Oberg places ninth in the Klondike Dog Derby

Photo courtesy of Tone Coughlin Photography

Grand Marais musher Joanna Oberg was up against some stiff competition in the 2023 Lake Minnetonka Klondike Dog Derby held in Excelsior, Minnesota, on February 3.

Oberg was coming off a big win the week before at the John Beargrease 140-mile sled dog race, but the Klondike is geared for sprint teams, and with a big purse, some of Canada’s finest sprint teams showed up to compete.

The 40-mile race is run along the perimeter of the Lower Lake Minnetonka shore with no road crossings and is considered exceptionally fast. Mushers make two 20-mile loops around the lake.

Joanna raced in the 8-dog class with a limit of 35 teams. First place paid $10,000, second place $7,000, third place $5,000, and so on.

“I was ninth, ten seconds from eighth, but there were nine Canadian sprint teams there, and they cleaned up,” Joanna said. “It has become a sprint race dominated by the Canadian teams, so I’m probably not going to do it anymore, and other mushers feel the same; unless they make the distance longer to discourage the sprint teams, that would be the only way I’m coming back.”

 

This year’s Klondike winner was Dave Hochman from St. Malo, Manitoba. His team crossed the finish line in 2:39:05.89 with an average of 14.3 miles per hour. Hochman has won three years in a row.

Joanna’s dog team crossed the finish in 2:46:49. Joanna

Other area mushers who competed in the Klondike Derby were:

Rita Wehseler, Tofte, placed 13th. Rita placed second in the John Beargrease mid-race behind Joanna. Her team crossed the finish line in 2:49:20.

Andrea DeBoer, Grand Marais, finished 16th in 2:57:34.

Curt LaBoda, Schroeder, placed 27th with a time of 3:31:02.