John Beargrease Dog Sled Race

File:John Beargrease Dogsled Marathon - Two Harbors Minnesota (32708009705).jpg

The John Beargrease Sled Dog Race is a dogsled race held along the North Shore of Lake Superior in northeast Minnesota.{{cite web|title=Beargrease.com|url=https://beargrease.com/about/|accessdate=28 January 2018|archive-date=9 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209193958/https://beargrease.com/about/|url-status=dead}} At 400 miles, it is the longest sled dog race in the lower 48 states.{{cite web|title=SuperiorTrails.com|url=http://www.superiortrails.com/duluth-beargrease.html|accessdate=28 January 2018}} The "Beargrease" is a qualifier for the famed Iditarod race in Alaska.{{cite web|title=Beargrease.com|url=https://beargrease.com/about/|accessdate=28 January 2018|archive-date=9 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211209193958/https://beargrease.com/about/|url-status=dead}}

The name of the race honors John Beargrease, a winter mail carrier who traveled by dog sled between Two Harbors, Minnesota and Grand Portage, Minnesota 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.[https://www.startribune.com/john-beargrease-sled-dog-marathon-starts-with-wide-open-field/600141327/ Beargrease sled dog marathon starts with wide field of contenders] Star Tribune. January 2022

The race was rerouted in 2019, and the course was shortened by 70 miles, due to lack of snow.{{Cite web|url=https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/warmer-winters-put-minnesota-dog-sledding-at-risk|title=Warmer winters put Minnesota dog sledding at risk|last=Goetz|first=Kaomi|date=2020-01-04|website=PBS NewsHour|language=en-us|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-01-05}}

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.{{cite web |title=Ryan Anderson Wins 2022 Beargrease Dog Sled Marathon |url=https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2022/02/01/ryan-anderson-wins-2022-beargrease-dog-sled-marathon/ |website=CBS Minnesota |date=February 2022 |access-date=February 3, 2022}}

==See also==

{{Portal|United States|Dogs|Sports}}

• Sled dog
• Drafting
• Mushing
• Dogsled racing
• List of sled dog races