Beargrease sled dog marathon starts with wide field of contenders

DULUTH — The buzz outside Billy's Bar on Sunday was that the 38th annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon could go a lot of different ways. The lineup includes promising newcomers and several former champions — including the stars of last year's photo finish, then race-rookie Erin Letzring and Ryan Redington, the two-time winner Letzring beat by 7 seconds.

"There are 15 people who could win it," said Ero Wallin, a 19-year-old musher from Two Harbors who is among the contenders on that long list. "There are literally so many teams that are so good."

Nearly two dozen marathon teams set out on the 20-degree day — warm for dogs, but pleasant for the hundreds of spectators who gathered four deep along the starting route, some taking photographs of the spirited dogs, some nursing a Bloody Mary or beer. The races, which include a 120-miler and a 40-miler, started near the bar on West Tischer Road before quickly crossing into the small town of Rice Lake.

The main event, the marathon, winds 300 miles up the North Shore and its first finishers are expected to hit Grand Portage on Tuesday evening.

Wallin is a two-sport athlete who refuses to say whether his commitment lies on a field or in the north woods. He is red-shirting his freshman baseball season at St. Cloud State University, but claimed the varsity-level dogs for his second Beargrease. His mother, Colleen Wallin, has been racing since the 1990s and took out the Silver Creek Sled Dogs' puppy squad.

Ero Wallin recalled sneaking into the back of his dad's truck to meet up with his mom at a checkpoint when he was a kid. His dad wasn't thrilled, he said, but his mom was glad to see him. Now they'll share the trail for the second consecutive year.

"I'll see her along the way," Wallin said.

Redington won the Beargrease in 2018 and 2020 and came close last year. He and Letzring came into the final stretch neck-and-neck before the latter claimed the win — the first woman to do so in decades in the event's closest finish.

"Last year was a really tight race," Redington said. "I'm excited to get back in there."

He brought his 12 fastest dogs, he said, but will have his eyes on the team run by Sarah Keefer, also of Redington Mushing. The 50th anniversary of the Iditarod is on his horizon, a race co-founded by his grandfather, Joe Redington Sr., known as the "Father of the Iditarod." The Beargrease will give Redington an idea of which dogs to run in March in Alaska.

"We'll be pushing the pace," he said. "We'll make it a race."

Nathan Schroeder of Goodland, Minn., is a four-time winner who could make history if he wins a fifth. Ryan Anderson of Cushing, Wis., has three Beargrease titles. Blake Freking, of Finland, Minn., has won twice, most recently in 2019. Jennifer Freking started 2 minutes after her husband in Sunday's staggered start. He's racing the veteran dogs and she described her team as fun.

"They can be really spicy when they start moving," she said.

Wade Marrs of Knik, Alaska, has finished in the top five of the Iditarod, and Beargrease officials have called him a rookie to watch. Erin Altemus of Grand Marais, Minn., was among the top finishers in 2021. She said she planned to take the race one leg at a time and to take stock of her team at the halfway point.

"One thing I like about this race — anything can happen," she said.

Her dog Freda, described as being "a little shy," hid beneath a pickup truck before the start. People seem to notice her teams' collective personality.

"They put on a good show," Altemus said.

Monica Hendrickson, spokeswoman for the Beargrease, said this year's marathon filled in a record 36 hours. The finish might not be as close as last year, she said, but who would know.

"These mushers have been tight-lipped about their teams," Hendrickson said.