The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon begins on Sunday, with plenty of familiar names competing in the full, 120, and 40-mile races. Blake and Jen Freking each have completed several full and half marathon races over the years. Their daughters, Nicole and Elena, will join the couple in the 120 race this year, making the Beargrease a Freking family tradition. 

Jen became interested in the sport at an early age and started mushing at the age of eight.

“When I was born, my parents had a team of dogs. I was the third child born, and they sold the team to friends when I was little,” Jen reflected. “So then I had the love of stories, and I liked all the pictures and stories of the dogs, and I wanted to get my own dog team. So yeah, they got me a dog sled for Christmas. I started with four of her old lead dogs.”

Blake’s mushing experience started later in life, but he learned quickly.

“I didn’t have a lot of exposure to it when I was young, except through books. Then, once I got out of school, I had an opportunity to go to Alaska and train up there. So I did,” explained Blake. “Those folks were old time Alaskan mushers, and they gave me the opportunity to run Iditarod with their dogs. So the on-ramp was pretty fast- Iditarod was my third race.”

Eventually, Blake and Jen ended up together and settled down in Finland, Minnesota. Jen likes the location because of the training conditions with more snow than where they used to live in east-central Minnesota. Blake says the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon is what drew him to the location.

The couple now has 68 dogs and two children, Elena and Nicole. All four have an active role in taking care of the family’s dogs.

“Our lives revolve around the dogs, and what’s best for them and the best training conditions. So that’s kind of definitely shaped our whole lives,” said Jen. “We get up in the morning and do chores, feeding and cleaning before work. We have school and work and a team of dogs. Rest assured, we don’t watch many movies or watch TV. There’s always things to do and chores to do.” 

Elena, who is 14, says the lifestyle is normal for her since she’s grown up with it. 

RELATED: Next generation of mushers compete in Cub Run

“I go to a really small school so everyone does know that I have dogs because that’s pretty much my whole school personality,” said Elena. “I’ve been like going in the sled with mom and dad since I was really young, but I ran my first team by myself at four.”

Nicole is 12 and also enjoys the lifestyle.  

“A lot of times if I watch the start of a race, I get like really excited,” said Nicole. “I started mushing when I was three, and I just loved it.” 

Jen and Blake are supportive of their daughters, no matter what lifestyle they choose. 

“They love the dogs. I always said, you know, they might not. You don’t have to. You can be smarter than us and not be a musher,” said Jen. “But they love the dogs, and they’re so bonded. They’ve always been so involved with the puppies and the teams.” 

This is the first year that Elena and Nicole will be competing in the Beargrease 120. They’ve each done mid-distance races, but this is the longest race so far for both of them. 

Blake and Jen both have many full marathon finishes under their belt. In 2019, Blake and Jen placed first and second respectively in the Beargrease. Now, it’s time for the couple to be there for their kids in the half marathon.

“There’s the dog element, taking these puppies, and we’re holding them in our hands on day one. Then seeing them finish big races, like I did riding Beargrease and stuff like that, it’s pretty awesome,” reflected Blake. “And then now to take it to another level, we have two little– not little girls– that are getting into it as well. It was them that kind of got us thinking about the 120. They wanted to run some bigger races. Jen and I, I think we have 29 marathon finishes. We decided, well, all four of us will do that.” 

Elena has done the Beargrease 40 before and is looking forward to the 120, with the hope of a smoother finish.

“Most of the race I had been doing good, but then I came into the finish and Eagle, who’s my leader, he knew where we were. I didn’t,” recalled Elena. “We came out on the corner really fast, and I skidded, and then I hit an ice chunk and tipped, and dad caught my team. So hopefully the 120 will have a better, smoother finish.” 

On February 8, Blake and Jen competed in the Gunflint Mail Run, a 10-dog, 65-mile race.

RELATED: Gunflint Mail Run results

More recently, Jen, Elena, and Nicole each competed in the WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog Race in Ely last weekend, mushing in the six-dog, 30-mile race. 

Each family member has favorites among their 68 dogs, including who they prefer to lead. For the Beargrease 120, the Frekings have a plan for which dogs compete and how the family approaches the race. 

“We’ll be pairing up, at least I’ll be running with Nicole, and Blake will probably be running more with Elena on the 120,” said Jen. “Nicole and I are focused on more the one- and two-year-olds that haven’t raced before, since we’ve two seasons without races. It took two years since we’ve been out there. So we’re going to give the experience to those dogs that haven’t been out there.” 

The race begins at 11 am on Sunday, starting from “The Pit” in Two Harbors. The 120 will finish at the Trestle Inn in Finland on Sunday night. 

RELATED: Beargrease moves start to Two Harbors

“I’m just really proud. Of course, they’re born into it from little kids, first sled runs when they’re 3 and 4 years old. So they’ve been at it for a long time,” said Blake. “They’re pretty much pros as it is, and I’m confident they’ll handle the 120 just fine.” 

Full coverage of the race will be available on WDIO.com. More information about how to see the race in-person can be found on the Beargrease website.