Erins top the podium for 2025 John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon

Kirsten Wisniewski | March 4, 2025

Updated March 5, 2025, 6:25 a.m.

As the first musher to cross the finish line, Erin Aili won the longest race in the 40th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. In second place was Cook County musher Erin Altemus.

The event began on Sunday morning, March 2, with several races of different distances beginning at the same starting line in Two Harbors. On Sunday night, Cook County musher Rita Wehseler was named winner of the Beargrease 120 race, followed closely by Joanna Oberg, who was running a team from Wehseler’s kennel. Wehseler beat out Oberg by just four minutes, completing the 73 mile race in nine hours and 33 minutes.

For the marathon distance mushers, the race extended into Tuesday. Aili and her team crossed the finish line shortly after 10 a.m., completing the 264.3 mile race in one day, 23 hours, and four minutes. Altemus and her team finished a short time later with a total race time of one day, 23 hours, and 22 minutes.

Another Cook County musher, Mary Manning, took fifth in the marathon race.

Standings for the shorter distance races can be found below, along with brief interviews from the race on Monday night.