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In some respects, Ely went to the dogs last weekend.
Actually, nearly 300 of them.
That’s how many participated in the 17th annual WolfTrack Classic, a sled dog extravaganza that brought the dogs, as well as mushers and visitors to the community.
New champions were crowned in both the sixdog and eight-dog races on Sunday, with new champions crowned in both divisions.
An eight-dog team led by Matthew Schmidt topped a 12-team field, with Schmidt’s team crossing the finish line at Ely’s softball complex with a winning time of four hours, eight minutes and four seconds.
Brian Bergen led 25 mushers in the six-dog race, taking first in 2:37:59, about three minutes in front of runner-up Eric Nyren.
Canceled last year because of a lack of snow, the WolfTrack went forward this year with ample snow and plenty of enthusiasm.
A good-sized crowd turned out at the softball complex on Ely’s eastern edge for both the start and finish on Sunday, and the races were part of a weekend full of festivities linked with the race.
Spectators also enjoyed pleasant weather conditions, as Ely emerged from a deep freeze with temperatures rising through the 30s throughout the day.
Schmidt’s team set the pace in the eight-dog race, and his team also had a roughly three-minute edge on the runner-up - Lauren Stukenborg (4:11:03).
The rest of the top-10 included: 3. Kendra Anderson, 4:30:58; 4. John Fisher, 4:33:39; 5. Alyssa Sbatino, 4:35:44; 6. Scott Edgett, 4:36:43; 7. Kevin Mathis, 4:56:45; 8. David Burge, 5:12:33; 9. John Stumm, 5:25:14; 10. Talia Martens, 5:33:08.
In the six-dog race, Bergen led the way with Nyren (2;40:38) in second and Mickey Knettel (2:45:54).
Others in the top-10 were: 4. Steve Goedken, 2:48:03; 5. Neal Seeger, 2:49:42; 6. Ryan Miller, 2:49:49; 7. Alex LaPlante, 2:52:51; 8. Linus Meyer, 2:53:25; 9. Dusty Klaven, 2:54:35; 10. Alexandra Johnson, 2;59:50.
The WolfTrack Classic is sponsored by the Ely Chamber of Commerce, which was aided by an army of 120 volunteers who handled road crossings and other necessary items associated with the race.
The mushers and their teams come from the Midwest although there are a few Canadian teams including one from Sioux Lookout, which is roughly 300 miles from Ely.
Festivities got underway with Friday’s Wolf Track Prance and continued Saturday with both a dinner, as well as a chance for spectators to see the dogs and mushers in the parking lot of the Vermilion campus at Minnesota North College.
