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Erin Letzring gives her dog a loveable hug at the finish line of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. Erin became the first woman to win the race in 23 years. She also won in the closest finish ever, edging out fellow Alaskan Ryan Redington by seven seconds. Photo courtesy of Frank Moe
Erin Letzring won the closest John Beargrease Marathon in history in her rookie race, finishing seven seconds ahead of second-place finisher and last year’s champ, Ryan Redington.
Finishing with nine dogs, Letzring, from Skagway, Alaska, crossed the line at Mineral Center at 6:20 p.m. The race typically ends at the Grand Portage Lodge and Casino, but because there wasn’t much snow along the shore, race organizers changed the finish to the Mineral Center checkpoint.
Letzring, who has handled dogs for Ryan Redington in the past at the Beagrease, is the first female musher to win the long race since Jamie Nelson, Togo, Minnesota, won in 1998.
Taking off from Mineral Center to complete the last 30 miles of the 300-mile race, Letzring had about an eight-minute lead. However, all of that time was lost when her team ran about 200 feet on the trail’s lakeside edge, and her sled tipped over. Erin calmly righted her sled, put the brake in the snow and started untangling her dogs, changing out the lead dog one after another to see if she could get her sled back into the race. Finally, with Ryan Redington ready to take off to start his fourth leg, Erin grabbed her lead dog and ran down the hill. At the bottom, Ryan had already caught her, and he had to stop his team before colliding with Letzring. From there, the two sorted their teams out and the race began again in earnest, with each taking turns leading as they passed each other on the trail.
Erin Altemus takes a break right before she takes off on her last leg of the 300-mile John Beargrease Sled dog race. Staff photos/Brian Larsen
For Grand Marais musher Erin Altemus, her lead after the halfway point ended because of a spill on the third leg. Still, a sleep-deprived Altemus had a positive attitude as she got ready to begin her last leg, saying, you never know how the race will shake out until crossing the finish line. Two years ago, Ryan Redington had a considerable lead but in the last leg, his dogs sat down and took about a four-hour break, and he ended up in third place. “My best finish in the Beargrease is fourth, said Erin. “I’m hoping to better that, but we’ll see.” At the end of the race, a happy Altemus placed fourth, having run a great race against a very competitive field.
Colleen Wallin, Two Harbors, comes into the Mineral Center checkpoint with a team of happy dogs.
As for Cook County’s other musher entered in the Beargrease Marathon, Mary Manning dropped out at Mineral Center at the final check point before the last 30 miles of the race. Hovland musher Frank Moe, who also serves on the Beargrease Race Committee, said, “Mary Manning scratched at Mineral Center. She could have finished but she decided that in the best interest of her dogs, she wasn’t going to. That’s always a tough decision but I think she did the right thing.”
This year’s finish was slower than some Beargrease races because of the warm temperatures. Sled dogs are bred to run in sub-zero weather, but daytime temps hovered in the low 30 degrees this year, slowing some teams who weren’t used to running in the heat.
Taking away some of the excitement, for the first time, no spectators were allowed at checkpoints because of the COVID-19 rules put in place by the marathon race committee.
Erin Letzring tried to save her sled from tipping but couldn’t quite keep it upright. This spill cost her more than eight minutes but she held on to the win by seven seconds.
Erin Schouweiler repeats as 120-mile Beargrease champion, Rita Wehseler third
The Beargrease 120- mile sled dog race was won once again by Irma, Wisconsin, resident Erin Schouweiler.
Shouweiler crossed the finish line in 18 hours, 57 minutes 49 seconds, eight minutes ahead of second place finisher Michael Bestgen. Not far behind was Tofte resident Rita Wehseler. Rita finished third place with a time of 19 hours, 17 minutes and 59 seconds.
Andrea Deboer, Grand Marais, placed sixth in 19 hours, 53 minutes, and 22 seconds.
“This was my third Beargrease 120,” said Andrea, adding, “I was hoping for a top three finish but I’m really happy with my race. The snow was super soft and it was a bit of a challenge for the dogs. They figured it out on the second lap and ran really well. All eight dogs finished the race, which was huge.”
Fans of the John Beargrease 120-mile race certainly recognize the Schouweiler name. Martha Schouweiler won the 120- mile Beargrease mid distance event four times from 2015 to 2018. Martha is Erin’s mother-in-law.
Hovland’s Frank Moe didn’t have the finish he was hoping for, placing 14th, but he was pleased with the race none-the-less. “Indy and our other seven dogs finished another Beargrease. Sherri and I couldn’t be more proud of them. They always give everything they have to us. Indy is nine now, and it might be his final Beargrease…but I said that last year. He may still be a few years from the couch.”
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