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2012 John Beargrease Musher Bios - Marathon Race

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	John Beargrease Beaver Bay, MN US
	Thomas Roley Bryant, WI US Its a great day for mushing
	Rita Wehseler Tofte, MN US Rita and Bill own Stoney Creek sleddog rides a dog sled touring business on the North Shore of Lake Superior. They have about 45 dogs.
	Laura Daugereau Kingston, WA US Throughout the long work hours of summer construction to fund my kennel, my mind is always on one thing: the race team! I am really looking forward to this race season and the challenges that each race and its competitors bring to it! I am very excited to have a good mix of trail hardened veterans and some very promising up and coming youngsters in the team this year! My hobbies are feeding, watering, scooping, and ordering more feed so I can feed again! To make the racing season possible Cornerstone Home Services, Redpaw, Jack London Vineyard, Alpine Outfitter and Great Falls Veterinary Service has stepped up to greatly help us out. Thank you! For more information about my team please visit: www.nightrunnerkennel.com Can't wait for Beargrease time!
	Odin Jorgenson Grand Marais, MN US Odin was born into mushing. He and his wife Betsy make a great team and will take turns racing this winter. Last year Odin competed in the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, the White Oak Classic, the Wolf Track Classic, and the UP200. During the summer months he works as a carpenter and in the winter splits his time between race training and running his sled building business, Sawtooth Mountain Sledworks, www.sawtoothmtnsleds.com. A big thanks to Paul and Kat and my dad Arleigh for being the best handler crew a guy could ask for! Thanks also to all the hardy volunteers that make this race happen year after year!
	David Gordon Duluth, MN US
	Mark Stamm Riverside, WA US Mark is employed in the boat repair/construction trade. He’s been racing sled dogs since 1976 and completed the Yukon Quest in 1988 and the Iditarod in 2005. He’s won the Race to the Sky twice (2007 and 2009). He’s also run the Beargrease marathon multiple times dating back to 1991 and finished 3rd (his best finish) in 2001. He ran the Beargrease last year but didn’t finish due to one of his dogs going on a “walkabout” for 5 hours at Sawbill!
	Vern Schroeder Warba, MN US I have been involved in sled dogs with my son Nathan since 1990. I want to run the marathon 1 more time before I get too old.
	Nancy E. Johnson Devils Lake, ND US
	Jamie Nelson Togo, MN US
	Blake Freking Finland, MN US I started racing in 1998 and in 99 ran my first Iditarod Qualifier finishing the 2000 Iditarod as my 4th career race. Since then I have been back to run and finish the Iditarod twice more and the 1000 mile Yukon Quest once. I enjoy racing on the north shore and always look forward to the Beargrease. My wife Jennifer and I share the love of Distance racing and you will often see us together on the trail including one trip down the Iditarod trail.
	Roger Johnson Devils Lake, ND US
	Peter McClelland Ely, MN US Peter runs White Wilderness Sled Dog Adventures located in Isabella, MN. He and his wife have 100 dogs, 2 kids, 2 ponies and a cat. They enjoy the north woods from berry picking, fishing and wild ricing in the summer and in the winter they provide sled dog experiences for all who come. But year round - "the dogs are the anchor of our lifestyle".
	Colleen Wallin Two Harbors, MN US Training sled dogs is a family sport at our home in Two Harbors, MN. My son Ian as a 12 year old has 2 races "under his belt" and his brother Ero helps out mainly as our puppy trainer. Ward and I share the training schedule, and we all enjoy the great outdoors together.
	Hank DeBruin Haliburton, Ontario, CA Our kennel is made up of 150 Purebred Siberian Huskies, located in the Haliburton Highlands in central Ontario, Canada. Along with my wife we started Winterdance Dogsled Tours 12 years ago and have had the priviledge of introducing thousands of folks from around the world to this great sport. We have 4 children from 11-3 who love the dogs as much as us and also enjoy dogsledding. We started running dogs about 17 years ago.
	Glenn Lockwood Deforest, WI US I am a software engineer, investor, public speaker, author and adventurer. I'm writing a book about business and investing. I started mushing in 1998.
	Richard MacAuley West Branch, MI US Have been involved in sleddogs for 10 years, alaskans. Primarily run mid-distance. 31 dog kennel, not counting two 'seasoned' dogs. Enjoy camping, sailing, reading, meeting new people and learning new languages. Most of all, I enjoy educating the general public about the mis-diagnosis of ADHD. Children don't need medication to correct the symptoms in the vast majority of cases labled as 'ADHD'.
