Two big dog sled races will soon be coming to Cook County. On January 7 the Gunflint Mail Run will embark from Trail Center Lodge and on January 29, the legendary John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon will start in Two Harbors and mushers will make their way to Grand Portage before heading back.
The Gunflint Mail Run marks the start of the dog sled racing season on Saturday, January 7 and Sunday, January 8, 2017. The race will start and finish at Trail Center Lodge, 7611 Gunflint Trail, on Poplar Lake. For non-locals, Trail Center Lodge is approximately 30 miles up the Gunflint Trail.
The two-day event consists of two legs of equal distance, separated by a mandatory layover, and two race classes: a 12-dog, 110-mile race, and an eight-dog, 70-mile race. The minimum purse for the 2017 race is $10,000 and will be divided among the winners of both races. For more race details, see www.gunflintmail.com. Anyone interested in volunteering for the race can contact Cathy Quinn at gunflintmailrunvolunteer@gmail.com. This event is in cooperation with and under a Special Use Permit from the U.S. Forest Service.
Dog sled racing fans can also look forward to the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2017. This is the longest dog sled race in the lower 48 and is a qualifier for the famed “Iditarod” in Alaska. Over a dozen world-class mushers compete in the nearly 400-mile-long full-distance marathon, with over two dozen in the mid-distance race. All competitors are vying for one of 20 cash prizes totaling $30,000. Both races traverse the Sawtooth Mountains in Cook County, going as far north as Gunflint Lake near the Canadian border.
Visitors can also look forward to the Beargrease cutest puppy (photo) contest. For more details on the photo contest, visit www.facebook.com/events/179512615588446/.
The Beargrease marathon will start just outside of Two Harbors, then head to Trail Center on the Gunflint Trail and back, while the shorter, mid-distance race goes one-way on the route. The marathon typically takes five days to complete. Close to 500 volunteers from around the country come together each winter to assure the event happens.
For more race details and a map, visit beargrease.com.
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