Category Archives: K300

2016 Kuskokwim 300 Champion – Peter Kaiser

After the long weekend of racing and excitement, Mushers, Families, Sponsors, Host Families, Volunteers, and a good crowd of folks met to break bread together and listen to the stories from the trail. It was a hard fought battle this year with many comments from the Mushers including, “Worst I’ve ever seen” or many other adjectives. The Kuskokwim 300 is world renowned as being a tough race. As Pete said in his pre-race interview, “After you have prepared for the K300, you may as well run the Iditarod because you are already trained well enough to do the race.”

Pete received $25,000 for his win and a beautiful trophy made by his dad, Ron Kaiser. Ron makes the trophies every year and the last two have been extra special for him because they go to his son. Over the years Ron has created some real pieces of artwork and this year was no exception.

Now that the banquet is over, the airport is bustling with mushers, handlers, and dogs leaving on planes to bring mushers back to their home dog yards to prepare for the next challenge. For Pete and the Team, it is off to Kaiser Kennel North, a new training yard that he now has in the Nenana area. After several years of really bad training weather, he knew that he would have to make arrangements to keep training even when the weather was poor. Last year he was lucky enough to have a place with Aaron Burmester, but he decided that a more permanent place was needed and Kaiser Kennel North was borne.

Next up for the Team is the Iditarod in a month and a half or so. We will keep you posted. Go Team Kaiser!

Bogus 150 Trophy

Good Food

T-Shirts

Akiak Dash Trophy

Jackie Larson – Bogus 150 Champion

Hugh Neff and John Baker talk shop

Ari Kaiser

Kurt Parkan with Donlin Gold wins Pete’s Sled Number Auction

Martin Buser

Tony Browning

Interested Onlookers

Jackie Larson

Mike Williams Jr. and his little one

Ari’s Grandma Hoffman

Myron the Auctioneer

The Kaiser Family

John and Bev McDonald

Ari and the Lucky Number

Pete looks on

Jeff King

Richie Diehl – Alaska Airlines Humanitarian Award

2016 K300 Championship Trophy

Race Marshall Nels Alexie

Recognizing Elias Venes

Lance Mackey

Paul Gebhardt

Tony Browning

John Baker

Mike Williams Jr.

Hugh Neff

Brent Sass

Josh Cadzow – 5th Place

Richie Diehl – 4th Place

Brent Sass – 2nd Place

Pete Kaiser speaks to the crowd

Checking his notes

Congratulations by Nels Alexie

Setting the record straight

Thank you to Victor Bee for his excellent aerial drone skills! Very Exciting Finish!

Sitting having breakfast with the Kaisers, Janet and Ron, listening to Josh Cadzow, Richie Diehl, and Pete Kaiser regale each other with locker room tales from the trail was a fun way to tie up the 2016 Kuskokwim 300. The young men, laughing and joking, compadres from the trail speaking in musher language we hardly can understand, was background noise to a football game on TV and yummy food prepared by friends. It is this that makes the work and perseverance worth it.

Pete looks tired with his son in his arms sitting in his Mom, Janet’s, rocking chair. But he is relaxed and content- Home again after a successful run on the trail. Win or not, it is the finish that is the goal. It was a tough trail and the men joking and laughing puts an exclamation point on the weekend. Fun is what truly drives them.

Here are the photos from Pete’s finish. Go Team Kaiser!!