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Duluth, MN, USA

Photos: John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon

Shawn McCarthy
Shawn McCarthy, of Ely, Minn., leaves the starting line of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, in Duluth, Minn., on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011.
Submitted by Paul M. Walsh

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The almost 400-mile race that starts in Duluth, Minn. goes along the North Shore Trail of Lake Superior, and is the longest, hardest marathon in the lower 48 states and is used as a qualifying event for the Iditarod Sled Dog Race in Alaska.

The race commemorates the life of John Beargrease, a Chippewa Chief who delivered mail by dog sled along the same area in the 1800s.

Gallery
10 of 10
Starting line
Mike Levig, right, a starting line judge, takes a final look at the lead dogs on the team of musher Scott Edgett, of Chisago City, Minn., as they prepare to depart from the starting line of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, in Duluth, Minn., on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011.
Submitted by Paul M. Walsh
1 of 10
Shawn McCarthy
Shawn McCarthy, of Ely, Minn., leaves the starting line of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, in Duluth, Minn., on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011.
Submitted by Paul M. Walsh
2 of 10
Drum demonstration
Native Americans give a drum demonstration prior to the beginning of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, in Duluth, Minn., on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011. John Beargrease was a Native American who used his dog sled to deliver mail along the North Shore of Lake Superior.
Submitted by Paul M. Walsh