Kaisers Bookend the K300 Race Day

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The first Team out of the 2015 Starting Line wore Team Kaiser colors today and so did the last. Ron and his Team left first in the Bogus Creek 150, while Pete and his Team left last in the Kuskowim 300.

This reporter has been covering the Kuskokwim 300 since 1995 or so when I started the website for the Committee. In all of those years, I think this was the nicest weather, at least for the fans, that I can remember. It was warm and calm with an air of excitement and festival that don’t come all too often here on the banks of the mighty Kuskokwim River.
There is is much to share, but let’s start with the important. Ron and his Team were Bib number 1 for the 2015 Bogus Creek 150. Team Kaiser started the weekend of mushing by leaving the chute on time at 5pm Alaska time.
I spend quite a bit of time with Ron supporting Pete and the Team and I’ll have to say that he was pretty happy and excited today. The Team, as usual, was beautiful as they left on the Trail for Bogus Creek, almost 75 miles away. There are 6 teams competing in the Race that pays out many more positions. The effect is that all teams will have a Prize waiting at the Finish Line. See More about Bogus Prizes HERE.

Mushing Weather for tonight:

KUSKOKWIM DELTA-
INCLUDING...BETHEL
337 PM AKST FRI JAN 16 2015
...FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT AKST
TONIGHT FROM BETHEL EAST...
.TONIGHT...PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW. FROM BETHEL EAST...LIGHT RAIN
AND FREEZING RAIN IN THE EVENING BECOMING SNOW BY MIDNIGHT. SNOW
ACCUMULATION 1 TO 3 INCHES. ICE ACCUMULATION UP TO ONE
TENTH...MAINLY EAST OF BETHEL. LOWS 5 TO 15 ABOVE. WEST WIND 10
TO 20 MPH EXCEPT NORTHWEST 10 TO 25 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 35 MPH ALONG
THE COAST.
.SATURDAY...SNOW LIKELY IN THE MORNING...THEN SCATTERED SNOW
SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH. EARLY
HIGHS 15 TO 20 DROPPING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS IN THE AFTERNOON.
WEST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.

There will be more to share, but let’s start with the Bogus Creek 150 Starting Line Photos:

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Welcome to Race Day 2015 Kuskokwim 300!

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Good Morning Race Fans!

Today kicks off the 2015 Race Season as Kaiser Racing puts two teams into events this weekend.

The festivities begin this afternoon as Uppa Ron (In our native language, Uppa is Grandpa) takes the trail with 10 dogs in the Bogus Creek 150. He will leave at 5:00pm and head up the trail to the Bogus Campsite Checkpoint. Mushers layover and camp out and then head back to Bethel. Unlike the K300, the Bogus Creek 15o allows a “Pit Crew” that will run up to the checkpoint and get the campsite ready and waiting. Ron hasn’t been on the race scene for several years, but has been on the runners as long as anyone. He’s excited to make the trip and should have a great time with 10 members of the Team!

Bogus Creek 150 Start Times

Bogus Creek 150 Start Times

Pete and the Team are also anxious to get started. They have been training hard this year and Pete has said several times that this Team is really a barn burner. Strong and Young and Talented, this group has the makings of a great one, but the trail always puts challenges towards the best teams, so Pete will see how it goes. They are starting on the last duo from the Start Line and should get a good view of the Fireworks this evening.

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The temperatures have been so warm that Officials are a bit worried about the Kuskokwim River. They are restricting vehicles from driving to the Start Line to keep as much weight off the area as possible. Usually the river is 30-40 inches thick at this point in the winter, but today it measures just over 23 inches. That is a good amount of ice, but if you combine a hundred vehicles, there is room for concern.

Weather is on the mend and temperatures will drop through the weekend. Considering it was raining last weekend, this is a welcome change.

K300 Racing Forecast-

KUSKOKWIM DELTA-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...BETHEL...HOOPER BAY...NUNIVAK ISLAND
331 PM AKST THU JAN 15 2015

...SEASONAL TEMPERATURES ON THE WAY BACK TO THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA...

A RETURN TO MORE SEASONAL TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED THIS WEEKEND OVER
THE REGION AS COLD AIR FILTERS INTO THE AREA IN THE WAKE OF A WEATHER
SYSTEM THAT WILL BE PUSHING THROUGH WESTERN ALASKA ON FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY.  

TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO FALL OVER THE AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON WITH
OVERNIGHT LOWS NEAR ZERO FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT AND AFTERNOON
TEMPERATURES REACHING 10 TO 15 ABOVE ZERO FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY.
ACCOMPANYING THESE TEMPERATURES WILL BE NORTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 20
MPH...WHICH WILL BRING WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES DOWN TO 10 TO 20 BELOW
ZERO.

