ELY – The 14th running of the WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog Race here will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27. The first race team leaves the starting gate at the Ely softball field complex at 9 a.m. sharp.
Organizers said as many as 50 teams, the most ever, are signed up for the two mid-distance race events. Following COVID-19 restrictions last year, spectators are welcome and encouraged this year at all the events.
“The weekend starts as the mushers roll into town on Saturday for the musher dinner at Vermilion Community College,” said Ellen Cashman, Ely Chamber of Commerce event organizer. The spaghetti dinner is sponsored by the VCC Wilderness Club and served in the VCC cafeteria from 4 to 6 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door.
For race day on Sunday, teams arrive at the Ely Softball Complex by 7 a.m. to prepare for the race. “The public is welcome, but there is limited spectator parking,” Cashman said. “Please leave pets at home.”
Spectators are welcome to line the start area this year to cheer on the race teams.
The 50-mile race features the eight-dog teams. The first team leaves the start line at 9 a.m. Each team leaves at two-minute intervals. The six-dog teams running the 30 mile course follow. The race course is the same as past years and follows the Taconite Trail out of Ely, crossing Highway 1, and Highway 21 outbound and inbound. The eight-dog course goes through Bear Head State Park and crosses Bear Head State Park Road.
Who’s running
this year?
Defending his WolfTrack Classic title in the eight-dog race will be Mike Bestgen, fresh off a second-place run in both the Beargrease 120 and the Minnetonka Klondike Dog Derby. “Will he be able to hold off Nick Turman ‘The Terminator,” and Ero Wallin who came in fourth in the Beargrease Marathon?” Cashman asked.
The six-dog race will field more than 35 teams. “This will be a competitive race, with returning teams like Dusty Klaven, Ashley Thaemert, Ryan Miller, Clayton Schneider, and Erin Schouweiler,” she said.
The WolfTrack Classic is a family friendly race featuring numerous junior mushers. “This year 11-year-old Elena Freking will run her team of beautiful Siberian Huskies,” Cashman said. “This will be Elena’s second race. She just completed the Minnetonka Dog Derby with her dad, Blake Freking, and looked spectacular. She won the sportsmanship award in that competition. Elana will be running the WolfTrack Classic with her mom, Ely veterinarian Dr. Jennifer Freking. “
Maddoux Erickson is 14 and will be running a team out of his step- dad Nathan Schroeder’s kennel. Kara Granroth, also 14 years old, is running her first WolfTrack Classic. Dixie Crawford is running a team out of her grandfather William Sima’s kennel.
“This brings us to our veteran junior mushers, Elena Morgan and Taylor DeBoer, who are completing for the third and fourth times in the WolfTrack Classic,” Cashman said. “This will be Taylor’s last race before she heads off to college. Good luck to all these young up and coming mushers.”
Look for teams to start crossing the finish line any time after noon, depending on trail conditions, weather, and race time temperatures. “Who will be first in? Clayton Schneider from Dryden, Ontario, is noted for his incredibly fast team and race times,” Cashman said. “When all the teams have crossed the finish line we will head to the Grand Ely Lodge, one of our long time major sponsors for the award presentation.”
If you can’t make it to the race in person you can tune in to iFan Sports Network, channel 6, for live streaming coverage from start to finish. Local radio station, WELY, will be announcing the race live from the start line.
“We would like to thank our major sponsors, Grand Ely Lodge, Bear Island Land Surveying, MIDCO, iFan and Nutri Source pet foods,” Cashman added.
“Thank you to all the Ely businesses who sponsor the race. We are proud of you all. We could not do it without you. We also would like to thank the Ely Chamber of Commerce for putting on the race, the city of Ely for helping with many of the preparation details at the start and finish area, the Igloo Snowmobile Club for grooming the start area, VCC for use of their space and the students and clubs for volunteering, and the Minnesota DNR and USFS for granting us the permits to run on the trail system,” she said.
“Last, but not least, thank you to the hundreds of volunteers from Ely and across the United States who pitch in and get it done,” Cashman said.
For complete details, musher bios, and more cae information, visit www.wolftrackclassic.com.