Schroeder and Fraboni win Beargrease races
The race that almost wasn’t will surely be remembered for years to come.
Last October, organizers of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon canceled the 2014 race, citing a lack of funding and participants. But after a new board stepped in, the Beargrease was revived.
On Sunday, nearly 30 mushers started the race from Duluth to the Canadian border and back – 10 in the 400-mile marathon and 18 in the 150-mile mid-distance – in bitterly cold, windy conditions. Competitors originally predicted a fast race; instead, blowing snow and large drifts turned many stretches into exhausting slogs. Few could remember such a tough race. Three of the marathoners scratched.
On Wednesday afternoon, Nathan Schroeder and team (pictured here during one of the brutal race’s warmest moments) arrived first in Duluth to repeat as Beargrease champion, his third marathon victory overall.
WDIO has video from the finish, and organizers posted video throughout the race to the Beargrease Facebook page.
Ross Fraboni won the mid-distance race on Monday morning, edging out Joshua Compton and Martha Schouweiller.
+ Our photos from the start, checkpoint photos by Paul Sundberg and a drone video from Perfect Duluth Day.
+ The Apostle Islands Sled Dog Race starts tomorrow (Feb. 1) on the Bayfield Peninsula. The Ashland Daily Press has a preview.
Ice cover continues to expand
Ice cover update: 76 percent, as of Jan. 30, almost twice as much as last winter. This graph from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory shows the ice’s swift development since mid-January.
+ In the Daily Mining Gazette, Dan Roblee looks at how the ice will affect the Keweenaw.
+ "Ice cover affects lake levels in surprising ways," reports Lisa Borre for NationalGeographic.com.
+ Unable to resupply, Madeline Islanders face a propane shortage during this unusually cold winter, reports Bryce Henry for KDLH.
+ Dan Kraker, MPR: “’Regular guys’ from northern Minnesota hope for curling gold in Sochi.”
+ The Chequamegon Food Cooperative's new building will triple the available floor space for the 38-year-old co-op, reports Rick Olivo for the Ashland Daily Press.