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We watched the 34th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. The full race is over 300 miles long traveling along Minnesota’s beautiful North Shore following the crest of the Sawtooth Mountains. It was fun to see a 12-dog team silently move through the pines. I can see why mushers get hooked on what they do.

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Sled dogs love to run and you can see the excitement in their eyes.

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There is a lot of power with many dogs working together.

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Some of the dogs have beautiful blue eyes that really stand out.

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Some of the mushers are pretty colorful too.

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The dogs wear booties to protect their feet from the icy trail.

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The mushers and handlers take good care of the dogs. Along with feeding and encouraging them, they massage their muscles. If a dog has any problems they are pulled from the race.

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I thought this one was the cutest of all the dogs we saw on the trail.

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Jasper Johnson is a freshman in high school and was the youngest racer doing the mid-distance run.

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This is how he looked after running through the night in below zero temperatures at the finish of the race. But notice he still has a smile on his face.

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Lynne Witte was the oldest musher in the 2018 marathon. She is a retired elementary school teacher and a marathon canoe racer.

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The dogs are a little frosted after running in cold temperatures.

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This one decided to lie down and take a break.

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Racing Under the Blue Moon Lunar Eclipse

Two of the nights the mushers raced under a full moon, which made for awesome nighttime conditions. This was the second full moon in the month so it is called a “Blue Moon”. As the lead teams approached the finish line in the early morning hours, the setting moon was under a full Lunar eclipse.

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The Blue Moon

On my way home I stopped at Split Rock Lighthouse to catch the full “Blue Moon” rise in front of the lighthouse. There were just enough clouds to make it magical.

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