Organizers of northeast Minnesota’s annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon have canceled this winter’s race, amid an unseasonably warm winter and the continuing lack of snow.
The race’s board of administrators made that announcement Tuesday night, after “months of waiting for the weather to cooperate.”
“This was not an easy decision. But, with concerns over the weather, safety of the dogs, mushers and volunteers, it was the only decision that we felt comfortable with,” race officers stated in a news release posted on-line.
The Beargrease had been scheduled to start out Jan. 28 close to Duluth, with full-distance groups traversing 300 miles of path to the end line in Grand Portage. The Beargrease additionally contains a number of shorter occasions.
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“There have been many discussions about postponing to a later date this winter but the weather is unpredictable. Likewise, in the effort to find a postponement date and in the spirit of sportsmanship, there was not another date that didn’t impede on another established race,” race officers stated.
The race will nonetheless maintain a number of fundraising occasions, with extra data to come back.
This 12 months would have marked the fortieth working of the Beargrease alongside Minnesota’s North Shore. That will now take place in January 2025.
Another northeast Minnesota sled canine race, the Gunflint Mail Run, earlier announced it will postpone this winter’s occasion from Jan. 6 to Feb. 10.
