Erin Letzring wins Beargrease in near photo-finish
Alaska musher beat her ex-husband by just 7 seconds to become the first woman to win the marathon since 1998. 7:40 pm, Feb. 2, 2021 ×
Erin Letzring hugs a lead dog and handler and former Beargrease marathon champion Keith Aili after winning the marathon by 7 seconds. (Steve Kuchera / skuchera@duluthnews.com)
MINERAL CENTER In a near-photo finish stolen from the mushing movie Iron Will, Erin Letzring won the 37th John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon Tuesday evening by just 7 seconds over her fellow Alaskan Ryan Redington.
The two battled back and forth for the final leg of the 302-mile race, swapping the lead multiple times before Letzring pulled ahead for the final few hundred feet, emerging out of the dark to a stunned crowd of media and race officials bathed in television floodlights.