It turns out there’s room for another dog sled race in the U.P.
The inaugural Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Race was held this month in Engadine in the eastern U.P. The two-day event was sponsored by the Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club and the HSC Foundation Inc.
Initial plans called for a 100-mile overnight endurance challenge, but the lack of adequate snow deterred that course. Instead, a 30-mile mushers’ derby was held Saturday and a second 30-mile mushers’ derby followed the next day. Mushers came from all over Michigan and Wisconsin.
“It was a wonderful, wonderful event,” said Bruce Fondren, chair of the event and a Hiawatha Club board member. “We had hoped to have a marquee event to reinstate our Winter Carnival after many years absence. The race is something we came up with to engage the community on a much broader basis. It certainly worked.”
Matthew TorioThe Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Race is unique among dog sled races. The race was wholly contained to the club’s 50 square miles of property in Mackinac County.
“To encourage winter tourism, we wanted to establish a dog sled race along the southern shore of Lake Michigan to complement the multiple races across the Lake Superior shoreline,” Fondren said.
What’s happening: The Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club this month successfully completed its inaugural dog sled race. The race was sponsored by the club and the HSC Foundation. The Hiawatha Heritage Dog Sled Race coincided with the Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club’s Winter Carnival on Saturday, Feb. 1. A club fundraiser, the carnival features food vendors and kid and family-friendly activities. It was relaunched this winter for the first time since the Covid pandemic.
Typically, about 250 people attend the one-day carnival. Fondren estimated the crowd over the two days was three to four times that. Participants and spectators came from all over, including Canada, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Georgia, Texas, Florida, Kansas and Missouri.
The race: Initial plans called for a 100-mile overnight endurance challenge. That plan had to be adjusted because of a lack of enough snow on some parts of the club property. Instead, there were two 30-mile races, one held Saturday, the other Sunday.
“Unlike other races, our race was totally contained to the club’s 50 square miles of property, with mushers never having to cross a road or railway,” Fondren said. “Given the twisting, turning nature of our trails, the mushers raced a circuit as if they were following the Grand Prix course in Le Mans.”
Matthew TorioRace results: Twelve mushers competed in the six-dog race Saturday; nine mushers raced on Sunday. In Saturday’s race, Erin Schouweiler finished first, followed by Joann Fortier in second and her husband, Larry Fortier, in third. In Sunday’s race, Haighly Bonk finished in first place, followed by Erin Schouweiler, second, and Katie Kunze in third. Saturday’s payouts were: $800, for first; $600, second; and third, $200, Sunday’s payouts: $375, first; $275, second; $100, third.
About the club: The Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club has been around for nearly 100 years but has never before held a dog sled race. The club is a member-owned wilderness playground with 35,000 acres of private forests, spring-fed streams, picturesque lakes, and winding trails. The club property fronts five miles of Lake Michigan. Formed in 1927, the Hiawatha Club is the private club in Michigan and the largest club of its kind east of the Mississippi River.
“We’re a community-oriented club with multiple events and programs to engage and support the local community,” Fondren said. “This race and our Winter Carnival are all family centered activities and free to the public with all proceeds flowing back to the community through our HSC Foundation.”
About the foundation: The HSC Foundation is a non-profit private foundation organized to receive and administer funds for charitable and educational purposes and protection of the natural resources of the Upper Peninsula. This protection includes, but is not limited to, the Hiawatha Sportsman’s Club and its surrounding watershed.
What’s next: Pleased with the success of the inaugural race, organizers are reviewing their operations to see what they can do better next year. Mushers and sponsors have already expressed interest in a 2026 race. Event organizers also are working to avoid schedule conflicts with other big U.P. events, including the International 500 Snowmobile Race in Sault Ste. Marie and the UP 200 in Marquette, both held in February. “We meant this to be small so we could learn from it,” Fondren said, noting the club is building up for its centennial in 2027.
