Contact Us

Email:
info@blackmagickennels.com

Mark & Mary Black
P.O. Box 282
Grand Marais, MN 55604

Phone: 218-349-7960

Buy a Round of Kibble For BMK

Login



Cancel Mush For a Cure…NO WAY!!!

I can’t believe that people would think we would cancel the 2010 Mush for a  Cure! Just because there isn’t much snow left on the trail doesn’t mean that we still can’t have an awesome event. As Sue Prom said yesterday when we were walking into WTIP for an on-air interview, “he*# no, you think they are going to cancel breast cancer?” Well said Sue! Here is our interview with Mary Manning and Julie Bishop yesterday.

Sue and Mary’s WTIP interview 3-9-10

Trail Boss Bob Baker has assured us that we will have a trail. As of yesterday morning, the trail was intact. Now we know Mother Nature may think it’s spring, but we’re going to try to fight her on that for three more days. If we have to, Sue and I along with all the organizers might be leaving the prom and heading out with shovels in hand working on the trail.

So, get your pink on, come up the Gunflint Trail and have some fun!

 

Four More Days! Four More Days!

MEMO

To: Mother Nature

From: The organizers/sponsors/participants/volunteers and spectators of Mush for a Cure

Dear Ms. Nature:

The Mush for a Cure runs are scheduled to take place this Saturday. Everyone involved with the event asks that you please cool the daytime temperatures in Northeastern Minnesota to below freezing, don’t allow rain and possibly even bring us some snow for it. We promise to raise a lot of money for the National Breast Cancer Foundation, wear our best pink outfits and have a lot of fun in exchange. Just four more days and on Sunday, March 14th, bring on the warm temperatures and spring.

Sincerely,

Mush for a Cure

 

Wolf Track Classic “Mud Dog” Race

We are home from a whirlwind weekend in Ely for the Wolf Track Classic. We ran the dogs down to the truck  on Saturday morning around 11:00 and made it to Ely sometime around 2:00 for our vet check. Everyone checked out OK. The temperature on Saturday in Ely was pushing 50 degrees which meant snow was melting fast. The Ely area had been missed by a couple of the big snowfalls that we had here so their trails were deteriorating fast. Friday night at the pre-race banquet the organizers announced that the 6-dog teams were going to be leaving the starting chute on Sunday morning at 1-minute intervals instead of two. That was great news to Tara and me as we were bib numbers 31 and 32 which put on on (and more importantly) off the trail a half hour earlier.

Sunday morning found us up a 5:30 dropping and watering dogs in 25 degrees. Thankfully it had cooled off over night to preserve what little snow was left on the trail. We got to the staging around around 7:30 and after unloading the sleds off the top of the truck and getting them ready for our mandatory bag check, it started getting warm again. In the last hour or so before our start, we slowly took off layer after layer until we were down to what we were racing in. At the last minute on Saturday I packed three Hawaiian shirts so I threw one on to wear during the run. Tara found a pair of pink shorts on clearance at Wintergreen on Saturday so she donned her shorts, long underwear and tennis shoes for racing togs.

We had been told on Saturday that the first 15 miles (of the 28 mile) trail “were the worst” and after going through Bearhead State Park we’d have snow from there to the finish. Well, the first few miles of the trail could be described as icy/slushy and after that, there were stretches of maybe no more than a 1/2 mile that had good snowcover with the rest of the trail being either, mud, dirt, rock, or ice. Even though the trail conditions were less than ideal, the dogs did awesome. I had 10-year-old Tucson leading with Carstenz followed by Bree, Worf, Murphy and Mons. Worf, Murph and Mons had never been in the truck before so this was a big deal for them. With my old-lady lead dog and three youngsters, we were really happy with our 7th place finish (Click here for the full 2010 Wolf Track results) and we were only 33 seconds behind the 6th place team!

Tara and her team of Denali, Athena, Rose, Lily, Calvin and Spock (the last four had never been in the truck before) were having a great run too. They even passing me about a 1/2 hour after the start when I stopped to let the dogs cool off for a few seconds to bite snow. I stayed behind her for a while and passed her back before the 1/2-way point where she held with me for quite a while but when I passed a team I didn’t see her again. I was hoping all was going well, but it turns out she had to put Calvin in the sled about ten miles from the finish. Had she not had to carry him, I’m sure she would have beat my time handily, but she still managed to finish in 11th place. Tara did awesome for her first race on less-than-ideal trail conditions and we are sooooo happy she’s coming back in the fall. Since we are switching our focus away from the Beargrease Marathon, we’re planning on putting her young, athletic body on the runners of the Varsity Team in mid-distance races next year!

Unfortunately for the race, the trail conditions were derteriorating by the minute and they had to cancel the 10-dog event that was scheduled to start yesterday evening. It was a difficult decision for the organizers I’m sure, but the safety and welfare of the dogs was their first priority. This was an awesome race and the organization, communities, and volunteers involved in with the race are top-notch. We had a ton of fun so Joe and Barb, we’ll definately be back again! Hopefully next time though it will really be the Wolf Track Classic SLED dog race. :-)

Daylight Watch: Tomorrow will be 3 mintues and 27 seconds longer than today!!!

MFAC’s The Bald, The Brave and The Beautiful(?) Competition

By this time next week, my feet will be sore from dancing at Mush For a Cure’s Pink Prom on Friday night and the Finisher’s Dance on Saturday night. Not to mention all the running around that will be done on Friday prepping for the big event on Saturday. One of the funnest things that Sue dreamed up this year is the Bald, Brave and Beautiful(?) competition where four local (somewhat) celebrities are putting their “heads on the line” by having their heads shaved if enough money is raised! There are two competitions going on at once…the man who raises the most money in each competition gets to “take it all off” (their hair that is). You don’t have to wait until Friday night, send in your vote now. Make your check out to Mush For a Cure and put in the memo “BBB and the name of the guy you would MOST LIKE TO SEE HAVE THEIR HEAD SHAVED. The contestants are:

Ring #1
Cook County Sheriff, MARK “
I Don’t Want to be a Cueball” FALK
vs.
Chief Deputy, LEIF “
Remind Me Again, Why I Said I’d Do This” LUNDE

Ring #2
Gunflint Trail VFD Chief MIKE “Good Thing I Sleep With My Hat On“ PROM
vs.
Deputy Chief, BOB “
I’m Good Looking Enough, I Don’t Need Hair” BAKER

Shhhh, don’t tell them but these guys don’t know that if enough money is raised, we will have ALL their heads shaved!

The Wolf Track Classic

We’re off to the races…The Wolf Track Classic to be precise. Tara and I will be running the 30-mile/6-dog race. We’re taking experienced leaders and youngsters. Tara’s team is: Athena and Denali in lead and Spock, Calvin, Rose and Lily. Did you see that Aunty Cristy? CALVIN IS DOING A RACE! My team consists of Old Lady/Princess Tucson and Carstenz in lead followed by Bree, Worf, Murphy and Mons. The biggest worry of the weekends is the warm temperatures. It is already 35 degrees here at 7:00 a.m. and the forecast is calling for highs near 50 both today and tomorrow. Thankfully our race starts at 9:00 so we should be off the trail no later than 1:00 depending upon what time we start. You can catch the results on the Wolf Track website.

Daylight Watch: Tomorrow will be 3 minutes and 27 seconds longer than today!!!