Geri Minard is joining us for another CopperDog from Silver Creek Kennel in Newberry, MI! She has attended all but two CopperDogs - including taking first place! Her lead dogs are Aggie, Pepper, Spark and Nero.

She has been running dogs for 23 years and has a small kennel of 15 dogs. She trail-runs year round and runs half marathons in the “off-season”. She would like to thank her husband Rick for all his time grooming trails and putting together a training plan for her and the team. Geri works for the State of Michigan DNR in the Spring and Summer, and works as a dog musher in the Fall and Winter!

Geri would like to thank Forest Insurance Center, Ice Cream Bandits, Joe & Bonnie Bennett, Jay & Loretta Hollnagel, David & Joan Coven, David & Tina Buss, Ken Teppo, Rob Craig Logging LLC, Jer Patryjak, Jeff Dudek and Katharine Marcoux of Mad & Co. LLC.

Good luck in the CD30, Geri!

Melissa is back for another CopperDog. She raced the CopperDog 25 in 2022 and this year she'll be racing the CopperDog 30 with lead dogs Legend and Tupac. She is from Flight Risk Mushing in Solon Springs, WI.

Last year, one of her race dogs, Flounder, had an injury that required a large portion of muscle to be removed from one of his legs. He was fighting for his life in hospital care for two weeks. Now he is back and ready to run more than ever - making the most miraculous recovery either of them could have asked for.

You can follow Melissa's adventures by searching for Flight Risk Mushing on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! She would like to thank The #uglydogs community on Twitter.

Good luck in the CD30, Melissa!!

Haley is running her first CopperDog this year with leads Bud and Violet. She is part of the Mushing Club at Michigan Tech and is running at team from Tom Bauer's kennel, Otter River Sled Dog Training Center & Wilderness Adventures.

She has has not had anything too crazy happen yet, as far as mushing stories go, so maybe this first race will become her crazy mushing story!

A majority of her team, including one of her leaders, are yearlings running their first race so wish them luck!

Good luck in the CD30, Haley & Team!

Susan Serafini, one of our local mushers is attending CopperDog for the 10th time! She will have lead dogs Lillie and Grace from her kennel, Two Hearted Racing.

She has an embarrassing story that happened to her many years ago; she lost her team and got picked up by a team of Irish Settlers!

When she is not running dogs, she is riding her bicycle(s).

Susan would like to thank Ed Kraai, he is her handler, groomer, mechanic, and poop scooper!

She also wants everyone to know she attended "THE" Ohio State University!

Good luck in the CD30, Susan!

Chad Grentz is glad to be back on the runners for another CopperDog! He is from Frost Creek Kennel in Nisula, MI. He has raced the Midnight Run, Iron line, Apostle Island, and numerous CopperDog races.

His daughter Mara will be racing the CopperDog 15. Chad' leaders are Campbell, General, Bear, and Churro.

Chad would like to thank his dad for all the years helping out being the handler and truck driver. He would also like to thank his wife Heather for helping out to keep the kennel in check back home. And, a special thanks to the race association and all the volunteers that put on one of the best races in the area.

Good luck in the CD30, Chad!!

Jen is here for her first CopperDog! She hopes it is the first of many!! Her kennel is Lost Mile Mushing out of Rhinelander, WI. Her leads are Spark and Swirl.

Jen has spent a few years racing sprint, and this year ran the Beargrease 40.

She would like to thank family and friends for all their support, especially her husband Pete, who will be handling for the race.

Good luck in the CD30, Jen!!

Kate is back to run her second CopperDog running with leads Arion and Siren from Basalt Tamaskan Kennel in Negaunee, MI.

She is running a team of Alaskan Huskies and Tamaskan Dogs. Her line up is; Arion & Siren, Graph & Pyrite, and Bear & Nacho.

