Every January the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon brings mushers, dogs, and fans to northeastern Minnesota. And anyone can come and watch the action.
Racing into winter at the John Beargrease sled dog race
Some people embrace northern winters. They are the ones outside doing stuff in all sorts of weather.
I am not one of those people, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in what those winter-loving folks are up to.
As I wrote this, a small group of winter-loving people were racing through northern Minnesota as part of the 2016 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.
And, while I really can’t see the appeal of racing through the winter woods on a dogsled for hours on end (day and night), the weather was beautiful (for Minnesota in January), so I went out to watch them as the race began.
Ready to run
2016 was a pretty warm winter in Minnesota.
Unfortunately, sled dogs need cold weather and snow to run fast and safely. And, while the starting point for the race was moved a bit north this year, it was still really warm for the dogs.
On the other hand, people tend to appreciate warm winter weather and mobs of people turned up to watch the start of the race. Of course, they just added a bit more chaos to what would seem rather chaotic even without them.
See, sled dog racing may seem like a solitary sport – just a musher and their dogs – but this type of racing requires a whole array of equipment and people to transport, manage, and care for the dogs. There’s a lot of people and “stuff” around even without random spectators like me.
Then there are the dogs.
In 2016 there were a lot of dogs:
- The folks who do this sort of thing as a profession, the ones running the full 383-mile marathon, could race with teams of up to 14 dogs. (This year it’s a 300-mile race with teams of up to 12 dogs.)
- A 120-mile mid-distance race had teams of up to eight dogs.
- A 38-mile junior/recreational race for hobbyists ran teams of up to six dogs. (Now there is a separate 120-mile Junior Class race for youth age 18 who run teams of up to eight dogs and a 40-mile recreational race with teams of no more than six dogs.)
The 2016 John Beargrease sled dog marathon included 12 teams running the full marathon, 17 in the mid-distance race, and 15 in the junior/recreation race.
If you do the math, that adds up to almost 400 dogs. Strong, energetic dogs eager to run . . . dogs that aren’t shy about letting anyone within earshot know that they are ready to go.
The whole thing was loud and rather chaotic. But also highly organized.
Setting up the teams
The dog sled teams are set up in a separate area well away from the starting line. Here the mushers can get the dogs ready while they await their turn in the starting gate.
When their turn finally came, the dog harnesses were attached to the sled’s rigging, the sled attached to a small piece of equipment (I assume to ensure there are no runaway teams), and the whole outfit is moved to the starting area – with a lot of help from the dog crew.
It was quite a process.
And they are off!
There was a lot of dog-holding going on even in the starting gate.
It was really hard to photograph the big teams out of the starting gate – not only was it too crowded to really see, but a team of 14 dogs is really hard to get in one shot!
As the morning went on, the crowds thinned and it was easy to find an open spot at the side of the trail.
Along the trail
The viewing options don’t end once the last team of dogs disappeared down the trail. The teams follow a state snowmobile trail and anyone wanting to see more of the race need only pull off where the trail crosses a public road or at one of the check-points along the way.
My next sight of the teams was near the first check-point, where I caught the last of the teams coming in.
The trail split here and a number of these less-experienced mushers had trouble directing their teams around the bend. Spectators got to help out by pointing the way and yelling “Gee! Gee!” as the dogs tried to figure out whether to go straight ahead or to the right.
It was dusk by the time the last teams came through.
We had identified a good spot just up the road to watch the teams again after they left the checkpoint, but this was the end of the race for the Junior and Recreational racers and most of the other teams had settled in for a long break. So it was the end of the day’s race viewing for us.
Break time
There are regular breaks along the route where both mushers and dogs have a chance to recuperate.
Hey, it’s a lot of work running in this heat!
See the Beargrease sled dog race for yourself
The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is held in northeastern Minnesota every year and is the longest sled dog race in the lower 48 states.
The race honors Anishinabe mail carrier John Beargrease, a man famous for his speed as he use of a team of dogs to carry the mail between Two Harbors and Grand Marais at the end of the 1800s.
Pre-race activities begin in Duluth. The race itself continues farther north.
For 2022,the race begins on Sunday, January 30. The longest race should end February 1.
Check the John Beargrease website to learn more.
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So this is where you journeyed this w-end…I was hoping to be @ Poplar Lake for the mid-point yesterday…but alas,
had commitments that kept me from being there….thank you thank you thank you….these pics are terrific!
Oh, that is too funny! Guess I should have told you where we were going. We had planned to go up to Poplar Lake yesterday too, but Lane helped take down signs at the Finland check point and it got to be too late to catch most of them at Poplar so decided to head home and beat the storm instead!