DULUTH - After postponing the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon one month to await a substantial snowfall that never came and considering alternative courses, its board of directors decided this afternoon to cancel the race.
"For the financial stability of the race, we have no choice but to cancel," said Pat Olson, president of the board. "It was a very hard decision."
The Beargrease, which started in 1982 and has been run for 23 consecutive years, has never been canceled because of a lack of snow.
On Jan. 18, the Beargrease moved its original start date from Jan. 28 to Feb. 25.
Olson and other Beargrease organizers looked at starting the race farther north where there is more snow, but said that the lack of snow in Duluth was the deciding factor.
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"We looked at starting the race near Sawbill or on Devils Track [north of Grand Marais], but because of the remoteness of those spots, it wouldn't be fair to our sponsors," Olson said. "The sponsors wouldn't have gotten the visibility from the media or the spectators if we started up there."
