DULUTH (AP) - Organizers of the John Beargrease sled dog race in northern Minnesota say they'll stick with a Jan. 25 start, but poor trail conditions will mean a change in location.

In the past, teams of mushers and dogs ran through a tunnel of hundreds of revelers at Duluth East High School to begin the marathon. But, the lack of enough snow near Duluth will change that tradition.

Two locations are under consideration. One is the Highway 2 checkpoint near Two Harbors and the other is Finland.

Forty-seven teams are signed up for the mid- and full-distance races. That's double last year's numbers. The race has one its largest purses at $45,000. Beargrease is a qualifier for the Iditarod race in Alaska.

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