Beargrease race events
Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011
Free shuttle buses to the race start are 10:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. from UMD's Maroon Lot W, just off Junction Avenue near College Street. Parking is free.
4-9 p.m.: Mushers expected at Two Harbors Checkpoint at Highway 2 north of Two Harbors.
Wednesday morning
Estimated marathon race first finishers. Weather
Parts of the North Shore received close to a foot of new snow from Friday into Saturday.
Today's forecast for the starting line near Duluth calls for partly sunny skies and highs around 10 degrees. Overnight lows during the race may drop to 10 to 15 degrees below zero.
Linda Nervick, spokeswoman for the race, said the new snow was welcome.
"We welcome the snow and we welcome the single-digit temperatures," Nervick said. "Nobody else embraces zero degrees the way we do."
Race champions
1980 -- Gary Hokkanen, Buyck, Minn.
1984 -- Kevin Turnbough, Grand Marais
1985 -- John Patten, Grand Marais
1986 -- Robin Jacobson, Squaw Lake, Minn.
1987 -- Myron Angstman, Bethel, Alaska
1988 -- Jamie Nelson, Togo, Minn.
1989 -- Dee Dee Jonrowe, Willow, Alaska
1990 -- Susan Butcher, Manley, Alaska
1991 -- Terry Adkins, Sand Coulee, Mont.
1992 -- Greg Swingley, Simms, Mont.
1993 -- Greg Swingley
1994 -- Doug Swingley, Simms, Mont.
1995 -- Nelson
1996 -- Doug Swingley
1997 -- Nelson
1998 -- Nelson
1999 -- John Barron, Willow, Alaska
2000 -- John Barron
2001 -- Cliff Wang, Ely
2002 -- Frank Teasley, Jackson Hole, Wyo.
2003 -- Wang
2004 -- Blake Freking, Finland
2005 -- Mark Black, Hovland
2006 -- Keith Aili, Ray, Minn.
2007 -- race canceled
2008 -- Jason Barron, Lincoln, Mont.
2009 -- Jason Barron
2010 -- Nathan Schroeder, Chisholm
Who was John Beargrease?
John Beargrease was born in 1858 to the Grand Portage Band of Chippewa. He became a legendary dogsledder and intrepid traveler, using those skills to deliver mail between Two Harbors and Grand Marais from 1887 to 1900.
Beargrease hiked, sailed, rowed and, in the winter, traveled on a modified toboggan loaded with up to 700 pounds of mail and pulled by four dogs.
Beargrease died in 1910 after contracting pneumonia after rescuing another mail carrier who was caught in high waves on Lake Superior.
His spirit is honored at the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon each year.
