ON THE BEARGREASE TRAIL -- Two-time champion John Barron withdrew this morning from the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon.
The 61-year-old musher from Boulder, Mont., came down with an apparent stomach virus and scratched after about 19 hours on the trail. He called it quits with 14 healthy dogs at the upbound Sawbill checkpoint, or 120.9 miles into the 380-mile trek from Duluth to near the Canadian border and back.
"He was pretty disappointed," said race director Pat Olson.
Barron, who won the race in 1999 and 2000, returned this year to compete with and against his 38-year-old son, Jason, the two-time defending Beargrease champion.
"That's terrible," said Jason, who remains one of the lead mushers in this year's race. "I feel so bad for him."
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Jason Barron saw his father at the Beaver Bay checkpoint and said he looked pale and weak.
"You could have pushed him over with a feather," Jason Barron said. "That is the downside of having someone you love in the race, you take it on."
Beyond his father's health, Jason Barron, who won in 2008 and 2009, was concerned about the health of his dog, Isis, who was showing some signs of a hind-leg injury.
"That is the thing about the Beargrease; it might take you low," Jason Barron said. "I could go out on the next run and spring a leak with five dogs. ... As much as I talk about a three-peat, I just want to finish. It's a feat to finish."
Musher Matt Rossi said the departure of John Barron opens the field up for other mushers such as himself.
"It's OK for me," he said. "But, seriously, that's too bad. He was one of the favorites."
