Mush for a Cure

[bwca]

Mush for a Cure
Voyageur Outfitters will be hosting the 2nd Annual Mush for a Cure this March 15th, 2008. Dogsled teams will be mushing to raise money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. It will be a great spectator event with a Sourdough Shotgun start. We'd love to see you up here!

http://bwca.cc/areas/gunflinttrail/voyageur/winter.htm
http://canoeit.com/specials.cfm?bwca.cc

[PaddlerJimmy]

I wish I could make it up for this race. I hope some people can post some pictures from it after all is said and done.

[bwca]

Thank you to everyone involved in Mush for a Cure 2008. Without the help of the many volunteers this event would not have been possible. We appreciate all of the donations, hospitality and cooperation received during this great event. A big thank you to the mushers and their handlers for being a part of Mush for a Cure. With the pledges received by mushers and various other donations the event will have raised over $13,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Congratulations Everyone, you did an awesome job and we hope to see you in 2009!

If you would like to donate, a check made out to “Mush For a Cure” and mailed to:
Mush For a Cure
PO Box 282
Grand Marais, MN 55604

[bwca]

I just got an email from Mary Black. They will be having the Mush for a Cure again this Winter: March 14th, 2009.

[bwca]

Mary Manning of Doodledog Kennels in Hovland, encourages her dogs before the start of the third Mush for a Cure, held Saturday, March 14. Manning was one of 34 mushers who took part in the fundraiser for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. See more of the action on page .
Think pink! Photo by Rhonda Silence.

Meaningful chaos at Mush for a Cure
Rhonda Silence, Cook County Star, 3/2009
I thrive on chaos, so watching the “sourdough” start of the Mush for a Cure last Saturday was just my kind of event. It wasn’t that it was unorganized; in fact, everything seemed to be operating as planned. It’s just that the mass start is such a contrast from the intense, tightly structured John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. I have to say, for a spectator, the Mush for a Cure is a lot more fun. And a lot more meaningful.
There were some tense moments—twice dogs escaped from their harnesses and took off down the ice before the race started. Snowmobiles and fleet footed handlers quickly corralled them and brought them back.
The racket of excited dogs straining to run nearly drowned out the National Anthem and the shotgun fired to signify the start of the race. Then there was a lot of laughter as mushers struggled out of sleeping bags and hooked up their teams. The barking quieted as pink-clad participants and brightly decorated sleds glided across the lake.
After the teams were all gone, the audience moved down the Gunflint Trail in a caravan of vehicles filled with folks in pink. My friends and I joined a group on a hill overlooking the snowmobile trail, enjoying the sun as we waited. We didn’t have to wait long to see the cheerful mushers come out of the woods, across the bridge, swooshing around the corner and back into the woods.
We continued on to Trail Center, pink party headquarters, to see some of the racers finish and to enjoy visiting with friends and neighbors. It was a wonderful, laid-back event that managed to take the serious health crisis of breast cancer and turn it into an amazing celebration of life.
Most of the mushers involved in the Mush for a Cure have lost a loved one to breast cancer. A lot of the people at the Mush for a Cure were there to honor the memory of Shelly Stetson, the 41-year-old musher, mother, and wife, who died in January 2009. Some of the folks at the event wore scarves or caps to disguise loss of hair because of chemotherapy.
Whatever the story; however sad the people at Mush for a Cure may have been, there was an unspoken understanding. The Mush for a Cure is not a time for sorrow, but defiance. It is a day to don pink and to celebrate the strides that have been made in the treatment of breast cancer. It is a day to buoy those who are living with the disease. And it is a day to celebrate the time we have together.
Granted, the celebration got a little silly. There are some outrageous pink costumes and some slightly tacky t-shirts (such as Save Second Base!) that may offend some sensitive souls. However, I lost my grandmother to breast cancer when I was 13-years-old. So I think that anything that stresses the importance of self-care and which helps raise money for research to find a cure is worthwhile. Because I would have liked to have had a little more time to celebrate life with my grandma.

[Mary Black]

Here are a couple photos from the 2009 Mush For a Cure where teams raised over $23,000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Amazing...thank you to everyone who sponsored, participated, volunteered, donated prizes, and organized the event. In three short events, mushers have raised $40,000 and we only hope to contiune to grow.

Go to http://www.MushForACure.com for more photos and information on our event.

Mark Black, Bob and Jaret Baker and Roxy Black waiting for the last couple of teams to finish

"Trail Boss" Bob Baker of Gunflint Pines Resort (or should we say Roberta)

[bwca]

Mush for a Cure Raises $30,000.00 Without Mushing
(Gunflint Trail, MN) Like a huge pink wave mushers arrived for the 4th Annual Mush for a Cure Sled Dog Fundraiser on the Gunflint Trail Saturday, March 13th. Spirits were high and participants were ready for the day’s challenge which did not include mushing due to the lack of snow. That small detail did not bother the mushers and through their efforts they raised over $30,000 of which a minimum of $28,000 will be donated to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Event organizer Mary Black said, “We were a little conservative in our goal for this year with the state of the economy, but our mushers came through once again” Coming through in a big way was thirteen year old Jessica Berg-Collman from Grand Marais, MN who raised $10,000 of pledges all on her own.
Almost $5000 was raised during The Bald, The Brave and The Beautiful at the Pink Prom Pasta Party on Friday night at Trail Center. Four community members walked away that evening with bald heads but were commended for their bravery and looked beautiful as bald men. Couples dressed in their best pink outfits paraded during the Grand March and a King and Queen were crowned.
The money hasn’t even been deposited for this year’s event yet organizers are already planning for the 5th Annual Mush for a Cure. Snow or no snow it’s a great event for an even greater cause so mark your calendars for March 11-12th, 2011 and think pink.