A team takes off from the starting line Friday night at the CopperDog races in downtown Calumet. (Photo by Kent Kraft for the Mining Gazette)

CALUMET – Four sled dog races concluded this weekend in Laurium, Copper Harbor and Eagle Harbor.

On Friday evening, spectators lined 5th Street in downtown Calumet to watch the start of the CopperDog events for 2026. After a presentation of the Canadian and American flags by some young mushers coupled with live performances of the respective national anthems, the competitors for the CopperDog 120 (CD120) started their race.

Other races of the weekend included the CopperDog 30 (CD30), which covers the 30.8 miles from Calumet to Eagle Harbor; the CopperDog 15 (CD15), which takes participants on 15.9 miles on a counterclockwise loop in Copper Harbor; and the CopperDart, a youth-focused, single-stage sled dog race covering 4.8 miles in Copper Harbor.

Mike Bestgen from Saint Cloud, Minn. won CD120, the main event of the weekend. He crossed the finish line in 9:08:37, 16 minutes ahead of the next competitor, Jake Golton of L’Amable, Ontario, who finished in 9:24:52. Bestgen, who won his first CopperDog last year when he won the CopperDog 150, is the only musher to take part in every CopperDog.

Sarah Tarlton of Mountain, Wis. finished the race in third with a 9:34:58 result over three legs.

The other races that took place over the weekend in the Keweenaw area saw racers finish in Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor.

Danny Edmonson of Kimball, Minn. took first place for CD30 on Friday. He and his team raced from Calumet to Eagle Harbor in 2:12:19. Larry Fortier and Joann Fortier — both from Gaylord, Mich. — took home second and third place respectively in CD30.

Saturday saw Jake Golton win first place, crossing the finish line in in 1:01:15 after the race entirely in Copper Harbor. Bob Lee of Medford, Wis. placed second with a time of 1:04:45. Ted Gerke finished in third at 1:05:33.

The CopperDart also took place on Saturday, with the race spanning approximately five miles in the Copper Harbor area for the younger demographic. The winner of the race was first-timer from Mountain, Wis., Ashton Beaber, who finished just five seconds ahead of the second place finisher, Sara Anderson from Buyck, Minn.

Beaber won the race in 0:20:08; Anderson finished second in 0:20:13; and Oliver Konecne of Laporte, Minn. took home third place in 0:21:18.

To view the full results, visit CopperDog’s Facebook page or their website at copperdog.org.