Su Dog 300 warns of wet ahead of race day

Much of Alaska is under a weather advisory from Thursday night through Sunday. Winds are forecasted to bring rain and warm temperatures. The area that the run will take place is predicted to have close to 50 degree temperatures.

As news spread of the upcoming storm, natuarly mushers and volunteers began asking what this meant for the race. Would the trails hold up? 

The race took to social media late Thursday night with an update on the race. Trails are expected to hold up, but that mushers need to pack rain gear. "It is going to be wet," they wrote. 

Twenty-three teams were signed up and given bib numbers earlier this week, however the race has promised a 40% refund for anyone who withdraws prior to noon Friday.

The update came on the heels of the announcement Wednesday that the Iron Dog plans to use their traditional 2,500 mile route even with the crazy weather. The race, which is the longest "snowmobile" race in the world boasts a large and well known roster this year, and there's no doubt the race is under similar pressure as the Iditarod and other sled dog races across the state. The Iron Dog traditionally leaves off on Big Lake and travels up to Nome before they take a break to reboot the race (they work on their machines and get a little rest in) before continuing and finishing back on Big Lake.

According to reports, the least snow the Iron Dog will face is the section before the Alaska Range - which reports say has more snow than average - there's also little concern about the condition of the trails on the West coast of Alaska even though storms this week along with high tides are forecasted to cause flooding and massive overflow in the Yukon-Kuskoquim Delta region. 

As fans know, the Y-K Delta has seen races postponed due to poor trails and weather conditions. The popular Kuskokwim 300 was set to run this weekend, but had to be postponed in hopes for trail improvements and cooler temperatures and is currently rescheduled for February 7, 2025.

As the storm blows in that will affect this weekend's race, it is also set to hit South Central Alaska. SouthCentral as in Anchorage. Much of South Central is under a flood watch as rain and warm temps are predicted to cause a lot of water on road ways and lower parts of the topography. With the ground frozen there will be nowhere for the water to go. It leaves many expecting that the Iditarod will announce a Fairbanks start on February 3. It would also not be surprising to see them announce a shorter Ceremonial Start similar to what happened in 2016.

As Alaskans all grumble and glare at the Lower 48 (where New Orleans has reported twice as much snowfall this winter than Anchorage) and their lovely winter weather, it remains to be seen how many races will be affected by the "unseasonably warm" weather.

The Su Dog leaves from Willow Lake at 2pm on Saturday January 25. 

What do you think about the latest update from the Su Dog? Predictions on what Iditarod will do for their race? Comment below with your thoughts!

And, as always, you can Buy me a slice of pizza to help keep the blog up and running. It's always appreciated but never expected.

2025 Su Dog 300 musher roster and race preview

We have a brand new race in Alaska this year. Filling a spot that is very much needed, another three hundred mile race in the MatSu area. You could even think that this race is filling the gap left open when the Willow 300 imploded two years ago. Many teams missed the Willow, and it made qualifying for the bigger races that much harder. 

The Su Dog is not just filling a need, it's also making strides to be a more inclusive and positive race. The race's goal is to make it fun and more inviting for newer mushers who are just starting in the mid-distance racing scene as well as bringing in veteran teams. The idea is that this will build a community, where mushers can mentor and encourage one another. 

Another really interesting twist is - there is no prize money. There are prize packages - the site lists items like chainsaws, dog food, etc - but the hope is without prize money this will further encourage the teams to be friendly and helpful and "less competitive" minded. It's a similar attitude and vibe as the T-Dog race that had it's first race last season.

Even with the Su Dog originally scheduled to happen the same weekend as the extremely popular Kuskokwim 300 (which was postponed to February 7), the Su Dog's roster filled up almost immediately. With the race being on the road system and taking place in "sled dog central" it is very accessible by smaller kennels or kennel handlers. The trail has had to be rerouted from the original plan due to weather, and the roster has switched quite a bit with lack of training being cited by many of those that dropped out - however their slots were quickly snatched up but other mushers and they still have a waiting list!

With cooler temps showing up the week before the start, all things are now for sure a go.

So let's take a look at who is signed up, as always once the starting order is finalized the list will be edited to include bib numbers and any other roster changes.

