Competitors in the 40th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon took off late Sunday morning from a makeshift start north of Two Harbors — an alternate point of entry because of a lack of snowpack at its traditional start at Billy’s Bar on the outskirts of Duluth.
Winners are expected to cross the finish line in Grand Portage on Tuesday morning.
Rita Wehseler won a truncated version of the half-marathon, crossing the finish line at the Trestle Inn on Sunday night. The veteran musher lives in Tofte, Minn., on the North Shore of Lake Superior. Joanna Oberg of Grand Marais was just 7 minutes behind her — with a team of dogs borrowed from Wehseler’s kennel. Eric Nyren of Kimball, Minn., won the 40-miler, which ended in Finland.
The Beargrease was canceled last year because of the weather, and this year the start date was pushed back more than a month. As of Monday morning, 10 teams were resting at the Trail Center. Erin Aili, the 2021 winner, leads by 24 minutes with 12 dogs still running. Four teams have withdrawn from the race so far and another was a scratch.
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