ON THE BEARGREASE TRAIL -- Nathan Schroeder of Chisholm continued to set the pace Tuesday in the 27th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.
The 32-year-old musher was the first to leave the Finland checkpoint at just before 7 p.m. Tuesday. Schroeder, who is led by dogs Opel, Madonna, Chevy and Lexus, had about 80 miles to go to reach the finish line today at Billy's Bar.
Matt Rossi of Herbster was in second place, arriving in Finland at 7 p.m.
Former winners Jason Barron and Blake Freking were in pursuit of the top two. As of 8 p.m., both Barron and Freking were resting at Finland.
Barron, the two-time defending champ, picked up the pace in the second half of last year's race to catch many mushers and win.
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Both Schroeder and Rossi "have good dogs, but Jason Barron is out there, lying in the weeds, and you don't know what his game plan is," said race Director Pat Olson.
All mushers must take a six-hour rest at the final checkpoint, Highway 2, to reach the minimum of 28 hours rest before making the final 35-mile sprint to Duluth.
"It's going to come down to accumulated rest; that will be the tell-tale sign," Olson said.
Seven of the 30 mushers have withdrawn, including two-time winner John Barron.
Last year only six mushers completed the 380-mile race.
The winner is tentatively expected to arrive about 11 a.m. today at Billy's in rural eastern Duluth.
