Cook County musher Odin Jorgenson taking off in a previous John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. The race will not be starting in Duluth this year, but instead in Two Harbors. The dog teams will be racing through Cook County though. Visit the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon website at www.beargrease.com to find out where to catch the action.
The schedule and the route of the 2015 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon has been fluid and a bit like the drifting snow banks, but a course has been set for the 31st running of the race.
At press time last week the Cook County News- Herald reported the good news that the 2015 route travels through the rugged Sawtooth Mountains as it has historically. However, there is a major change for the Mid-Distance Race. It will not be finishing on the snowmobile trail next to the AmericInn in Tofte, but instead at Devil Track Lake by The Landing at Devil Track. On January 16, the Beargrease website announced that the first teams are expected to be in at about 11:55 a.m. on Monday, January 26. As always, the finish time is dependent on trail conditions and weather.
There are no local mushers taking part in the Mid- Distance Race, but there are certainly names that racing fans will recognize, such as Leanne Bergen of Sioux Lookout, Ontario, who was the first finisher in the recent Gunflint Mail Run and Jennifer Freking of Finland or Mike Hoff of Silver Bay.
Other opportunities to see the mushers traveling the North Shore are at the race start at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 25 at the Highway 2 gravel pit in Two Harbors. A nearby checkpoint for viewing is the Finland Area Recreation Building. In Cook County there are checkpoints off the Sawbill Trail in Tofte, at Devil Track Lake and at Trail Center on Poplar Lake.
A number of local mushers are running the 2015 Beargrease Full Marathon. Taking part are Erin Altemus of Grand Marais; Odin Jorgenson of Grand Marais; Frank Moe of Hovland; and Rita Wehseler of Tofte.
The first full marathon teams are expected (based on previous race times and contingent on weather and trail conditions) in at the Sawbill checkpoint on Monday, January 26 at 1:30 a.m. with teams coming in throughout the morning with the last teams estimated to be heading out at 7:26 a.m.
There is a mandatory four-hour layover at this quiet checkpoint on both the up- and downbound treks. Teams heading back are anticipated to be in around 7:28 p.m. on Tuesday with the last out at about 5:07 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Sawbill checkpoint is a fan favorite, as it does not allow trucks and handlers. Mushers and dogs are tucked under snow-covered trees and visitors are asked to whisper as they watch the action.
It’s also fun to watch the teams at Trail Center (estimated arrival Monday, 9:19 a.m.) and Devil Track (Tuesday, 8:30 a.m.)
To follow the race to make sure there has been no shifting of routes and to see up-to-the-minute check-in times at other checkpoints, visit the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon at www.beargrease.com.
BEARGREASE FUN FACT!
Though the number varies from year-to-year, the number of volunteers who live a distance of 50 miles or more from Duluth is typically more than 50 percent. Some Beargrease volunteers come from as far away as Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota and Wisconsin. We even have volunteers from Florida and Georgia who use personal vacation time to bundle up and volunteer the week of the race!
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