Move your mouse or finger on the video to look around! If it doesn’t work, check it on your phone or another browser.
Good Morning Race Fans!
Lots of action on the trail last night! Pete has the fastest time into Aniak, but it’s a barn burner as the top 6 teams are within 6 minutes of elapsed time. Great times. Cim Smyth and Mike Williams Jr. only took 2 hours rest of the 6 total they will need to take for the three checkpoints KLG UP, ANIAK, KLG Down. Riley Dyche and Cody Stathe didn’t rest in Aniak. Let the Games Begin!! Fun strategy always in this section of the race! We won’t see the true leader until the first Team leaves Kalskag bound for Tuluksak.
Go Team Kaiser!!
Screenshot
That was so much fun! How about another helping of photos?? Here you go!
Good Afternoon Race Fans!
It was a wonderful day at the Kuskokwim 300 Starting Line today! For many years the K300 started at midday before Teams became so high performance that leaving at midday meant arriving at the Finish Line in the wee hours of the morning. Later races start in the evening so spectators can see both the start and the finish at a “reasonable time.” Due to the threat of stormy warm conditions, it meant that we had a midday start. IT WAS GREAT!!
After all of the weather drama this year, it was great to have sunshine, mild temperatures, and virtually no wind! Everyone was just happy, happy, happy! As I’ve said before, dogsled racing is the celebration of these great dogs and those that care for them and today was truly a party!
Fans and the 17 Teams in this year’s race all gathered at the Starting line and before too long Pete was at the chute and ready to go! Pretty cool to see two Iditarod Champions set to leave in the first pair. Ryan Redington chose bib 1 and Pete was bib 2.
The dogs really were charged up by the atmosphere as well and soon it was 3-2-1 GO~!
The trail is hard and fast and the weather forecast shows it to be like this for the next two days before a warm storm hits the Delta.
Good luck to all of the Teams and GO TEAM KAISER!!
Howdy Kaiser Racing Fans!
The 45th running of the Kuskokwim 300 is upon us and 17 of the World’s Finest Teams have joined us in Bethel for 300 miles on the Kuskokwim!
The drawing is always a great get together seeing old friends as well as new faces to start the festivities of this great race.
It has been a really tough year for training in the Bethel area as well as South Central Alaska. I spoke to mushers from across the state and basically the Northern Teams had it pretty good, but everyone else had it tough. Two weeks ago it was raining and running water everywhere in the Bethel area. The Kanektok river went out in Quinhagak!! I actually saw whitecaps on one of the lakes. Then last week we had very cold temperatures that reached -27 in Bethel. As it warmed we got a dumping of snow like we haven’t in years and then it warmed up again. It was definitely YO-YO weather to be sure.
All of that weather action has made it too dangerous for some parts of the trail and the race committee has decided to drop the Whitefish loop. Richie Diehl, recently retired from mushing, but still very active on the race committee, came up with a plan to run the trail up through Aniak slough. The race mileage should be pretty similar when all tolled.
The monkey wrench in all of the planning is that another warm spell is headed our way. Organizers decided the best thing was to get the Teams out and on the trail as soon as possible. Reverting to the old starting schedule, Teams will leave the starting line in Bethel at 1:00pm. The hope is with the fast trail conditions, hard pack and warm, Teams should arrive into Bethel late Saturday evening and early Sunday.
As per usual, Myron Angstman read through the rules with the mushers, described the changed trail, and answered any questions. One new rule is that mushers will carry a Vet Book form thoughout the race, similar to the Iditarod. The amazing K300 veterinarians will log any comments about the Team and veterinarians in the following checkpoint will be able see those notes for anything extra they might need to check on a dog. Only the best for our four legged friends!
A $200,000 dollar purse will be shared among the Teams with the winner garnering $30,000 for their bank account.
Pete selected Bib 2, so Team Kaiser will be leaving out of the chute in the first pair as they go out two by two. Go Team Kaiser!!
A few items of note: Happy 70th Birthday to Jeff King! A perennial favorite, Jeff said he’s had a pretty good year of training and looking forward to the race.
Rookie Emily Robinson and recent winner of the Knik 200 is out in Bethel for her first Kuskokwim 300. Mom, Dad, and brother are here as well. Welcome to the Robinsons! Always Kaiser Racing Fans!
Here’s the photos!!
Please Share on Social Media!!
Big news from the Musher’s Drawing!
From Kuskokwim 300 Race Committee
“Due to impeding warmer weather forecast for Sunday we are moving up the start time of the 46th Annual Kuskokwim 300. The race will now begin at 1pm tomorrow, Friday February 7th.”
Tell your friends!
Howdy Race Fans!
Wow! It’s been a real challenge for Teams and Mushers this year! Warm weather and a lack of snow has really put a damper on training this year. Trails are non-existant or very rough. I personally went to get a Christmas tree with my truck this year. Absolutely no snow and glare ice! Last weekend it was raining and just no fun for man or dog. The forecast for this weekend is more rain and warm temperatures as well.
They call it the Holiday Classic and it’s supposed to run around the Holidays. The K300 had to postpone the race a couple of times and finally with a short chill and some snow in the forecast, it was decided that January 16 would be the day and Oh what a day it was! There wasn’t much snow, but both Teams and Men were treated to a great day of mushing on the 50 mile race up the Kuskokwim and into the Gweek river.
The race started with an almost full moon in the background and finished just before a short burst of snow.
Pete and the Team finished in fourth place while Ron arrived just after in 9th position. Jackrabbit kennels, or that’s what I call them, the Alexie Team were at least 3 miles ahead as they crossed the finish line to win.
Here are the photos from yesterday’s race. Fun to see some mushing at last!!
Check out the Kaiser Super Dogs in Mushing Magazine!