	Denis Tremblay St Michel Des Saint. Quebec, CA Denis has been mushing for almost 25 years. He is the owner of Makamic Kennel in Saint-Michel-Des-Saints Quebec where he trains Alaskan Huskies for long distance racing with his friend for life and handler, Julie Albert. You can learn more about Denis, Julie and Makamic Kennel by visiting the kennel web site at http://chenil-makamic-alaskan-husky.weebly.com.
	Tom Thurston Oak Creek, CO US Outside of raising my two daughters Greta age 11 and Leona age 9, dogs are the highlight of my life. We have spent the past 4 years raising and training are own puppies in an effort to develop a competitive Iditarod team. This year will be the first year since 2008 that I have competitive goals. I really enjoy racing competitively and I look forward to testing the fruits of our labors. The Beargrease is a race I have always wanted to run and I will be there for sure this year.
	Ryan Anderson Ray, MN US I'm looking forward to returning to the Beargrease. There are 40 dogs in my kennel and I have been running dogs since I can remember. My first Beargrease was the rec class in 1992. Good News - I'm engaged to my Best Friend!
	Frank Moe Hovland, MN US Sherri and I live with our 38 sled dogs near Grand Marais, MN. I work as a canoe, sea kayak and climbing guide. We've had a dog team for 11 years but didn't really start racing until 2008. After a rough year last year we didn't know if we'd be back to the Beargrease but like any real junkie, I just gotta do it. We want to thank our sponsors, NutraSource Performance Dog Food made right here in Minnesota and Stone Harbor Wilderness Supply in Grand Marais Minnesota.
	Andrew Letzring Herbster, WI US I work at UMD as a building and grounds worker. I've been running dogs for 15 years for various kennels but this is the first year with my own kennel. We have 20 dogs in our kennel and one retiree. Thank you to Louise Russell and dogbooties.com for keeping my team's feet healthy and happy!
	David Gill Skandia, MI US David has been mushing since 2004. For some reason he feels compelled to compete in longer and longer races every year. This will be his first BG marathon and he hopes that the many hours spent on the trail will make him think twice about doing an even longer race.
	Billy Snodgrass Dubois , WY US Billy Snodgrass is a 55 year old musher from Dubois Wyoming where he operates Continental Divide Dog Sled Adventures and The Distance Dog Food Company. He has been mushing for 26 years and has completed 4 Iditarods over three decades and 21 other distance races. Billy ownes 150 Alaskan Huskies. His pastimes are tennis and riding his horses in the mountains. He started in mushing by using his two great Danes and a Wrotweiler to get to town in the winter. Running my first Iditarod in 1998 with no snow for the last 400 miles was a thrill a minute. No trail, no markers and no idea where I was going. That was the most difficult mushing experiance I've had. Mushing Motto...."Focus on the Fun!"
	Nathan Schroeder Chisholm, MN US I've been involved with sled dogs since I was 12. It's been a hoot for all these years. Many memories of all sorts! My biggest memory was winning in 2010. I just hope to finish this year with a strong, happy dog team! Carey (my wife), Vern (my Dad) for all the time, effort, and support u give me! Thank You! My wife and I have a 2 yr old son Gavin and one more on the way!
	Kolby Morrison Linden, Alberta, CA Been running dogs for 8 years. Build high quality racing sleds and distribute Distance Dog Food and Perfectly Raw Dog Food in Canada. Love the dogs, outdoors and the wilderness.
	Monica Zappa Kasilof, AK US Tim Osmar and I are a mushing team from Kasilof, Alaska. In the summer we commercially fish salmon in the Cook Inlet and in the winter we run dogs in the Caribou Hills. This year we have teamed up to raise awareness about the proposed Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Our mission is to mush through the Midwest to spread the message that a monstrous open pit mine does not belong at the headwaters of the largest salmon spawn in Alaska. Check our website osmarracingandtorus.com for updates on our trip.
	Tim Osmar Kasilof, AK US I have been running dogs for most all of my life. I have run 23 Iditarods, 3 Yukon Quests and many other mid-long distance races around the world. I have been dreaming of running the Beargrease for many years and finally the stars have aligned. This year my partner, Monica Zapppa and I have teamed up with a few organizations to help fight the Pebble Mine effort in Bristol Bay, AK. We will be running several races in the Midwest promoting the No Pebble campaign. Check out our website for more information www.osmarracingandtours.com.