Until the First Nose Crosses the Finish-Line: Two-time Beargrease winner Erin Aili talks preparing and winning the race

Mar 12, 2025 10:36AM ● By Content Editor

Photo: Two dogs from Erin Aili's winning team at the 40th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. All photos by Brittany North

By Brittany North and Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - March 12, 2025

When it comes to sled dog races, it can be neck and neck of mushers leap-frogging each other during a race. A common saying is, “We don’t know who the winner is until the first nose crosses the finish line.”

On the morning of the 2025 Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon finish, two women claimed the top two positions, with Erin Aili finishing first and Erin Altemus securing second. Jesse Terry finished in third. Despite unseasonably warm temperatures and less-than-ideal trail conditions, all mushers and dogs completed the race safely and in good health.

Erin Aili started mushing as a teenager. Currently, she co-owns Miles Ahead Racing Kennel with her husband, Keith Aili, and two kids. The family lives in Ray, Minnesota, on the edge of Voyageurs National Park. The two adult Ailis have over 50 years of mushing experience and have run over 200,000 miles with their team. The kennel races with Alaskan Huskies, which, according to the Aili's, "is not an actual breed of dog, but rather a type of dog that has been bred for qualities that are important to their musher."

The Ailis are no strangers to the Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. Keith won in 2006 and 2023. Erin won as a rookie in 2021 and was the first woman to do so after 23 years. That race also saw one of the closest Beargrease finishes of all time, with only seven seconds between Erin and second-place musher Ryan Reddington.

Erin finished the 2025 race with nine dogs, four of which were from the winning 2023 team. She told Boreal Community Media that she and Keith spent a lot of time and miles with the team to do their best. "Going into it, we hoped to be able to claim the championship again, but there were lots of good teams in the race. We are very excited and happy to have been able to claim the title again this year," she said. In a Facebook post for Miles Ahead Racing Kennel, Erin wrote: "The trail was hard, fast, and challenging. Congrats to Erin Altemus on a well-run race. That whole last leg, I was looking over my shoulder for her to come up behind me."

Besides adapting to the change in race length and the start location from Billy's Bar in Duluth to Two Harbors, Erin said there were no major challenges she experienced during the race. When asked "what's next," she said, "Now we are running dogs to keep them active, train some new ones for lead, and get pups in harnesses to start their training." The duo plans to be back for the 2025-2026 race season.

View a video from the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon of Erin Aili crossing the finish line below.

Congrats to all the racers who participated in the 40th running of the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon!