said. “They’re largely supportive of the idea and are involved, wanting more people to get involved.

“What’s also notable is the strong level of support and encouragement we’re getting from mushers and fans from outside of the Copper Country throughout the Midwest.”

Tikkanen said the preliminary plans include a start in Calumet, with racing to Copper Harbor, Lac La Belle, Eagle Harbor and then finishing in Calumet, similar to the Great Bear Chase with mushers finishing downtown.

He said there has also been interest in a shorter race to Hancock.

The Copper Dog 150 is tentatively slated for March, and will be considered the culminating event of three southern-Lake Superior-shore sled-dog races that include the Beargrease in Duluth, Minn., and U.P. 200 in Marquette.

“This is a real dynamic undertaking and it will require support from the greater community to get it going again,” Tikkanen said. “This should not be perceived as a Calumet event, but more as a Keweenaw Peninsula effort.”

Hors d’oeuvres will be provided at the meeting. For additional information, call Main Street Calumet at 337-6246.

Michael H. Babcock can be reached at mbabcock@mininggazette.com.

Link to Article: http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/505943.html

Coming to a town near us?

by Brandon Veale, Mining Gazette, April 24, 2009

CALUMET – The last snows of the winter are melting in the Keweenaw, but thoughts are already on next winter and the possibility of building a premier sled dog race on the peninsula.

A group of interested people met Thursday at the St. Anne’s Church Heritage Center to discuss making the dream of the CopperDog 150 a reality.

Sedar Bay musher Truman Obermeyer spoke at length about his idea for a three-day stage race beginning and ending in downtown Calumet in mid-March.

“That’s just the time our dogs are getting warmed up, and there’s lots of snow around here,” he said.

It is hoped that the event could grow to complement the John Beargrease Mid-Distance Race in Duluth and U.P. 200/Midnight Run in Marquette and create a “Triple Crown” of medium-distance mushing in the Upper Midwest.

The Calumet area hosted an event called the “St. Urho Copper Classic” until the early 90s.

Unlike the other two established races, the CopperDog 150 would be a stage race, with four proposed legs over three days. Most of the public’s interaction with the mushers and dogs takes place at starts and fnishes, not when the teams are in the woods, and by having more than just one of each is good for dogs and spectators.

“It affords a fresh start every morning, and that’s the only exciting part for the spectators,” Obermeyer said.

The proposed path would start in Calumet on Friday night and run north to Copper Harbor. The teams would return to the trail early Saturday and head to Lac La Belle, rest for several hours around noon, then hit the trails again for a night stage to Eagle Harbor. A final stage would leave Sunday and return to Calumet in the afternoon.

Obermeyer said sled dogs are the fastest distance runners in the animal kingdom, and that the range of the stages matches well with the dogs’ physiological strengths.

“Forty-five miles is about the longest a dog can go without slowing down,” he said.

He outlined the key organizational areas that will need to be addressed: such as the trail, recruiting at least 200-300 volunteers, and raising money for a purse, insurance and pay for professionals, such as a veterinary crew.

Lou Ann Balding of Marquette, who was key to getting the U.P. 200 off the ground in 1990, came up to Calumet to provide input and ideas. She was impressed, saying the number of interested people compared to year two of the 200, which ran its 20th edition in 2009.

“You are so far ahead of where we were before we started our first race,” she said.

Some things came together late for that inaugural race, especially the trail, which wasn’t finalized until December.

“We thought we were going to run out of town on the Chocolay River. Well, it doesn’t freeze over,” she said.

She underlined the importance of having a diverse organization that is more than just mushers.

“When it comes to committee meetings, they’d rather scoop poop,” she joked.

For more information on the CopperDog 150, contact Tom Tikkanen of Main Street Calumet at 337-6246.

“The focus of this is to get the whole Keweenaw community involved on this, and that you don’t have to be a dog sledder to help us out,” Obermeyer said.

Another local musher , Tom Bauer of Tapiola, said that Calumet is the kind of place that can get behind an event like this.

“They look at things like dog-sledding and instead of saying, ‘That’s crazy,’ they say, ‘That’s kind of neat,’” he said.

Brandon Veale can be reached at bveale@mininggazette.com.

Link to article: http://www.mininggazette.com/page/content.detail/id/504785.html