Kate has a few thank yous! First and foremost to the dogs for always giving it their all and a thank you to Liza Weaver for giving her the opportunity to train the entire kennel this season. Thank you to Carol Wiater for allowing the use of her property for staging and helping with road crossings during training runs. To her dad John Dehlin for keeping the dog truck running this season with its never-ending issues. Thank you Dr. Tim Hunt for helping level up her game with the dog sled and keeping her pups vetted. And a "thank you to the race organizers and volunteers because without you we wouldn’t have a venue to share these amazing athletes."

Good luck in the CD30, Kate!

Jerry Trudell, from Calumet, has attended every single CopperDog and raced in all but one! His kennel is ...Sharks Came Racing and his leads are Lester and Kellogs.

He has been racing since 2008 and during that time he and his wife have had the privilege of running amazing athletes and meeting wonderful people. There is not a better sport. He would like to thank their handlers, past and present, as their dedication is appreciated more than they know. He would also like to thank his wife, Pat.

Good luck Jerry - in both the CD30 and the CD15!

Suz is running their second CopperDog, with leads River and Raksha. They have attended three of the races. They are from the Mushing Club at Michigan Tech and are running a team from the Flying K Kennel out of Mountain, WI.

Suz will never forget riding in the basket of a sled with a first time driver. Suz noticed the dogs began to pull harder, and suddenly heard a voice behind them... and then realized the driver had fallen off! They chuckled to themself as they put the snowhook in and waited for the driver to catch up. Suz had to remind the driver; "you never let go of the sled!"

They always loved dogs and were fascinated with mushing growing up, but did not have the chance to work with a kennel until joining the Mushing Club at Michigan Tech in the fall of 2019. After experiencing the thrill of mushing and developing deep bonds with sled dogs Suz knew this was something they were roped into forever!

Good luck in the CD30, Suz!

Dean is back to run a fifth CopperDog with leads Bolt and Strike. He is from Granit Quarry Dog Sledding in Ogdensburg, WI.

This year, he went on an 8-mile training run, only problem, he was only on the runners for six miles. They lost him on a corner and he watched them running off into the horizon.
He found them two miles down the road! OK, in a ditch and stuck!!

Dean is a retired Army Master Sergeant who served as an infantry paratrooper in the 82 Airborne and an artillery forward observer in the Wisconsin National Guard. He also cared for Veterans for 30 years at a Wisconsin Veterans Home.

A love for arctic history and winter camping got him started in dog sledding over 25 years ago!!!

He would like to thank his sponsors, Diamond Pet foods and Ice Castle Fish Houses.

Good luck in the CD30, Dean!

Jenny, from Ontario, Canada, and Rajenn Sled Dogs Kennel is here for her first CopperDog! Running in the CopperDog 30 with leads Eda and Jethro!

She would like to thank her handlers, Bayley Parnell and Julia Fazzari.

Jenny also wants to say "thank you to all of the race organizers and volunteers who make this race happen!"

Good luck in your first CD30, Jenny!!

Ralph, from Ontario, Canada, and Rajenn Sled Dogs Kennel is here for his first CopperDog! Running in the CopperDog 30 with leads Chaos and Uhtred.

He would like to thank his handlers, Bayley Parnell and Julia Fazzari.

Ralph was once running a sprint race, and someone walked their dog on the trail in front of him. He ended up mummified to the sled by a gangline of dogs!

Ralph also wants to say "thank you to all of the race organizers and volunteers who make this race happen!"

Good luck in your first CD30, Ralph!

Katie Kunze will be running the CopperDog 30 this year with a team from Nature's Kennel in Curtis, MI. Her lead dogs are Elmer and Jett.

She has raced the CopperDog 40 [that's no typo] one time prior [in 2015] and has handled for other teams three different times.

Katie is a full-time 4th-grade teacher who loves spending time outside of the classroom working with sled dogs.

She would like to thank Laura Neese [look her up, she is famous!!] for trusting her to run with her team!

Good luck in the CD30, Katie!!

