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Other stories in "Winter"

• The chocolate cure
  As winter drags on, drown your sorrows with sweets.
• Vacations for the brain
  Go to a summer school, and you'll come home with a skill.
• The best of 2010 . . . and 2011
  Here are our revelations from the old year and resolutions for the new one.
• Volunteering on Lake Superior
  Be keeper of the light or a modern voyageur.
• Bargains for beginners
  Free or cut-rate ski and snowboard packages make it easy to learn.
• How to make ice luminaries
  With homemade lanterns, make your front walk sparkle.
• Walking on ice
  To stay safe and have fun, buy a pair of crampons.
• Cheap winter retreats
  Spend a weekend mushing dogs or tracking wolves at bargain prices.
• A peek into an inn
  During holidays, B&Bs in five tourist towns open for tours.
• Holiday house calls
  On tours, see where the rich and famous celebrated Christmas.
• Readers say Ely is the coolest town
  It's got wolves, it's got bears, it's got character.
• Sightseeing by bicycle
  This summer's tours include an extra quota of scenery.
• Serious reservations
  Here's a guide to the lodgings, campsites and permits you should nail down now.
• Best bets in ski country
  Trails in the south bask in snow; a hostel reopens in state forest.
• Skiing in the city
  On the trails of Duluth, a cappuccino never is far away.
• Magic under the moon
  In winter, plan a trip around a candlelight ski or snowshoe.
• A very merry city
  At Christmas, Chicago brims with good will.
• All eyes on eagles
  In winter, tourists and birds alike head for open water.

Following the Beargrease

The 2011 North Shore sled-dog marathon was one of the most exciting in years.

This week, the toughest athletes in the north woods showed their stuff.

Starting in Duluth, they raced night and day in freezing temperatures, stopping only to snatch a few hours of sleep along the trail. Over four days, they covered 373 miles, racing to the point of exhaustion. And they wagged their tails the whole time.

As always, the dogs — make that "canine athletes" — were the stars of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, which started Sunday.

The finish this year was one of the most exciting in years, with 29-year-old Ryan Anderson edging out 2010 champion Nathan Schroeder by only 20 seconds. In the end, it came down to who had the most fuel left to burn.

Read about this year's race on the Beargrease blog and the blog of 2009 and 2008 champion Jason Barron, who correctly predicted the top two finishers. There are also many fun videos of mushers, handlers, dogs and the camping village at the Sawbill checkpoint.

The top mushers all are from Minnesota. Schroeder, of Chisholm, and Anderson, who lives near Kabetogema Lake, were followed by four-time winner Jamie Nelson (1988, '95 and '97-'98), who lives in the forest north of Hibbing; Colleen Wallin, of Two Harbors; Odin Jorgenson, of Grand Marais; and Peter McClelland, of Ely.

Curt Perano of New Zealand, who came to Minnesota in 2007 to work with Nelson, continued the race after a snowmobile plowed into his team just 20 miles from the start. He had to drop his four lead dogs, who were bruised, but ran with nine dogs, just two less than Anderson had at the finish and one less than Schroeder.

And the winner of the Cutest Puppy Contest? An Alaskan malamute named Fiona.

Nelson, who lives in the forest north of Hibbing and has been mushing and racing for more than 40 years, lately in Alaska's Iditarod, returned to the Beargrease in 2010, after a 12-year absence, and placed ninth.

Here's what you need to know about watching the Beargrease, named for the legendary 19th-century Ojibwe man who carried mail along the North Shore, by dog sled in winter.

Events: On Saturday from noon to 2 p.m., vote in the Cutest Puppy Contest at the Fitger's complex. On Sunday from noon to 1 p.m., mushers and their dogs meet visitors before the race start.

The Beargrease marathon mushers start leaving at 1 p.m.,  a quarter-mile west of Duluth's Lake Park soccer complex in East Duluth, at Jean Duluth and Riley roads, just south of Billy's restaurant. They're followed by mid-distance mushers.

Getting to the race start: Take East Superior Street to 43rd Avenue East and turn left. Drive on 43rd Avenue East for 0.9 mile to a "T" at Glenwood and turn left. Drive one mile to the first stop sign and turn right onto Jean Duluth Road.

Be sure to buy a program. It includes the bib numbers of the mushers, which you'll need to know if you plan on following the race in person or on iFan Sports Network, which will be streaming video.

Where to watch on the route: Because mushers can choose how long they will spend at most checkpoints, it’s hard to predict when they’ll arrive at any one place. Temperatures also affect the race; when it's warm, mushers try to run mostly at night, when it's cooler.

Highway 2, 10 miles north of Two Harbors, is the first checkpoint, and mushers are expected about 4 p.m. The next checkpoint is Beaver Bay, and the first mushers are expected about 7 p.m.

This year, there's a Winter Camping Village at the Sawbill checkpoint, where teams have a mandatory four-hour rest on the way up, unassisted by handlers. They're expected between 5 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday and, on the return trip, from 2 to 11 p.m. Tuesday.

Fans are invited to camp and hang out, and a chef will provide barbecue, soup and cocoa.

The mid-distance finish is the Americinn in Tofte, and the first mushers are expected Monday morning.

The Trail Center on the Gunflint Trail is the turn-around point for the marathon; it has a wonderfully convivial restaurant, and spectators can watch mushers emerging from forest across Poplar Lake. The first mushers are expected in late afternoon Monday.

On the marathon race return, there's a mandatory six-hour layover at the Highway 2 checkpoint. Mushers will arrive Wednesday at Billy's, which will hold a Red Lantern Party until the last musher pulls in.

Watching: It’s essential to dress warmly if you’ll be standing around waiting. Wear twice as much as you think you’ll need and bring chemical hand and feet warmers, available at hardware and home-supply stores.

For more, see Chasing the Beargrease.
Last updated on February 2, 2011