The race used to span 400 miles, with mushers starting and finishing in Duluth. It commemorates an Ojibwe musher who delivered mail via dog sled up and down the North Shore of Lake Superior in the late 1800s. The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon was first run in 1980. “The dogs can go a little bit faster, and we don't have to worry quite so much about injuries and things like that when the weather gets warm,” said Miller.
The cold temperatures also create firm trail conditions. “Alaskan Huskies are built to be out in the cold and run with their friends in the cold,” said Jeremy Miller, a spokesperson and board member for the Beargrease Sled dog marathon. That makes for uncomfortable viewing conditions for spectators.