Musher Roster

Bib	Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
1	Mike Dolinar	Susitna Sled Dog Adventures	Website	Facebook	Instagram
2	Chloe Beatty	Fourleaf Dog Sledding		Facebook	Instagram
3	Casey Randall	Rock On Racing	Website	Facebook	Instagram
4	Josiah Liebe	Dallas Seavey Racing	Website	Facebook	Instagram
5	Dane Baker	Alaskan Husky Adventures	Website	Facebook	Instagram
6	Matthew Failor	17th Dog/Alaskan Husky Adventures	Website	Facebook	Instagram
7	Mike Parker	Northern Whites Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
8	Travis Vanderhoof	Dream Team Kennels		Facebook	Instagram
9	Rohn Buser	Susitna Sled Dog Adventures	Website	Facebook	Instagram
10	Skylar Whitcomb	Shameless Huskies		Facebook	Instagram
11	Matt Paveglio	Dream Team Kennel/Barking Mad Dog Jockeys	Website	Facebook	Instagram
12	Hunter Keefe	Redington Mush Alaska	Website	Facebook	Instagram
13	Jeremiah Ovard	Snowhook Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
14	Robert Redington	Dogsled AK		Facebook	Instagram
15	Juliah DeLoach	Oil Well Kennel		Facebook
16	Courtney Hagan	Taku Racing Kennel		Facebook	Instagram
17	Sam Brewer	Tailwind Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
18	Mary Boniface	Tailwind Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
19	Adam Lindenmuth	Sojourn Kennels		Facebook	Instagram
20	Kristy Berington	Seeing Double Racing	Website	Facebook	Instagram
21	Sadie Lindquist	Seavey's Ididaride	Website	Facebook	Instagram
22	Jessi Downey	Aimaagvik Kennel		Facebook	Instagram
23	Laura Kelly	Daybreak Kennel		Facebook	Instagram

*Roster as of January 21, 2025 at 9:30pm

In the spirit of the race, we won't be looking at which teams to watch "for the win", because we really should focus on following and cheering on each team as they accomplish the inaugural Su Dog 300 race.

The Su Dog 300 has many of the traditional rules of sled dog races, but they've partnered with Light Up the Lead Dogs to make sure all teams are visible out on the trails. They have several rules about how sleds and dogs will wear reflective tape and lights so as to be seen. The race states that the trails are shared by many snow machines and for the safety of all involved the rules are needed.

Rules:
10. Lighted collars on lead dogs during all twilight and dark hours except within checkpoints.
11. A minimum of 12 inches of reflective tape/material on the back of the musher’s outerwear.
12. A minimum of 12 inches of reflective tape/material on each of the following areas of the sled bag: both sides, front, and back.
13. Properly fitted, non-chafing dog harnesses worn by each dog on the gangline, with a minimum of 3 inches of reflective tape/material on each side of harness.

Light up the Lead Dogs is a program that was created last year after a series of incidents involving sled dog teams and snow machines saw dogs be injured and killed. While those teams did all they could at the time to be seen, it was deemed that more should be done. If the drivers of these incidents were going to say they couldn't see them/weren't responsible, it was time to change things up. Thus LULD was born from one woman's heart to do more. 

To make this possible, Light Up the Lead Dogs has partnered with the Alaska Snowmachine Alliance to fund as many collars as possible to give them out to as many sled dog teams as possible (racing, recreational). It is an important and worthy goal.

So, while those out on the trails will be able to see and hopefully stop and watch the teams - how can those of us who are "armchair mushers" follow the race?

How to Watch

Official Website
The best place to learn about all things SuDog is the official website. It is well produced, with fun colors, and a lot of information. You will find race rules, musher bios, and other wonderful tidbits.

Social Media
The race is quite active on their Facebook page, using the platform to keep fans and mushers alike informed on all the race news leading up to the start. Any changes, or extra info can be found on their page. They also have an Instagram page that should get a little more active once photos of the weekend are posted.

GPS Tracking
The race's website does say that there will be trackers and to check back on race day to follow along. Chances are they are using trackleaders.com and so once that link goes live it will be shared on this post.

Live Feeds

Kale Casey confirmed that he will be at the SuDog to film the start live and follow the race as much as possible. To follow Kale's feeds you'll need to be able to watch via Facebook where he goes live. He also posts videos/replays on his youtube channel, but those can pop up many hours later. It wouldn't be surprising to also see the race go live on their own social media platforms (which are linked above).