RESIDENTS IN THE KUSKOKWIM DELTA ARE URGED TO BE PREPARED FOR MORE
SEASONAL WEATHER CONDITIONS RATHER THAN THE WARMER MORE FALL LIKE
CONDITIONS THAT HAVE BEEN COMMON THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS. REMEMBER TO
LEAVE A TRAVEL PLAN WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY IF YOUR WEEKEND PLANS
INCLUDE TRAVEL IN THE REGION.
.TODAY...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN LIKELY...CHANGING OVER TO SNOW IN THE
AFTERNOON. ICE ACCUMULATION LESS THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH. WEST
OF BETHEL...SNOW LIKELY. SNOW ACCUMULATION 1 TO 2 INCHES. HIGHS IN
THE 20S. NORTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH EXCEPT NORTH 15 TO 30 MPH
ALONG THE COAST.
.TONIGHT...SNOW SHOWERS...WITH A CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN SHOWERS
IN THE EVENING EAST OF BETHEL. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 2 INCHES.
LOWS 10 TO 15 ABOVE. NORTHWEST WIND 10 TO 25 MPH
.SATURDAY...NUMEROUS SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN SCATTERED
SNOW SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH.
HIGHS 10 TO 15 ABOVE. WEST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS.
PATCHY FOG. LOWS ZERO TO 10 ABOVESOUTH WIND 15 MPH.
.SUNDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY WITH ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS. HIGHS 5 TO 20
ABOVE. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 20 MPH.
.SUNDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW. LOWS
10 TO 15.
.MARTIN LUTHER KING JR DAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 15 TO 20.
.MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW.
LOWS AROUND 10. HIGHS AROUND 20.

LOWER KUSKOKWIM VALLEY-
INCLUDING...ANIAK...SLEETMUTE
440 AM AKST FRI JAN 16 2015

...FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON AKST
TODAY FROM SLEETMUTE WEST...

.TODAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED FREEZING RAIN SHOWERS IN
THE MORNING...THEN A CHANCE FOR RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN IN THE
AFTERNOON. FROM SLEETMUTE WEST...LIGHT FREEZING RAIN LIKELY IN THE
MORNING...BECOMING RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. ICE ACCUMULATION LESS
THAN ONE TENTH OF AN INCH. HIGHS IN THE 30S. EAST WIND 10 TO 15
MPH.
.TONIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS IN THE EVENING...
THEN SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS AFTER MIDNIGHT. LOWS IN THE
20S. SOUTHEAST WIND 10 TO 15 MPH.
.SATURDAY...SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MORNING...THEN NUMEROUS
SNOW SHOWERS IN THE AFTERNOON. SNOW ACCUMULATION UP TO 2 INCHES.
HIGHS IN THE MID 20S TO LOWER 30S. VARIABLE WIND 10 MPH.
.SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS. LOWS
5 BELOW TO 5 ABOVE. VARIABLE WIND 10 MPH.
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K3 for the K300!!

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News! News! News!

Exciting news from the 2015 Kuskokwim 300 Mushers drawing this evening!

Pete and the A Team are ready for action tomorrow evening on what appears to be a very fast trail. The big news, though, is that our own, Uppa Ron Kaiser, Pete’s Dad, is signed up and ready for the Bogus 150 as well. And even more exciting to see is Team Kaiser’s good friend and mentor, Bill Eisenbart, who is rumored to be running the Akiak Dash! WOW!!

What a fun weekend is in store for Kaiser Racing Fans!

Pete and his team just arrived into Bethel from a couple of month’s training in Nenana at the Aaron Burmeister ranch. It has been a pretty busy time for them getting acclimated to the ice and slippery trail after the luxurious snow and trails of the interior.

Tonight K300 and Bogus Creek Mushers met at the Long House Bethel Hotel for the Musher Meeting and Position Drawing. The list of mushers is long and distinguished this year with many Iditarod and Yukon Quest winners and top competitors in the field. K300 Board President Myron Angstman went over the rules and trail conditions before the mushers selected their starting position. The event is very informal and a conglomeration of the best mushing personalities in the business.

This year’s trail will follow the truck trail from Bethel to Aniak and back to Bethel. Myron explained that this has been done several times in the 36 year history of the race. He expected a 36 hour race which would put the 2015 Winner across the finish line in Bethel in the early hours of Sunday morning. (Just in time for the Seahawks/Packers Game!)

Ron will be running the race after a 4 year absence from the racetrails. He sounded excited and ready for action. The Team Kaiser Pit Crew of Rick and Kathy Hanson, Jenn Peeks, Lucas Salzbrun and others will meet him up at Bogus for the evening break. What fun to see Uppa Ron on the sled runners again!! (Take a look at Ron’s 2015 K300 Trophy- It’s a winner on its own. The photo lights up and as usual is a work of art on its own.)

We will talk with Pete tomorrow with a pre race interview to get his take on the trail and the 2015 Team.

Here are some photos from tonights festivities~

 

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