Friday, January 10, 2020

2020 Gunflint Mail Run begins Saturday

The Copper Basin 300 isn't the only race happening this weekend. Minnesota's Gunflint Mail Run race also begins January 11. There are two events a 12-dog 100-mile continuous race, and an 8-dog 65-mile continuous race. Fourteen teams are signed up for the twelve-dog event, and sixteen teams signed up for the eight-dog event. Fans of Iditarod will recognize several names on the longer race, while "UglyDogs" (fans of BraverMountain Kennel) will most likely recognize several names on the shorter.

The Gunflint is not a qualifier for the 1,000 mile races, but it is one of the most anticipated races in the lower 48. While it won't get the attention and coverage that it probably deserves, with the help of Blair Braverman's fandom, it's gotten a lot more attention in the last couple of years. BraverMountain kennel will not be represented in this year's roster, but the field is exciting none the less.

Names like Redington, Neese, Freking, and Schroeder should all be familiar to mushing fans. Should be a fun race to follow.

So where can you watch the race unfold online? Let's get a quick rundown on how to follow this lovely little race.


GPS Tracker! Yes, where would we be in 2020 if we didn't have GPS trackers following our favorite teams' every step?! How did we ever survive the 70s-90s when all we had were the official times in and out of checkpoints?! All snark aside, if you aren't glued to a GPS tracker, why not? Gunflint's tracker map can be found here.

The Official Site of the race is one of the best organized and cleanly built. Lots of great information can be found on the site, including information of the areas the race runs through. Give it a look see. The FAQ is especially fun.

WTIP Broadcasting is the official radio station of the Gunflint Mail Run and will broadcast the start of the race. The broadcast can be streamed online.

Social Media
Gunflint's Official Facebook page will hopefully have live video feeds of the start and throughout the race, and of course will keep updated with race stats throughout the weekend. Years past they've been active on twitter as well.

Dog Talk Sports Network a fun fanlead twitter account that tweets as though dogs are commentating sports will be at the race and hope to cover it. With the unknown of weather and other logistics they are unsure if they will be able to "live twit", but there will be updates as they can be made available. It's a highly entertaining twitter account either way and I highly recommend you follow them.


Did I forget anything? Who are you cheering for? Comment below!

No comments:

Post a Comment