February 5, 2017
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John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 001
This week was the 33rd annual running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. On Sunday afternoon Karla and I watched the teams come into the Finland checkpoint. Colleen Wallin from Silver Bay was one of the first to arrive.
John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 002
Jennifer Freking wasn’t far behind. Jennifer runs Siberian Huskies. I think they are some of the most beautiful dogs and definitely by favorite to photograph.
John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 003
The intense blue in the eyes of these three dogs were captivating.
John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 004
Here Jennifer is crossing Poplar Lake coming into Trail Center, which was the finish for the mid-distance race. Her eyes seemed to be closed so she must be getting in one of those standing up naps after running the dogs through the night.
John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 005
At the finish of the mid-distance race the dogs were still excited and appeared like they didn’t want to stop.
John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 007
The handlers take really good care of the dogs. At each stop they massage the dogs muscles, check for soreness, feed and bed down the dogs.
John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 008
The next to the last day of the race I hiked in from the Sawbill Trail checkpoint. It had snowed the night before and since I was the only one on this section of the trail the woods were quiet and peaceful. I never did hear any of the dog teams coming. They just appeared in front of me in complete silence. It was a beautiful way to spend the morning.
John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon 009
The winner of the marathon was number 12, Ryan Anderson. His total trail time to cover the 370 miles was 44 hours.