2018 Sled Dog Racing Season Coming Soon to Cook County

Dog sled racing season in Grand Marais and surrounding Cook County communities draws local and world-class mushers and their sled dog teams for the upcoming Gunflint Mail Run Sled Dog Race on Saturday, Jan. 6 – Sunday, Jan. 7, and the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon Sunday, Jan. 28 – Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2018.

The Gunflint Mail Run kicks off the start of the season in Cook County, and features two races: the original event, which is a 12-dog, 100-mile race that includes two runs, approximately 50 miles each, over a two-day stretch, and an eight-dog shorter and faster race (65 miles). The race will start and finish at Trail Center Lodge, 7611 Gunflint Trail, on Poplar Lake, Grand Marais, Minn.  (For non-locals, Trail Center Lodge is approximately 30 miles up the Gunflint Trail).

Dog sled racing fans can also look forward to the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon on Sunday, Jan. 28 – Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2018. The Beargrease marathon will start just outside of Two Harbors, then head to Trail Center on the Gunflint Trail and back, while the shorter, mid-distance race goes one-way on the route.

In this video, local musher Erin Altemus rides in the 2016 Beargrease.