Historically Tight Battle To Decide Beargrease 2021
As a fantastic way of thanking the everlasting effort from the organisers of Beargrease 2021, the mushers put on the most thrilling final sprint in the history of the race. In the end, only 7 seconds separated 1st and 2nd.
Conquering Pandemic And Lack Of Snow
The realisation of Beargrease 2021 was in danger for a long time leading up to the race due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and also due to a lack of snow on the trails. Thanks to the astonishing effort from the organisers on planning Covid-restrictions throughout the last weeks of January, in addition to some generous forces providing white gold from above, the race could finally take off from Duluth January 31st. Despite And what a race it turned out to be!
Snowfall and Slow Trails on Day 1
The first day of racing started off with around 0 degree C (30 degrees F), and snowfall along the course, making it less icy. However, the trail got slow than usual due to the snow, and it made for a tough beginning for the marathon teams. John Fischer, Sarah Keefer and defending champion Ryan Redington made sure to keep their teams at the pointy end of the race during the first day, taking the mushers into the Sawtooth Mountain Range.
Two lead dogs excited to get going in snowy conditions in Minnesota! Photo: Dan Jandl
2*Erin Coming Through
Heading into day 2 of Beargrease, a couple of new ladies made their move through the field. Erin Altemus and Beargrease rookie Erin Letzring were suddenly up front at the turnaround point at Kings Road. Heading back towards checkpoint Skyport, the winds started to really make an impact on the teams already tired from more than 30 hours of racing. Going into the last day, a party of three teams including Letzring, Redington and Altemus had differentiated themselves from the rest of the contenders. Sarah Keefer, the youngster Ero Wallin, and multiple Beargrease Champion Blake Freking followed not far behind. Beargrease 2021 was still anyone’s race.
Drama On The Final Day
The final day of the race brought some proper drama as the teams started to get exhausted from several days on the trail. First up, was Erin Altemus, who had shown a very promising race so far. Suddenly, her sled made a swung into the brush of the trail, and she fell off without any chance of holding back the sled. The sled and her team of dogs ran away into the woods - the worst nightmare of a musher.
“It was tough - I don’t know... I lost my team. I pretty much knew I’d blew the race at that point.”
Fortunately, she was picked up by Ero Wallin coming behind her on the trail, being so generous and taking her in his sled. After 20 minutes of searching, they found her team of dogs, which proved to be all fine and healthy.
Blake Freking also had an astonishing experience out on the trail. 15 miles out of the Finland checkpoint, a wolf came out on the trail, running alongside his team for a while. The veteran musher enjoyed the experience just as much as his dogs, getting all excited and running after the wolf.
Letzring Beating Ex-Husband Redington By Seven Seconds
The end of the race became a proper thriller for the two leading teams, Erin Letzring and Ryan Redington. Letzring was leading by 8 minutes going out of the last checkpoint, but was quickly overtaken by Ryan Redington’s team. The two teams, being ex-husband and wife, were fighting head to head over the last miles, overtaking each others multiple times.
After more than 57 hours of racing, 7 seconds was what separated winner Erin Letzring (13) and runner-up Ryan Redington (8). Photo: Heidi Pinkerton
As the teams approached the finish line in Mineral City, pushing through in the darkness, no-one knew who to expect first. The two head torches appeared almost side by side, and the ecstatic face of Erin Letzring crossed the finish line with Ryan Redington in her heals. The Beargrease rookie was the first female to win the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon since 1998. Sarah Keefer came in 25 minutes later to round off the podium.
Thanks For Now - See You At Iditarod!
Dog-team leaving the start-line in Duluth, Minnesota. Photo: Amber Impressions
We would like to thank everyone involved in the organisation and realisation of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 2021. Despite extremely challenging circumstances, the race was able to go through in a safe, engaging and spectacular way! Thanks to all the dogs, mushers, handlers, vets, supporters, media and others. This fantastic event would not have been possible without you!
Stay safe and healthy - and make sure to tune back in for Iditarod on March 6th!
FOR ALL THE NEWS FROM THIS YEAR’S RACE :
QRILL PAWS 2021
