Cold temperatures descend on the North Shore and BWCA just ahead of Beargrease sled dog race

The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon starts today. The race begins in Duluth and will end early this week (likely Tuesday afternoon or evening) in Grand Portage.

Along the way, mushers will travel the North Shore, including a large section of Cook County and the WTIP Listening Area.

The start and finish events are open to the public and will be streamed online.

The sled dog race begins during a cold snap that is expected to hover over the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and the North Shore of Lake Superior this week. The overnight low for much of the BWCA on Sunday, Jan. 29 is 17-degrees below zero Fahrenheit.

According to an interview on WTIP earlier this week with John Beargrease Marathon Vice President Brittany North, nearly 60 mushers are registered in the four race categories: the marathon, the 120, the Junior 120 and the 40. North said much of the programming will be nearly identical to last year, including race trails and the various checkpoints along the way.

The marathon finishes at Grand Portage Lodge in Cook County. Race organizers predict mushers will finish between 5 and 10 p.m.

WTIP will share updates on the airwaves in the days ahead as the race proceeds up the North Shore. Click here to follow the race online and to view the current leaderboard.

Joe Friedrichs January 29, 2023