Wisconsin musher wins fourth Beargrease as many in the field drop out

GRAND PORTAGE, Minn. — Ryan Anderson and his team of dogs cruised to victory across the red line in the snow that marked the end of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon on Tuesday evening, largely unaware that about half of the field had dropped out.

"I didn't know what was going on within the race," said Anderson.

Anderson stopped between the Skyport and Mineral Center checkpoints to eat a corn dog, he said, and that's when he found out from a volunteer that last year's winner was out. Then, during a section described as a 400-meter "loop to nowhere," he noticed that one of the race's winningest mushers — Nathan Schroeder — was also missing.

The victory was a casual one compared with last year when Erin Letzring won her rookie race by 7 seconds over two-time champ Ryan Redington. It took Anderson a faster-than-predicted 2 days, 6 hours, 26 minutes and 50 seconds to wind his way 300 miles up the North Shore. Second-place finisher Wade Marrs, one of a dozen or so early contenders, finished just more than an hour later.

Anderson said he welcomed the challenge of the race, which had a strong field that included four other former champions.

"And Wade Marrs," Anderson added, a nod to the Alaskan musher who has fared well in the Iditarod. "I was stoked. I always want to race the best of the best. I knew this team could win if managed properly."

It's the fourth Beargrease title for Anderson, of Cushing, Wis. He won in 2011, 2015 and 2017 and joins Nathan Schroeder and Jamie Nelson as the event's only four-time winners.

"I don't get too excited or show a lot of emotion that way, but obviously I'm super happy and super proud of what I've accomplished," Anderson said. "I'm more proud of the confidence that the dog team has now moving forward with them. They feel like they can accomplish anything."

Marrs, wearing a headlamp, finished just as it started to get dark, his lead dogs wearing red lights. Members of his team alternately ate or squirmed in the snow.

Colleen Wallin, who was third, was still in the finish line chute when her son Ero Wallin came in. The two hugged beneath the Beargrease banner.

About a dozen mushers had scratched by midday Tuesday, including Letzring and Redington. The latter was down to six dogs on Monday and one that wasn't "warming up," he said in a video posted to the Beargrease Facebook page.

Race officials used the word "punchy" to describe the snow conditions along the North Shore and compared it to running on mashed potatoes. The warm weather led some mushers to worry about the health of their dogs.

In between the top two mushers, a team of fat-tire bicyclists crossed the finish line and was greeted as heartily as the sled dog teams. The self-supported group of five bicyclists, which included songwriter-poet Ben Weaver, rode more than 200 miles of the route. Their intent is to add to the community of the event.

"It's amazing," Weaver said of the four-day ride that included campouts. "I don't want to be anywhere else."

The Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon and two shorter races, a 120-miler and a 40-miler, started Sunday on the edge of Duluth near the small town of Rice Lake. Competitors in the main event traveled 300 miles up the North Shore, with mandatory breaks along the way.

Rita Wehseler won the mid-distance event in 17:18:08, pulling into the finish around 4 a.m. Monday. Ashley Thaemert won the Beargrease 40.