LUCE COUNTY, Mich. (WJMN) – The Board of Directors for the Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race announced this week they have decided to cancel the event in 2023. The race was scheduled to occur this coming weekend on January 7-8.

In posts to both the race’s website and Facebook page, event organizers say the decision was difficult, but ultimately made with safety in mind after recent warm temperatures melted a significant amount of snow base that sled dog teams would compete on:

The Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race Board of Directors has sadly made the decision to cancel the 2023 race set for this upcoming weekend January 7th and 8th. As always, the safety of the dogs and mushers comes first, and with weather and snow conditions as they currently stand we can not guarantee a safe course. We would like to thank our Sponsors, Volunteers, and Mushers for their understanding and support. 

The race, founded in 1999, was set to be the first of three events in a new Superior Crown Sled Dog Series in partnership with the UP200 and Copper Dog races.

In a Facebook post, the UP200 says the series will go on, but only counting points from the UP200 and Copper Dog:

BREAKING NEWS: The Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race, part of our Triple Crown series, has been canceled. The three race organizations have decided to include the TCSDR 10-dog entries and count them as part of the series but without any points. So if a musher is registered for TCSDR 10-dog and then completes the UP200/MNR and Copper Dog 10 or 8, they will accrue points for those two races and be counted as having completed the series. Our thanks to the TCSDR organizers for their efforts during this unusual snow year!

You can stay tuned for future updates on the Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race on the race’s Facebook page.

The UP 200, Midnight Run, and Jack Pine 30 sled dog races are scheduled for February 16-20. The Copper Dog Sled Race is scheduled for March 3-5.