Festive, busy race day at new location - Ely Regional Trailhead
In addition to a new venue, this year’s WolfTrack Classic included two new champions.
Ample snow and excellent racing conditions brought 45 mushers to Ely for the 18th rendition of the annual sled dog race, completed Sunday between here and Tower.
Ryan Anderson was crowned the winner of the eight-dog, 48-mile race, while Ashley Miller squeaked out a close win in the six-dog, 25-mile event.
A big turnout included 45 mushers, as well as more than 250 spectators who gathered at the new Ely trailhead facility, which served as both the start and finish area for the race.
By most accounts, the new venue received rave reviews.
“I think the trailhead was probably the best start chute we’ve ever had,” said Eva Sebesta, race coordinator. “We had the Ely Igloo club come in and groom the chute for us and they did a great job, and it was just nice having some place to have indoor bathrooms as opposed to frozen biffys.”
The WolfTrack Classic doubled as a showcase of the new $4 million-plus facility at Ely’s west entrance, and it replaced the city softball complex on Ely’s eastern edge as the race headquarters.
Despite some parking difficulties, the trailhead provided more space as well as a new building for spectators, mushers and race officials.
“After everybody went out and got on the trail, what happened was people moved inside and it was like shoulder- to-shoulder in the visitor area,” said Sebesta. “There were people from the Cities and other different communities, gathering and having great conversation and it stayed that way for probably an hour. We’ve never had folks stay in that number after the teams went out.”
Kids donning their sleds and having fun added to the festive atmosphere at the trailhead.
As for the races, Anderson’s team led a field of 13 in the eight-dog race and his team crossed the finish line in 3:53:05, about six minutes ahead of runner-up Brian Bergen, who topped the sixdog field a year ago.
ON THE TRAIL during the WolfTrack Classic was Steve Goedken, who took seventh in the six-dog class.
DOG POWER for Caiya Gibbs at the 2026 WolfTrack Classic race in Ely. Photos by Larry Ricker, LHR Images.
Next up were Tryton Tippett, Alyssa Sabatino and Ely’s Jennifer Freking.
A whopping 32 teams were part of the six-dog race, and Miller’s team won in 1:39:26, a mere six seconds ahead of runner-up Michael Kettel.
Following in third through fifth were Danny Edmonson, Clayton Schneider and Taylor Ham.
The Ely Chamber of Commerce puts on the Wolf-Track Classic and the organization’s offices are now at the trailhead, and organizers say the switch to the new venue made sense on several fronts.
Hot beverages were available at the start and finish areas as well as snacks, courtesy of Midco.
Numerous other sponsors also played a role in putting on the event, and the race also relied on a cadre of volunteers who helped with road crossings, parking and other logistics.
The race capped a full weekend of festivities, which included a dinner at the Grand Ely Lodge, a meet the dog teams event in the parking lot of the Vermilion campus of Minnesota North College, and a spaghetti feed.
