WE'VE GOTTEN GOOD RECEPTION WE'RE WORKING HARD.

>> Cathy: FRIENDS, MARCH IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH, DOGSLED RACING HAS A LONG AND STORIED HISTORY HERE IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA.

AND WOMEN HAVE EEN STEADILY INCREASING RANKS WITHIN THAT SPORT.

REPORTER KAOMI LEE MET UP WITH TWO WOMEN WHO STARTED THEIR OWN DOGSLED TEAM AND JUST COMPLETED THEIR FIRST YEAR OF RACING.

>> ON AN EARLY MORNING IN FEBRUARY, 11 DOGSLED TEAMS AND DOZENS OF VOLUNTEERS ARRIVE AT THE GUNFLINT TRAIL IN GRAND MARAIS [ HOWLING ] THEY'RE AT THE TRAIL CENTER FOR THE 2026 GUNFLINT RUN DOGSLED RACE.

EMILY FORD OF TWO HARBORS IS PREPARING FOR THE RACE FOR THE FIRST TIME.

>> THIS IS OUR ROOKIE SEASON.

WE DID OUR RACE RAISE LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN HOW PEOPLE DID.

WE RAN OUT OF ALASKA, AND NOW WE'RE COMING HOME TO RUN HOME RACES WHICH IS REALLY NICE.

>> FORD AND THEIR ARTNER ANNA DID THE IDITTA ROD LAST YEAR.

FORD DIDN'T GROW UP AROUND SLED DOG RACING.

THEY WERE LOOKING FORWARD TO HOW WELL THEIR LONG DISTANCE DOGS COULD DEE HERE IN A 65-MILE FAST COURSE.

>> I DON'T EXPECT TO DO ANYTHING TREMENDOUS TODAY, LIKE MY GOAL IS TO GO OUT AND HAVE FUN WITH MY DOGS AS IT ALWAYS IS.

>> FORD WAS UP AGAINST WELL KNOWN MINNESOTA MUSHERS.

LIKE FRECKING.

>> OLIVIA, ONE OF OUR HANDLERS ACTUALLY RAN, WHAT RACE WAS THAT >> IT WAS JUST THE RECREATIONAL RACE BUT IT WAS HER FIRST EVER DOGSLED RACE.

>> FIRST EVER RACE, AND SHE WAS DRAGGED TO THE FRONT.

I WAS DRAGGED AT THE START.

I'M USED TO DRIVING LIKE A BIG SLED AND WE HAD THE SPRINT SLED WE GOT AND IT'S TINY, THEY WEIGH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AND I JUST CAUGHT THE SNOW AND I JUST TUMBLED.

AND LIKE THE NUMBER ONE RULE OF MUSHING IS YOU NEVER LET GO OF THE SLED.

>> YOU COULD SAY THAT TENACITY AND GRIT HAS BEEN PART OF FORD'S STORY ALL ALONG.

IN 2022, FORD HIKED 1200 MILES THROUGH WISCONSIN WITH JUST A SLED DOG, DIGGINS.

AND THEIR OWN SURVIVAL SKILLS IN THE BITTER COLD.

>> IT WAS ZERO DEGREES WHEN WE WENT TO BED LAST NIGHT.

>> FORD SAYS THEY'RE ONE OF TWO BLACK MUSHERS IN THE STATE.

THEY'RE QUEER AND IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH ANNA HENNESSY, WHO ALSO RACES.

THEIR STORY AND LOVE OF THE OUTDOORS IS RESONATING MORE BROADLY.

>> LOVE DOGS AND ADVENTURE, WE TALK ABOUT THIS, LIKE WE LOVE LONG-TERM ADVENTURE.

>> FORD NOW HAS 26,000 FOLLOWERS ON INSTAGRAM AND THEY'RE OFTEN ASKED TO SPEAK AT SCHOOLS.

>> I MOSTLY HEAR IT FROM PARENTS WHO HAVE KIDDOS, AND THEY'RE LIKE YOU'RE MY KID'S LIKE BIGGEST HERO OR WHATEVER, AND LIKE YOU, YOU KNOW, MY KID WANTS TO GO OUTSIDE BECAUSE OF YOU AND THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING.

>> TODAY FORD AND HENNESSY TRAIN AND CARE FOR THEIR 20 DOGS ON 65 ACRES OFF THE GRID NEAR TWO HARBORS.

