Rochester native places 6th in Beargrease dogsled race

Mar. 18—GRAND MARAIS — Rochester native Andrea DeBoer cracked the top 10 in the John Beargrease Sled Dog mid-distance race this year.

DeBoer finished sixth in her third year in the competition — her best finish so far.

"My team kind of came out of nowhere on Sunday," she said.

The 120-mile race travels along rugged terrain through the Sawtooth mountains of the North Shore of Minnesota. For mushers, it's one of the most challenging races in the lower 48 states.

While the sixth-place finish was a pleasant surprise, DeBoer said she plans to improve on it in the future.

However, last year, COVID-19 nearly forced her to pause her short racing career and shut down the Amarok Kennel in Grand Marais, which she owns with her husband, D.J.

The couple moved from La Crosse, Wis., to begin taking over the kennel from Andrea's mother and stepfather about nine years ago. Her mother retired from racing and raising the kennel's Alaskan huskies after nearly 30 years. This winter was the third season the two were running it on their own.

Both work regular jobs (she is an account technician at Cook County Public Health and Human Services, and he works as a nurse). Those incomes pay their day-to-day bills and help them raise three children. Housing and feeding more than three dozen huskies, and keeping the dogsled racing and training equipment, requires extra revenue.

To fund the kennel, the couple host camps to give people firsthand experience with the sled dogs at YMCA's Camp Menogyn near Grand Marais. Each year, they train camp counselors to run the dogsleds.

Last year, the couple learned the camp would be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Andrea DeBoer said she enjoyed watching the camp attendees interact with the sled dogs.

"It's unreal the connection they can form with people in a short amount of time," she said. "They love the attention they get from people."

New opportunity

While the DeBoers were wondering about the future of their kennel, nearby Gunflint Lodge was looking for someone to provide dogsled rides for their guests.

"It's a big deal to our guests that we provide an authentic experience of the North Shore," said John Fredrikson, lodge co-owner.

Dogsledding is part of lodge history, he said. One of the establishing owners, Justine Spunner, would raise a small team of dogs and go into town for provisions via sled.

Fredrikson said the DeBoers helped connect guests with a part of the history of the area.

"People are looking for meaningful experiences," he said.

"You learn what goes into it," Andrea DeBoer said. "It's much more than just a ride."

Thanks to the partnership with the lodge, she was able to continue to push her team of dogs — and herself — into the best finishes in various races this year.

She finished eighth in the Copper Dog 150 in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan after winning a shorter competition there last year.

"The field of mushers is very competitive," she said. "We went into that race with no expectations at all."

Although DeBoer is the main "musher" and her name appears on the official standings in the races, she said the endeavor is a family effort. The whole family pitches in to help feed, brush and care for the approximately 40 dogs they have at one time. Everyone pitches in to help with training, which begins in early October, she said.

Moving to Grand Marais was a bit of a sacrifice, too, as the family sold their belongings and moved to an area where the internet was delivered via satellite. Even today, cellphone service is unreliable where they live.

"I couldn't do what I do without the rest of my family," DeBoer said. "Our immediate family has given up a ton."

Much of her paid time off is spent racing, while other families might take trips over the winter someplace warm.

"It's not like you can find someone over Christmas break to come over and take care of 37 dogs," she said.

The couple's 17-year-old daughter, Taylor, has expressed interest in keeping the business going. She finished fourth place in the six-dog race in the Wolf Track Classic in Ely this year.

DeBoer said finding and building success as a racer has been rewarding, as has living on the North Shore.

While it's her job as the musher to motivate her dogs through a course, the dogs are what keep her motivated to run the kennel.

"I love developing young dogs," she said. "I like finding the leaders and developing them — I take great pride in that."