Dogsledding keeps Kathy Topham returning to the Northland during the coldest month of the year.
She became involved in sled dog races like most veterinarians do, she said.
“My first exposure was when I was living in Duluth,” she said. “One of my classmates swung by work and said, ‘Hey, we’re doing pre-race vet checks for Beargrease, do you want to come hang out?’ So I did. It seemed like a lot of fun, and certainly the dogs are cool, and all the other veterinarians seemed like like-minded veterinarians who like to be outside, don’t mind a little adversity when it comes to cold and snow.”
After volunteering as a veterinarian for the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, she decided it would be fun to volunteer at a new race and discovered the Gunflint Mail Run. She leads the veterinarian team at the race, paying her own expenses to travel to the Gunflint Trail for the race. She has also volunteered as a veterinarian at other sled dog races, including Race to the Sky in Montana, the U.P. 200 in Michigan and the now-defunct Grand Portage Passage in Minnesota.
“I really do love the spirit of the mushers and the heart and soul of the dogs. Sled dogs are amazing athletes, and I find them very inspiring,” she said.