DULUTH, Minn. – Promoters of the 400-mile Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon cancelled the 2004 event. Not enough snow on Lake Superior’s north shore this year, they said. The event, a qualifier for the Idarod race in Alaska, has run every year since 1980, although it was shortened to 70 miles for want of enough snow cover in 2019. This winter’s race had been scheduled for January 28 between Duluth and Grand Marais. The Beargrease is the longest sled dog race of its kind in the Lower 48.
Verbatim
Beargrease statement: “This was not an easy decision. But with concerns over the weather, safety of the dogs, mushers and volunteers it was the only decision that we felt comfortable with.”
Historic note. The race bears the name of John Beargrease, a legendary winter mail carrier who traveled by dog sled between Two Harbors and Grand Portage in the late 1800s.