The John Beargrease Sled Dog Race is a
dogsled race held along the
North Shore of
Lake Superior
Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...
in northeast
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
. At 400 miles, it is the longest sled dog race in the
lower 48 states
The contiguous United States (officially the conterminous United States) consists of the 48 adjoining U.S. states and the Federal District of the United States of America. The term excludes the only two non-contiguous states, Alaska and Hawaii ...
. The "Beargrease" is a qualifier for the famed
Iditarod
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod, is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. Mushers and a team of between 12 ...
race in
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
.
The name of the race honors
John Beargrease, a winter mail carrier who traveled by dog sled between
Two Harbors, Minnesota
Two Harbors is a city in and the county seat of Lake County, Minnesota, United States, along the shore of Lake Superior. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 census. Minnesota State Highway 61 serves as a main route in Two Harbors. Gooseberry ...
and
Grand Portage, Minnesota
Grand Portage is an unorganized territory in Cook County, Minnesota, United States, on Lake Superior, at the northeast corner of the state near the border with northwestern Ontario. The population was 565 at the 2010 census. The unincorporated ...
during the last two decades of the nineteenth century.
The race has been held every January since 1980, and starts from Billy's Bar in
Duluth, Minnesota
, settlement_type = City
, nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior), Zenith City
, motto =
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top: urban Duluth skyline; Minnesota ...
.
The race was rerouted in 2019, and the course was shortened by 70 miles, due to
lack of snow.
In 2022 the race was won by
Ryan Anderson from
Cushing, Wisconsin. It was Anderson's fourth win. Soft snow due to warm temperatures caused 13 mushers to drop out of the race before finishing. Winning time was two days and just over 6.5 hours.
See also
*
Sled dog
A sled dog is a dog trained and used to pull a land vehicle in Dog harness, harness, most commonly a Dog sled, sled over snow.
Sled dogs have been used in the Arctic for at least 8,000 years and, along with watercraft, were the only transport ...
*
Carting
Carting is a dog sport or activity in which a dog (usually a large breed) pulls a dogcart filled with supplies, such as farm goods, camping equipment, groceries or firewood, but sometimes pulling people. Carting as a sport is also known as drylan ...
*
Mushing
Mushing is a sport or transport method powered by dogs. It includes carting, pulka, dog scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled, most commonly ...
*
Dogsled racing
Sled dog racing (sometimes termed dog sled racing) is a winter dog sport most popular in the Arctic regions of the United States, Canada, Russia, Greenland and some European countries. It involves the timed competition of teams of sled dogs tha ...
*
List of sled dog races
The list of sled dog races contains dozens of contests created by supporters of mushing, the sport of racing sled dogs. It is unknown when the first sled dog race was held. Humans have domesticated dogs for thousands of years, and sled dogs have b ...
External links
John Beargrease Sled Dog Race
References
{{Reflist
* Lancaster, Daniel. ''John Beargrease: Legend of Minnesota's North Shore''.
Holy Cow! Press
Holy Cow! Press is an independent publisher based in Duluth, Minnesota. Founded in 1977, they have published more than 125 books.
The press publishes between three and five new books each year, in genres including poetry, fiction, memoir, and b ...
, 2008.
Dog sledding races
Recurring sporting events established in 1980
Events in Minnesota
St. Louis County, Minnesota
1980 establishments in the United States
Tourist attractions in Duluth, Minnesota