HENNESSY WORKS AS AN E.R.

NURSE.

FORD HAS A SEASONAL JOB AS HEAD GARDENER AT GLENSHEEN MANSION.

>> IS IT A LIFESTYLE, HOBBY, IS IT A PASSION >> YEAH.

>> ALL THREE ARE TRUE.

>> IT'S NOT EASY, RIGHT, LIKE WHEN PEOPLE COME OUT HERE THEY'RE LIKE, OH, DOGS AND YOU GET TO PET THEM AND IT'S FUN AND IT'S CUTE, RIGHT.

>> IT'S CUTE.

>> YOU TAKE YOUR PHOTO AND THEN LEAVE.

BUT WE WAKE UP, HAUL OUR WATER, WE'RE FEEDING THE YARD AND THEN GO TO WORK OR WE HAVE TO GET THE MILES IN FOR THE DAY OR LIKE YOU GOTTA WANT TO DO IT.

>> MM-HMM.

>> OR ELSE IT KIND OF ALL STARTS TO FALL APART.

>> THAT MEANS 200-MILE TRAINING RUNS OVER TWO DAYS WITH LITTLE SLEEP.

FORD AND HENNESSY JOIN A GROWING BUT STEADY ROSTER OF FEMALE MUSHERS.

>> I STARTED IN MUSHING PROBABLY AROUND '94, '95.

>> HEATHER BRANDON WAS THE SOLE FEMALE JUDGE OF THIS YEAR'S JOHN BEARGREASE SLED DOG RACE.

ORGANIZERS SAY SHE MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE FIRST WOMAN.

IN THIS PHOTO FROM 1996 ONLY ONE WOMAN COMPETED IN BEARGREASE.

BRANDON SAYS THINGS HAVE CHANGED SINCE SHE QUIT RACING ABOUT 15 YEARS AGO.

>> THAT'S WHEN IT REALLY FLIPPED.

BACK THEN WE WERE DEEPLY IN THE MINORITY AND NOW IT SEEMS LIKE WOMEN ARE THE MAJORITIES.

>> THIS YEAR WAS ANNA HENNESSY'S FIRST BEARGREASE.

BRANDON SAYS SHE WAS IMPRESSED.

>> THE MUSHER'S ROLE IS TO HIGHLIGHT THE DOGS, GETTING THE MOST OUT OF THEM NOT AS IN RUNNING THEM DRY, BUT AS IN MAKING SURE THEY'RE IN THE BEST SHAPE AND HEALTHIEST AND HAVING AS MUCH FUN AS POSSIBLE.

AND I FEEL LIKE ANNA DID A WONDERFUL JOB WITH THAT.

>> IT'S A SPORT WHERE WOMEN CAN COMPETE ALONGSIDE MEN, AND THEY'RE HOLDING THEIR OWN.

MINNESOTAN ERIN EILEY WON THE BEARGREASE IN 2025.

COLLEEN WALLEN WON HER FIRST BEARGREASE IN 1994.

SHE SAYS FORD AND HENNESSY HAVE BEEN GOOD ADDITIONS TO THE LOCAL MUSHING COMMUNITY.

>> THEY DON'T LIVE TOO FAR FROM HERE AND SO IT'S REALLY COOL TO SEE THEM OUT ON THE TRAIL AND SHARE THE TRAIL WITH THEM AND HIGH-FIVE EACH OTHER WHEN WE'RE GOING BY.

AND SHARE SOME STORIES.

>> THAT CAMARADERIE IS BUILT ON MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT OF THE HARD WORK AND SACRIFICE THAT RUNNING DOGS DEMANDS.

FORD AND HENNESSY'S KENNEL MAYBE NAMED LOST KEY DOG SLEDDING, BUT THEY'VE FOUND EACH OTHER AND MUCH MORE.

>> I ACTUALLY FEEL REALLY PROUD OF US.

I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE SAID WE WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO START OUR KENNEL, PUT TOGETHER OUR KENNEL, AND RACE ALL IN OUR FIRST YEAR.

>> AND DO WELL.

>> AND DO WELL.

WE WERE LIKE.

>> BET.

>> BET!

[ LAUGHTER ] >> WE'LL DO T.

>>