Rita Wehseler wins Beargrease 120 race
Due to the lack of snow this winter, the 40th John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon was postponed to March 2. The week prior, the Beargrease board announced changes to the races, including changing the start to “The Pit” in Two Harbors.
RELATED: Changes to the first leg of the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon
With the change to the start location, the Beargrease 120 ended up being 72.5 miles.
“It was a bummer not doing a 120, but the race was trying to use their best judgment of keeping the dogs and mushers safe, so I’m not disappointed at all,” said Musher Elena Freking.
This was the first checkpoint race for Elena, 14, and her sister Nicole, 12. They raced alongside their parents, longtime mushers Blake and Jen.
RELATED: Local family prepares for Beargrease 120
Defending 120 champion Joanna Oberg ran with a team of dogs owned by 2022 winner Rita Wehseler. Oberg made the difficult decision to sell her dogs last spring.
“The main reason I had to sell them was my dad was my main handler and helper, and I really couldn’t have done it without his help. He did the grooming trails, everything. He’s just getting older, and it was getting harder. He kind of told me last winter was going to be his last year,” explained Oberg. “He did everything with me with the dogs, and so it just wasn’t really feasible to do it on my own. I needed help, and I didn’t have any extra help.”
Wehseler and Oberg competed against each other for years but remained friends. Wehseler had 14 yearlings that needed racing experience, and Oberg wanted to still be involved with mushing, so the pair have been working together to raise two teams. Oberg drives from Grand Marais to Wehseler’s kennel in Tofte once a week to run the dogs.
The two won this year’s “Spirit of John Beargrease” award, which goes to those who help fellow mushers or demonstrate the spirit of John Beargrease, the race’s namesake.
“So Joanna could continue her love of this sport, I let her run a team, and so that’s where the award came from. It’s a great partnership. I love running dogs with Joanna. We were always friends and competitors, but we’re better friends now,” said Wehseler.
Neck and neck throughout the race, Wehseler won, crossing the 120 finish line at 9:51 pm. Oberg placed second, finishing just seven minutes later.
This marks the third race won by Wehseler this year as she and Oberg competed with many of the same dogs in the Gunflint Mail Run, the Midnight Run, and now the Beargrease 120.
RELATED: History and impact of the Gunflint Mail Run
“It was just incredible seeing all of those dogs that I’ve raised. They’re all like brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews. They’re all related to the one main female out of my kennel. To see those dogs just shine, that’s what we do it for,” said Wehseler. “It’s fun to win, but I think it’s just as fun to see these dogs just step up and do what they were born to do and love to do.”
Out of 15 mushers in the Beargrease 120, only one scratched this year. The last musher crossed the finish line at 12:26 am.
The results and total adjusted race times (in the format of hours: minutes: seconds) are as follows:
- Rita Wehseler, 9:15:25
- Joanna Oberg, 9:22:27
- Nick Turman, 9:50:19
- Ryan Miller, 9:54:29
- Talia Martens, 10:23:51
- Elena Freking, 10:32:16
- Blake Freking, 10:32:21
- Kevin Mathis, 10:35:02
- Alyssa Sabatino, 10:44:37
- Scott Edgett, 10:46:14
- Jen Freking, 10:59:28
- Nicole Freking, 10:59:51
- Billie Thompson, 11:01:32
- William Sima, 11:50:43
- Matt Schmidt (scratched)