Sunday was a good day to be a musher from Ray. Ryan Anderson and Keith Aili took top honors at the U.P. 200 Sled Dog Championship in Marquette, Mich., finishing in first and second place, respectively.
Amanda Vogel, also of Ray, finished 10th in the 240-mile race that takes teams from Marquette to Grand Marais, Mich., and back.
Anderson's win was his fourth consecutive in the race, giving him the distinction of being the only musher to have accomplished that in the competition's 24-year history.
“It feels good to win,” Anderson told The Journal Monday. “My team did a really good job.”
The musher crossed the finish line just 11 minutes ahead of Aili and spent a total time of 25 hours and 36 minutes on the trail.
“Leaving the last checkpoint, I knew I had a chance to win,” Anderson said. “The only person I was really worried about was Keith, he knows how to get the most out of his dog team.”
Vogel did not return a message from The Journal as of press time.
Tough conditions
Anderson's victory was challenged by Mother Nature who dumped more than a foot of fresh snow on the trails off and on during the entire two-day race.
“It was a complete whiteout,” Anderson said of the lake-effect powder.
However, Anderson noted he may have had an advantage with recent snowfalls in Borderland. The team, he said, was used to “breaking trail” and performed “very well.”
Anderson began the race with 12 dogs, but injuries left him with eight of his four-legged teammantes at the end.
Injuries also moved Aili's team from 12 to nine during the duration of the race.
Competing neighbors
The two mushers live within miles of each other and say the competition is fierce, but friendly.
Prior to the race, Aili told The Journal he was both excited and nervous about the competition.
“This is my first long race coming back into the sport,” he said. “There are at least three returning champions competing. It's gonna be a good one.”
Just over a month ago, Aili made his debut back into sled dog racing with a third-place finish in the Gichigami Express. Anderson finished fifth.
Aili said during last weekend's race, he came within three minutes of Anderson out of the final checkpoint, but knew he wouldn't be able to catch him.
“When I saw how hard he was working...I decided that I couldn't catch him because his dogs were running that good,” he said.
Not wanting to put any added pressure on his team, Aili said he ran the final 20 miles of the race in “cruise control.” In fact, Aili admitted he was so comfortable with a second-place finish that he visited with spectators just before the finish line.
“Then, I looked over my shoulder and had to look twice because I thought I was seeing things,” Aili said with a laugh.
Ryan Redington, of Wasilla, Alaska, was coming up on Aili, and he was coming fast.
“We made it interesting,” Aili added. “I'm so thankful I looked back, we had both our teams flying wide open at the finish line.”
It made for a photo finish with Aili crossing 22 seconds ahead of Redington.
“It was quite the adrenaline rush for me,” Aili said.
After clinching second place, the finish line was full of smiles and handshakes and according to Anderson, Aili congratulated him and then said, “You broke my record.”
Up until Sunday, the mushers were the only two to have claimed three consecutive U.P. 200 titles.
Unfortunate accident
Following the completion of the race, the mood of the event turned somber as teams learned fellow musher Frank Moe, a former Bemidji legislator, had collided with a vehicle at one of trail's intersections. One sled dog is dead and two are injured following the Sunday morning crash.
Both Anderson and Aili offered their condolences to Moe, saying that is why rule books urge extreme caution at road crossings.
“Mushers are responsible for road crossings, we all know that,” Aili said. “You can't put blame on the race.”
According to reports, Moe was running with a team of 12, freshly-rested dogs and was unable to stop his dogs when he saw approaching traffic.
The Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association volunteers at the crossing tried to warn Moe of the oncoming vehicle, but he was unable to hear their calls.
Moe and the driver of the vehicle were uninjured. The other two dogs are expected to make a full recovery.
Up next
Both Anderson and Aili say the plan is to return home and plow Monday's fresh snow before deciding what race is next on the agenda.
Anderson said he is considering running the CAN-AM Crown International Sled Dog in Fort Kent, Maine, but doesn't know if his team will be ready for the March 2 competition.
“We'll see,” Anderson said. “I had to drop my main leader in the U.P., so I wouldn't be able to take him to Maine. I'd rather run the Hudson Bay (Quest Sled Dog Race) in Manitoba.”
The race is scheduled for March 15.
Aili, too, was uncertain of the next event on his plate.
“This was the team's first long race and I know what I have now,” he said. “I don't have the large kennel numbers at home, so I need to decide what I'll do next. Personally, I'm a little tired of the snow.”
Anderson's echoed his opponent's viewpoint.
“At first there wasn't enough snow, now there is plenty,” he said. “It can stop anytime now.”
