ENGADINE, Mich. (WLUC) – Mushers and their dogs crossed the finish line on Sunday in Engadine after completing the 2026 Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Race.
About 16 mushers competed in either the 80-mile or 30-mile race. Lynne Witte has mushed for 22 years and looks forward to the race now in its second year.
“People asked me that question the other day,” Witte said. “‘Why did you not go to Minnesota to race?’ I said because it’s close, but also because it’s a new race. You never know what the new race is, and it’s fun, and [there are] different people.”
While the U.P. has many dog sled races, Race Chair Bruce Fondren says this one is on private property, so the trails are tailored to the racers.
“There’s never a road cross, there’s never a railroad cross, and our trails are not straight-line arrows like most of them along the highways and railways,” Fondren said. “These trails are all twisty-turny, up-ground and very unique.”
Witte says this is a superhighway with all of the hard-packed snow, and she says it’s a big deal when you know there are only dogs and sleds on this course.
“Where we train sometimes, we see snowmobiles, and they have a hard time seeing us,” Witte said. “And so, this way we don’t worry about that. We don’t have to think, oh is there a snowmobiler coming at us? Nope, it’s all good.”
Fondren says the race means even more for the community. All race proceeds go toward supporting others through the Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club Foundation.
“Medical expenses for families, you name it,” Fondren said. “Drug-free rehab programs, educational programs, gift cards, money cards for people in need. I mean, it’s the right thing to do.”
Fondren hopes the race becomes a tradition that uplifts people.
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