Mushers finish longest dog race in lower 48 states despite feel-like temps of minus 50
Mushers in the the longest dog sled race in the lower 48 states completed the three-day marathon Tuesday and Wednesday despite temperatures dipping 20 below zero.
Mushers and their dogs in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon trekked 300 miles from Duluth, Minnesota, to Grand Portage, Minnesota, which is about six miles south of the Canadian border. The low temperature in Duluth was minus 21 degrees Tuesday, and wind chills throughout the race made it feel like 50 below zero.
Still, "mushers, race officials and volunteers said that they weren’t stopping," said a statement from the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon organization. "We’re made for this weather” stated one official, according to the statement.
Twelve people and their dogs competed in the race, and more than 500 people were set to volunteer, according to the race website.
The race began Sunday, and by Wednesday, all of the mushers and their dogs were "resting comfortably."
While the humans may have had a difficult time in the cold and "snow drifts that were waist-high in some areas," the dogs thrive in chillier weather, and veterinarians monitoring the race would have been more concerned if temperatures were above 10 degrees, the statement said.
Blake Freking and his wife, Jennifer Freking, took the first and second spots in the race, respectively.