John Beargease Sled Dog Marathon postponed until March due to weather
DULUTH, Minn. — For a second straight year, the weather is impacting one of Minnesota's biggest outdoor events.
The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon stretches from Duluth to Grand Portage. Last year, organizers had to cancel the race because there wasn't enough snow. On Thursday, they announced it'll be pushed back.
The marathon has been a staple along the North Shore since 1980. Ahead of this month's big anniversary of the 40th running, the weather was looking good with round after round of snow. Until it wasn't.
"We lost most of that snowpack. And then a few days ago, we got pure rain for almost a full day. And that's kind of when we knew we had to make a decision," said Mike Keyport, President of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon Board.
With too little snow and too much ice, Keyport says the 300-mile course, which is a qualifier for the Iditarod, is too unsafe for the dogs and mushers, forcing them to slide the race back.
"It's disheartening, and I say that not for myself, but for everyone involved, because there is so many people," Keyport said.
After the canceled race last year, all the volunteers, racers, sponsors and small businesses along the route are left disappointed again. But with the marathon meaning so much to the community honoring the Native mail carrier from the 1800s, Keyport is hopeful it'll be smooth sledding again soon.
"I would say we'd need a good solid foot or more of snow to stay and get packed over the ice that's on the trails. The good news is it's supposed to be normal or below temps, which does help us for freezing down the lakes and swamps," he said.
The race is now scheduled for March 2.
The Gunflint Mail Run sled race was also forced to postpone this year due to weather. However, a future date for that race has not been announced.
