February 1, 2005

ESPN 2 SPOTLIGHTS U.P. 200

MARQUETTE —This month’s U.P. 200 sled dog race may get national exposure. Race officials have been informed that a crew from ESPN will be in Marquette to cover the Feb. 18-20 event.

The New York crew will follow the sled dog races through checkpoints and road crossings over the weekend. The race will be featured on Timeless, a program that airs on Saturday mornings on ESPN.

    “This is a big opportunity for our race to be viewed nation wide,” said Pat Torreano, president of the Upper Peninsula Sled Dog Association. “We feel it will inform the rest of the nation as to what a great event we offer here in the middle of February each year.” 

    “We thought about potentially covering the Iditarod, but [the U.P. 200] seemed a more intimate event, a fantastic event to do within the continental U.S.” said John Murnane of ESPN, New York.

The U.P. 200 is a competitive, 12 dog, mid-distance sled dog race entering its 16 th year. The 260 mile race will begin at 7 p.m. on Friday on Washington Street in downtown Marquette and concludes Sunday in the City’s Lower Harbor.

For more information contact Torreano at 906-228-3072 or leaddog200@charter.net.

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Prepared by Amanda Jayska and Miriam Moeller