Martha is back to run the CopperDog. She has attended all but one them. This year she is running the CopperDog 30 with leads Blanca and Flossy.

Her kennel, Otter Run, out of Irma, WI is super small this year, with only eight dogs training for racing as the rest are too young or retired. But, she is still a busy lady as she is now a Grandma of seven!

She still thinks about the time training with the 4-wheeler... her and her son, Chad, hit a bump and they were both ejected off but dogs kept going, the 4-wheeler stopped by a tree and the line broke. The dogs ended up in a pile right before a big hill. To their amazement none were fighting and they were able to reconnect! Each time they pass that spot to this day she thinks about it!

She would like to thank friends of Otter Run Kennel and her husband Mark for all the at-home chores when she is away!

Good luck in the CD30, Martha!

Steve Goedken, from Deerwood, MN, is back to run the CopperDog. This time he is in the CopperDog 30. His lead dogs are Sandy and Chandler. Steve's son, Casey, will also be running in the CD15!

Steve's funny story was when he was hooking up ten dogs for a run when his lead dog got loose and took off down the trail. So, Steve ran with one lead dog. A mile into the run, his loose lead dog passed him up and ran in position as if he was hooked up to the gangline.

He ran for a mile this way and when Steve commanded the team to stop, he [the dog] stopped. And the team stood there as if he was holding everyone at bay. He walked up and attached the "looser" to the rest of the team and they all took off as if nothing had happened. That is one trained lead dog!!

Good luck in the CD30, Steve!

Becky is running another CopperDog! She is in the CopperDog 30 this year and has participated in nine of our races! She is a local musher out of Hermit's Cove K-9s and her leaders this year are L'il Glady and Frodo.

The longer she is running with her dogs, the more adventures and crazy stories she has! Too many to pick just one!

Becky works as a ER/ICU RN and for her stressful situations are the norm. She says dogs have an uncanny way of knowing exactly what she truly needs at any given time; "truly dogs have a purpose in our lives."

She has had some tough situations in the last couple of years, but though it all, family, friends, and her dogs have made her stand upright and get her moving.

Becky would like to give a huge thanks first and foremost to her family who tolerates her dog obsession and to Dr. Bryan Judge.

Good luck in the CD30, Becky!

Mike is back at the CopperDog! This will be his ninth or tenth year attending, but this will be his first year running a team.

He has been a handler for Maple Ridge Kennel for many years and now, he is running a team for Dark Sky Kennel out of Two Harbors, MN. His lead dogs will be Charlie and Ice Man.

He would like to thank Dave Mills and Alex LaPlante for the opportunity to run some of their dogs and see the beautiful CopperDog trails.. He would also like to thank Logan for watching the dogs at home.

Good luck in your first CD race, Mike!

Ross Anthony, is running his first race! He has spent time on a sled, but never actually in a race! He is running at team out of Flying K Kennel from Mountain, WI. His leaders will be Kaa and Kahn.

He was born in Calumet and moved to Marquette when he was four and has lived there ever since! He is a board member for the UPSDA (Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association).

Ross sends a big thank you Flying K for allowing him to run out of their kennel, Lynne Witte for allowing him to get some time on the runners, and Braver Mountain Racing for pushing him off the cliff to jump in head first!

Good luck in the CD30, Ross!

Lucy is back to run the CopperDog 30 this year. Previously she has run two CopperDog 25s (2019, 2020) and one CopperDog 80 (2022). Her leaders will be Enda Finnegan and Ziwa (means lake in Swahili).

Lucy would like to thank Josh, a Calumet local, for driving her truck between the starts and finishes.

The combined ages of musher and the six dogs in the race (of the eight in her kennel) is 114 years - that is like if you were born in 1909! And they are still running!

Good luck in the CD30, Lucy!!

James is running his first CopperDog! He will be in the CopperDog 30 with leads Beret and Recon.

James would like to thank Team Evergreen Kennel for letting him run their dogs!

Good luck in your first CD30, James!