The 2009 Race

Hidden Valley Ski Club – Ely, Minnesota

Civic Center – Tower, Minnesota

Sunday, March 1^st, 2009

The moment we’ve all been waiting for. Hidden Valley Ski Chalet in Ely will once again be the location for the start of both races. 70 musher’s and 490 sled dogs will begin to arrive shortly after 6:30am on Sunday, March 1^st and start to prepare for the adventure ahead. By 6:30am volunteers will have already plowed snow from the area, set up the public address system, posted all the signage and will have all the sponsor company banners hung prominently within the starting chute. Food vendors will have hot coffee, hot chocolate, rolls and donuts ready to serve. WELY radio in Ely will be ready to start live broadcasting of the event. Hundreds of spectators will also arrive early Sunday morning to visit the teams, and stakeout their spots to watch the teams get underway. At last year’s race, we underestimated the number of spectators coming to watch the start, and therefore vehicle parking quickly became a problem. To eliminate this problem, plans are underway to provide an all day, free shuttle service from the parking lots of the US Forestry Service facility and the Ely Maintenance Garage, to the Hidden Valley Ski Chalet.

The first 8-Dog team blasts off from the chutes at 8:30am sharp, followed by subsequent teams every two minutes. The 6-Dog race will begin 30 minutes after the last 8-Dog team has left. All teams make their way east, along the rough and rugged Taconite Trail towards the town of Tower. The 6-Dog racers will celebrate their finish at The Depot in downtown Tower. The City of Tower is only the half-way point for the 8-Dog teams. The race course loops the teams through downtown Tower and quickly reconnects them back onto the Taconite Trail for the exciting finish back at the Hidden Valley Ski Chalet in Ely.

The City of Tower has been busy preparing for the exciting 6-Dog race Finish and to safely return the 8-Dog teams back to Ely. Hundreds of spectators will gather at The Depot Sunday morning to cheer the arrival of the 6-Dog finishers. The City of Tower opens the Civic Center early Sunday and will be serving hot coffee, rolls, hot dogs, and many other delectables throughout the day. WEVE radio in Eveleth provides live race updates throughout the day, and reporters from many of the local newspapers are busy interviewing and photographing race finishers, officials  and spectators. Shortly after the arrival of the last 6-Dog team arrives, the awards ceremony begins in the Civic Center. The room is packed with competitors and spectators, anxiously awaiting the announcement of who will be the WolfTrack Classic 2009 6-Dog Champion. Volunteers from Tower and city officials go all out to provide a fun and festive atmosphere for everyone attending.