Odin Jorgenson of Grand Marais feeding his dogs at the Sawbill checkpoint on Monday, January 31. Jorgenson fed them well—his team brought him across the John Beargrease finish line in Duluth at 3:44:32 p.m. on February 2, earning fifth place.
The 28th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is over, but the lessons from the trail will be remembered as musher and handlers and volunteers and fans return home to start strategizing for next year.
Continuing his successful training program will be Ryan Anderson, a young musher with young dogs from Ray, MN who crossed the marathon finish line at Billy’s in Duluth with a trail time of 39:51:04, barely edging out last year’s winner, Nathan Schroeder of Chisholm, MN. The men finished the 390-mile marathon before 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 2.
A very happy local musher, Odin Jorgenson of Colvill, broke his streak of Beargrease bad luck and was not only able to complete the marathon (with a trail time of 45:58:30), he finished in fifth place.
Marathoners Matt Groth of Grand Marais and Frank Moe unfortunately were unable to complete the race. Moe scratched at the halfway point—Trail Center—and Groth scratched in Finland on the downbound trek.
Dave Turner of Sandy, Oregon was the winner of the Beargrease mid-distance race, arriving in Tofte at 7:43:55.
One of the happiest marathon finishers has to be Jamie Nelson of Togo, MN, who not only claimed third in the Beargrease, but was also the first musher to arrive at Trail Center, earning the Bezhik Award and $2,000 from Sarah Hamilton at Trail Center.
A musher happy with his team’s performance in the middistance race was first-place finisher Dave Turner, of Sandy, Oregon. Turner’s time on the trail was 8:31:52. He arrived at the Tofte finish line at 7:43:55.
Cook County racers did well in the mid-distance race, with Tara McGovern of Black Magic Kennels in Hovland finishing in 6th place. McGovern’s trail time was 9:22:47. Mary Black of Hovland, co-owner of Black Magic Kennels with her husband, Mark Black, was 11th. She crossed the Tofte finish line at 8:34:50.
The finish line near the Tofte AmericInn was a busy place with racers completing the race in intervals of a few minutes, with Cook County musher Neil Rasmussen coming in at 10:15:46.
Jamie Nelson of Togo, MN was the first musher to arrive at Trail Center and received the Bezhik award, a hearty meal, and $2,000!
Congratulations to all the Beargrease mushers on a wellrun race. See you at the 29th!
Tara McGovern of Black Magic Kennels was the top local finisher in the mid-distance race.
Hugs for the finishers. Congratulations to the real heroes of the 2011 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon—the faithful and energetic dogs!
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