The 36th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon has hit the trail!
Join us Monday morning at 8:00 as Beargrease champ and KUMD race reporter John Stetson brings us up-to-the-moment news from the trail!
Here's the skinny so far on Beargrease 2020:
Beargrease champ Keith Aili sold his dogs to Ryan Redington last year, but he's back on the trail with a team from Redington's Callin' Trail Kennel.
Blake and Jennifer Freking (Beargrease 2019 #1 and #2 place finishers, respectively) are back again this year.
Ryan Redington's dogs famously sat out on him last year; what's he done over the last year to overcome that?
THIS JUST IN: Blowhole will not be running the marathon this year, but he will be competing in the UP 200. Blowhole's reputation began to tank after an unfortunate brake line incident two years ago, but he has ardent defenders on Twitter, including The Blowhole Innocence Project and Blowhole News.
Ryan Anderson narrowly missed his chance two years ago to tie Jamie Nelson and Nathan Schroeder's record of four marathon wins. He ran - and won - the half marathon last year.
Nathan Schroeder is back again; he, too, took last year off to find a way to race with four herniated discs in his back.
It's a family affair for several mushers; Colleen Wallin is racing the marathon and her son, Ero Wallin, is racing in the Beargrease Mid-Distance Jr.
Martha Schouweiler's newly-minted daughter-in-law, Erin (she and Martha's son, Chad, married right after the Beargrease last year), is racing the mid-distance and Martha herself is racing the Beargrease 40.
Also competing in the Beargrease 40 is Morgan McClelland; her father, Peter, will once again be racing the full marathon.
Top row (l to r)
Bib 2 Blake Freking, Bib 3 Liza Dietzen, Bib 4 Ryan Redington, Bib 5 Martin Massicote
Second row:
Bib 6 Keith Aili, Bib 7 Jen Freking, Bib 8 Kevin Mathis, Bib 9 John Fisher
Third row:
Bib 10 Peter McClelland, Bib 11 Laura Neese, Bib 12 Ryan Anderson, Bib 13 Nathan Schroeder
Last row:
Bib 14 Jay Foucher, Bib 15 Colleen Wallin
