'The world's oldest, longest, fastest and toughest': How the 1-500 came to be

SAULT STE. MARIE — Sault Ste. Marie is busy preparing for one of its biggest events of the year, the annual I-500 snowmobile race.

Expected to bring in thousands of visitors and millions of dollars in revenue, "the world's oldest, longest, fastest and toughest snowmobile endurance race" has humble origins, beginning 54 years ago as some friends talked in a bar.

It all started with a simple question, "Do you think we could make a snowmobile go 500 miles?"

The International 500 race is the largest tourist attraction for the Soo. People come from all over to watch the race or enter it for themselves. Running from Jan. 29 through Feb. 4, it is also the largest winter sporting event in the Upper Peninsula.

"It's the granddaddy snowmobile race," said race board director Ric Federau. "It's the one that everybody really wants to win."

More:Start your engines: Sault prepares for the 1-500's return

The race is the final event in a weeklong celebration that grows in size each year. When the race began in the 1960s, it was a small local race.

"It's the largest single event in the Upper Peninsula," said Federau. "It generates millions in revenue. When the race comes to town, everybody's working full time in the city to chaptalize on the tourists."

The story begins in 1968 in Sault Ste. Marie with a group of friends having a drink. At the time, the world was watching the Indianapolis 500, often called "the greatest spectacle in racing." The reason it's called the Indianapolis 500 is because over the course of the race, the cars will travel a total of 500 miles.

The six Sault locals sitting in the bar eventually asked, "Do you think we could get a snowmobile to go 500 miles?"

That question set in motion the genesis of the I-500 race.

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Land that was owned by the city, and had previously belonged to the military, became the new home of the I-500 track. The track was designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and constructed by both American and Canadian construction groups.

Within a year, North America's first one-mile oval ice track was built and snowmobile enthusiasts from across the continent came to see the historic first race.

On Feb. 8, 1969, 27 snowmobile riders gathered on the starting line of the track. Some spectators famously wondered if the machines could make it even 200 miles before giving out, much less the planned 500.

At the time, snowmobiles had a top speed of around 30 miles an hour.

After several hours, racer Dan Planck from Davidson won the day on his worn out Ski-Doo. In total, the racers traveled a combined 13,891 miles together, each of them reaching at least 500 miles.

In the years that followed, the race only grew in popularity. Over the decades, thousands of racers from the United States and Canada have participated.

The race also grew in size and scope. Now, the race hosts a week's worth of events leading up to the big race every year.

"This thing has grown over 54 years from a backyard race to the world's oldest, longest, fastest and toughest snowmobile endurance race," said Federau.

Other events, such as the Miss I-500 pageant, also let the community take part in the festivities. Winners of the pageant will often make appearances at community events throughout the year in the Soo.

Find the full schedule of I-500 events at i-500.com.

— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com

This article originally appeared on The Sault News: 'The world's oldest, longest, fastest and toughest': How the 1-500 came to be