Category Archives: 2017

Lights of Tuluksak in Sight

By | | ,
Comments Off on Lights of Tuluksak in Sight

Pete and the Team are up for a 4 hour break, the longest they’ve had since early this morning in Kalskag on the way to Aniak. Brent Sass and his Team have been gaining the entire 50 mile stretch but after Bogus it seemed to settle into about a 15 minute interval.

Richie Diehl has his hand’s full as well as his Team has been running neck and neck with Jesse Holmes of Nat Geo’s Life Below Zero fame. It definitely is below zero tonight with temps into the -30’s on the Trail.

Now it’s time for all of us to get a short break from the Tracker and awake tomorrow for the Finish Line festivities. It’s bound to be an exciting time and I can’t wait to see it play out. Please note that I have both the 2016 and 2017 Leaderboards in the menu links above to do some comparing yourself. Have fun!

Go Team Kaiser!

Share

Midnight on the Kuskokwim

By | | ,
Comments Off on Midnight on the Kuskokwim

Tracker Eye – The only remedy is the Finish Line!

As we are all glued to the K300 Tracker, teams are making their way down the Kuskokwim towards a 4 hour layover and Vet check. As luck would have it Pete’s tracker seems to be offline at the moment putting a lump in the throats of fans trying to glean any little detail about his trip through the night. Brent Sass has been gaining on Team Kaiser for the last 30 or so miles and the gap is down to about 15 minutes or so.

It is a cold one on the trail and leading the pack can be a stressful endeavor. I’m sure Pete knows Brent is there, but on many occasions he’s told me that it really depends on the dogs and the tracker makes it more suspenseful than it really is. You only go as fast as you need to go to keep those puppies happy.

Come to think of it, has Pete ever USED a tracker? We’re here night after night, year after year, but we are usually following HIM!

In any case, the next hour or so will be very telling as to what is in store for Pete and the Team. He’s got to be pretty pleased over all though as his times are good.

Stay tuned! Go Team Kaiser!

Share

This is OFFICIALLY DE-JA-VU! Identical Times!

By | | ,
Comments Off on This is OFFICIALLY DE-JA-VU! Identical Times!

What are the chances that in two different years the two top Teams in the Kuskokwim 300 would be in the EXACT same position and time? Well pretty good actually!

I got a call from a Race Fan asking about what time I thought the finish might be. I did a bit of looking and here’s what I found. The two Teams are almost identically matched to 2016! Go Team Kaiser!!

Share

The Race is On- Out of Kalskag

By | | ,
Comments Off on The Race is On- Out of Kalskag

Early in Pete’s racing career he learned the hard way about checkpoint efficiency and how each minute can truly win or lose a race. Pete and the Team were out of Kalskag EXACTLY 1 hour after arriving. This strategy of stopwatch accuracy while in the checkpoints and mandatory stops is one of his strict rules he imposes on himself and the Team. If you’ve ever seen him in a checkpoint, there isn’t much time even to say “Hello” or “How ‘ya doin'” He is a finely tuned machine in total “Race Mode.”

(So please don’t take it personal when you see mushers and they don’t say much) It is true focus and the competitiveness of these highly tuned athletes.

Pete and the Team left Kalskag and are now on the trail to Tuluksak. They left one dog in Kalskag and at 7:45pm hit the trail with 9 dogs.

UPDATE- Brent Sass out of Kalskag right on time as well. Left at 8:19 with 10 dogs.

Go Team Kaiser!!

Share

There Will Be NO Sleep TONIGHT!!

By | |
Comments Off on There Will Be NO Sleep TONIGHT!!

As Race Fans in Bethel took in the K300 fireworks show, the face of the 2017 Kuskokwim 300 was materializing in Kalskag. In what is shaping up to be a deja-vu moment from the 2016 Kuskokwim 300, Pete and fellow Musher Brent Sass may have a shoot out in front of them.

Brent arrived first into Kalskag at 5:19pm this afternoon with a 3 hour mandatory break in front of him. Pete and Team Kaiser arrived into Kalskag at 6:45pm with only 1 hour left on the mandatory clock.

Pete will be able to leave Kalskag at 7:45pm and Brent will be able to leave at 8:19pm. This 34 minute differential seems to be the big question. Pete has the fastest time in from Aniak, with a 16 minute faster time than Sass. Will the extra rest be beneficial or not for Sass? That is the big question of the night.

A couple of other Teams not to be discounted are Holmes and Redington who can leave around the 9pm hour this evening.

It’s going to be a real exciting evening as Teams make for the 4 hour mandatory rest and vet check in Tuluksak, 50 miles down the trail from Kalskag.

Race fans will remember the trail last year where Brent Sass was making up time on Pete and the Team all the way into the Finish. Both mushers were sweating from kicking so hard down the stretch. My prediction is that there will be no sleep tonight as we keep our eyes focused on the marvel that we know as THE TRACKER!!

In terms of weather, it is going to be close to what Mushers had in front of them last night, but with a bit of wind on their backs–

Tonight: Patchy freezing fog. Mostly clear, with a low around -28. Wind chill values as low as -50. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.

Go Team Kaiser!!

Share

Video – Niklas Wikstrand – Bogus 150 Interview (Norwegian and English Versions)

By | | ,
Comments Off on Video – Niklas Wikstrand – Bogus 150 Interview (Norwegian and English Versions)

For his fans and friends back home, I had Nik give a post race interview in Norwegian. (Now I have no IDEA what he was saying, but I trust he relayed his post race emotion) I also made one in English. He’s an interesting guy and we have been happy to have him around.

The Post Race interview is identical (and in English) by KYUK’s Angela Denning and then the personal interview is in one of the languages. The DOGS LOOK GREAT! Go Team Kaiser!

Share

If These Dog’s are Rockin’ – Don’t Bother Knockin’ – Into Aniak!

By | | ,
Comments Off on If These Dog’s are Rockin’ – Don’t Bother Knockin’ – Into Aniak!

Pete and the Team are into Aniak at 2:01pm. Team Kaiser was 4th into Aniak with the fastest time enroute by 24 minutes. The stats are looking good and Aniak is showing a balmy -31 with calm winds. Take a look at the following video from the Aniak Checkpoint. Man o Man!! Those dogs are ROCKIN’!!!

 

Share