Duluth, MN (KROC-AM News) - The annual John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is underway.

40 mushers, many from Minnesota, registered to compete in this year’s race along the North Shore of Lake Superior from Duluth to Grand Portage. Organizers say the nearly 300-mile long route is the longest sled dog race in the lower 48 states and the first musher and team or sled dogs aren’t expected to reach the finish line until Tuesday evening.


The celebrated race was first launched in 1980. The name honors the legendary John Beargrease, who along with his brothers, delivered mail to settlements along the North Shore from 1879 to 1899 using boats, canoes, horses, and sleds pulled by a team of dogs.

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