DULUTH – The John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon, an annual competition that sends teams from the outskirts of Duluth to Grand Portage, has been postponed until March 2, race officials said Thursday.

There isn't enough ice and snow along the over-300-mile route — or any of the alternate routes — to safely host the event. The races, marking the 40th running of the longest event in the Lower 48 states, were originally scheduled to start later this month.

"Safety is our number one priority," Beargrease board president Mike Keyport said in a news release.

Gunflint Mail Run officials, also citing a lack of snow, have postponed this year's race but have not yet set a makeup date, according to an update on its website. The 65-mile race was scheduled for Jan. 11.

On this same day last year, the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon's board of directors canceled the 2024 race. There wasn't a good date for the event to be rescheduled. The Beargrease is a qualifier for Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Seventeen teams are registered for the Beargrease marathon, including a handful who have had recent successes on the course. Two-time Beargrease winner Ryan Redington is scheduled to race after winning the 1,000-mile Iditarod in 2023. The Alaska event was founded by Redington's grandfather, Joe Redington Sr.

Erin Aili, who in 2021 became the first woman to win the race in more than two decades, is also on the roster. The event's most recent winner, Ryan Anderson, is also listed as a competitor, as is Nathan Schroeder, who, like Anderson, has claimed the title four times.