Ryan Redington wins third consecutive Gunflint Mail Run title
Musher Ryan Redington and his team won the 100-mile event in this weekend's Gunflint Mail Run sled dog race in northeastern Minnesota.
It's Redington's third consecutive victory in the annual race, which started and finished at Trail Center Lodge, along the Gunflint Trail north of Grand Marais. There were two divisions: a 12-dog, 100-mile event, and an eight-dog, 65-mile event.
Race director Sarah Hamilton said in a news release that "the weather was fantastic for the spectators. The dogs would have preferred it colder, but they did great."
Heavy snow in recent weeks created good trail conditions.
Create a More Connected Minnesota
MPR News is your trusted resource for the news you need. With your support, MPR News brings accessible, courageous journalism and authentic conversation to everyone - free of paywalls and barriers. Your gift makes a difference.
In each division, mushers traversed a trail leg twice — starting on Saturday morning, returning to Trail Center for a mandatory layover, then heading out a second time. The teams finished from Saturday night into early Sunday; the fastest cumulative time determined the winner.
Redington, of Skagway, Alaska, finished the 100-mile race with a time of 8 hours, 26 minutes, 35 seconds. Ryan Anderson of Ray, Minn., was runner-up in 9:02:56, with Redington's wife, Erin, finishing third in 9:16:51. Frank Moe of Hovland, Minn., was fourth in 9:38:17.
In the 65-mile race, Martha Schouweiler of Irma, Wis., won with a time of 5:39:10, followed closely by Joanna Oberg of Grand Marais in 5:39:12.
Find complete results here.
Ryan Redington also won last year's John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon along the North Shore. The 35th running of the Beargrease will start on Jan. 27.