The teams take to the trail in the 2023 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon
Watch WDIO’s live broadcast of the start of the race
[anvplayer video=”5159928″ station=”998130″]
UPDATE: Defending champion Ryan Anderson (#7) is first team to make it into the first checkpoint in Two Harbors, followed by Keith Aili (#3) and Nick Vigilante (#5). The teams arrived during the 1pm hour. They were followed shortly by Matt Schmidt, Colleen Wallin, and Jen Freking.
Original Story: The 39th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon got underway on Sunday, with the teams leaving the starting chute at 10:00 AM. The first team out on the trail traditionally is the Spirit of John Beargrease, wearing bib number 1.
There are two-minute intervals separating each team at the start of the 300-mile marathon.
This year, there is only one former champion in the 300-mile marathon, Ryan Anderson. If he wins, he will become the winningest musher in Beargrease history. Anderson won his fourth John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon title last year. He was the third person to win four times.
Teams running in the full 300-mile marathon:
Bib Number / Musher
- #2 – Colleen Wallin
- #3 – Keith Aili
- #4 – Jennifer Freking
- #5 – Nick Vigilante
- #6 – Matthew Karl Schmidt
- #7 – Ryan Anderson
- #8 – Ero Wallin
- #9 – Laura Neese
- #10 – Mary Manning
- #11 – Sarah Keefer
- #12 – Katherine Langlais
- #13 – Daniel Klein
- #14 – Kristen McCarty
- #15 – Peter McClellan
- #16 – Andy Heerschap
- #17 – Jesse Terry
- #18 – Martin Massicotte
Teams running in the Beargrease 120:
Bib Number / Musher
- #101 – Billie Thompson
- #102 – Cindy Gallea
- #303 – Morgan Martens (JR)
- #103 – Talia Martens
- #104 – Scott Edgett
- #105 – Nick Turman
- #106 – David Burge
- #304 – Eva Robinson (JR)
- #107 – Heather Brandon
- #108 – Joanna Oberg
- #109 – Dusty Klaven
- #110 – Lynn Witte
- #305 – Maddoux Erickson (JR)
- #111 – Remy Leduc
- #112 – Lauren Stukenborg
- #113 – Ryan Miller
- #114 – Mark Roberts
- #116 – Sky Harris
- #117 – James Tackeberry
- #119 – Alice White
- #120 – Alex LaPlante
- #121 – William Sima
- #122 – Mary England
- #123 – Damon Ramaker
- #124 – Chris Evans
Teams running in the Beargrease 40:
Bib Number / Musher
- #401 – Ann Stead
- #402 – Matt Korman
- #403 – Elena Freking
- #404 – Brynn Santi
- #405 – Claire hendricks
- #407 – Mark Millions
- #408 – Ben Amat
- #409 – Derek Nechuta
- #410 – Jen Thompson
- #411 – Dean Johnson
- #412 – Kate Dehlin
- #413 – Melissa Mendelson
- #414 – Ashley Thaemert
For information about each team, visit the Beargrease page at https://beargrease.com/