Covid-19 Race Status – John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon

The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon of 2020 marked a historic moment for dog mushing. The very first live coverage in full broadcast quality of a mushing race was launched at the start in Duluth, Minnesota January 26th 2020, and brought QRILL Pet Arctic World Series to life. We have had a chat with The Vice President of the race, Frank Moe, to talk about how Covid-19 has impacted the plans for the 2021 edition.

The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon has set our race start date in 2021 for Sunday, January 31st. The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon will have a Covid-19 plan that will meet the requirements of the State of Minnesota at the time of our race. Our goal is to have a race that will be safe for ALL who participate, race fans, volunteers, mushers and their dogs. The State of Minnesota currently has very specific Covid-19 guidelines that recreation and sporting events have to meet in order to be permitted to happen. We are currently working on a race plan that meets those guidelines

The very first live coverage in full broadcast quality of a mushing race at John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 2020.

We are very excited to hear that the inaugural race of QRILL PAWS has plans for organising a successful race also in 2021, while keeping the health of everyone involved as the highest priority.

As we all know, things are likely to change between now and then.  Covid-19 conditions could improve and our race may be similar to last year.  We realize that this is unlikely. While the State of Minnesota is one of our nation's leaders in battling Covid-19, conditions here could worsen and our state's guidelines may change.  The Beargrease will also be prepared to adjust as events change.  Again, we will first and foremost be focused on ensuring the safety of all who participate in the 2021 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon”, says Frank Moe. 

Ryan Redington took home the title of the John Beargrease Dog Sled Marathon 2020. Will he be allowed to try and defend the title in 2021?

In the meantime, we keep our fingers crossed for the virus situation to stabilise all over the planet over the coming months. There are, after all, more important things than dog mushing these days. If we are lucky, we will be able to follow safe and fair dog mushing in Minnesota also this coming winter.

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