Bella the sled dog visits The Lift

Marcia Eiynck a musher and descendant of John Beargrease stopped by The Lift to talk about all things Beargrease ahead of the 39th running of the sled dog marathon. She brought along with her, a beautiful sled dog named Bella. “Bella came to me not as a sled but as a princess of the manor. That’s how she is treated at our house.”

“Just keeping it in the family, making sure the culture and heritage piece is kind of focused a little bit on the race. So we remember why we’re doing it,” Marcia explains. “It’s awesome. Who doesn’t love dogs.”

“John Beargrease was a Grand Portage Band member. He lived in Beaver Bay and raised a big family. He most known for being a mail carrier.” A little known fact about the marathon is that they still carry mail to this day in honor of him. “The mushers in the main marathon and the Beargrease 120 are actually sworn in by the post office. They need to be sworn in because they’re carrying mail.”

You can order your trail mail on the Beargrease website. “It’s really inexpensive, and it’s a wonderful thing to have.” They’re also looking for volunteers to help keep the marathon safe at both the start in Duluth and the finish in Grand Portage.