Schedule of Events

January 25, 2025
[Vet checks by appointment]
11am - Musher Meeting
[Vet checks by appointment]

2pm - RACE START

January 27, 2025
SOUP DOG CONTEST - click here for info

[Finishes throughout the day]

January 28, 2025
6pm - Closing ceremony/awards dinner

Are you excited for this new race? Thoughts on the Su Dog 300? Share in the comments below!

And, as always, you can Buy me a slice of pizza to help keep the blog up and running. It's always appreciated but never expected.

2025 Eagle Cap Extreme musher roster and race preview

Oregon's one and only Iditarod Qualifing race is ready to kick off January 22. There are teams from several states getting ready to run in both the 200mile and 100mile classes (there's also a 31mile class). 

The 200 mile class are the ones potentially qualifying for larger races like the Iditarod. Several of the musher bios on the website note plans for running Iditarod in the future and one (Morrison) will be running their rookie Iditarod in March.

There are seven teams signed up to run the full 200 mile race, and ten signed up for the 100 mile. Both rosters are a healthy mix of veteran and rookie mushers. It's worth a few minutes to check out each team and send some encouragement.

Unlike Alaska, the Pacific Northwest has gotten its fair share of snow (or maybe it's unfair since most of Alaska has little to NONE.) The race had to cancel last year due to lack of snow, but it doesn't look to have that problem this year. This is no doubt for the mushers, dogs, and local tourism alike.

So, let's take a look at who plan to head off down the trail this week. As always, the roster will be updated with bib number after the race publishes the info. 

200 Mile Roster

Bib	Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
12	Wade Donaldson	Bear Ridge Adventures	Website	Facebook	Instagram
13	Charmayne Morrison	Morrison Racing Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
14	Misheala Robertson	Morrison Racing Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
15	Kevin Mathis	Go the Distance	Race Bio	Facebook
16	Clayton Perry	TSA Kennels	Race Bio	Facebook
17	Trace Drake	TSA Kennels	Race Bio	Facebook

*Roster as of January 22, 2025 at 9:00pm AKST

100 Mile Roster

Bio	Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
20	Connie Starr	Weeno-Pullyu	Race Bio	Facebook
21	Jesika Reimer	The Reimer Pack	Website	Facebook	Instagram
22	Nicole Lombardi	?	?	?	?
23	Kelly Barton	Paradox Siberians	Race Bio	Facebook
24	Dallin Donaldson	Bear Ridge Adventures	Website	Facebook	Instagram
25	Bino Fowler	Beatfeet Sleddogs	Race Bio	Facebook
26	Natalie Donaldson-Wilson	Bear Ridge Adventures	Website	Facebook	Instagram
27	Madeline Rubida	?		Facebook	Instagram
28	Ryan Clegg	Bear Ridge Adventures	Race Bio	Facebook

*Roster as of January 22, 2025 at 9:00pm AKST

How to Watch

The Eagle Cap has a wonderful website full of tons of information for how to watch in person at the different checkpoints. It is well organized and easy to read, you definitely want to take time to explore their site. Be sure to read the musher bios, some fun little tidbits hidden there.

They are active on Facebook, and will most likely share even more as the race begins.

Trackers should be live for this event and as the race date gets closer that link will become available. (The blog will be updated once the link is live.)

Schedule of Events
(Note: times are Pacific Timezone)

Wednesday, January 22
9am-4pm Vet Checks
6pm Potluck & Bib Draw

Thursday, January 23
12pm Race Start

Saturday, January 25
5:30pm Awards Reception

Kuskokwim 300 announces postponement

Late Wednesday night the Board of Directors released a statement on their website stating that through a unanimous decision the 2025 Kusko would be postponed by two weeks. Citing a warm and wet winter creating a lack of snow pack for a safe trail and concerns that temperatures were projected to continue to rise throughout the week, officials had no choice.

This announcement did not surprise most fans and locals as most of Alaska has had a serious lack of winter. Fans had an inkling this announcement was coming after another one of the Delta Championship Series, the Holiday Opener, was once again postponed due to rising temps just days before. 

Ironically, the Holiday Opener was able to take place on Thursday just hours after the news broke about the Kusko.

This is the first major race in Alaska to have to postpone. Smaller races have had to postpone or cancel, but races like the Knik 200 and Copper Basin 300 were able to make it work even with lack of snow pack, threats of rain, and overflow. But those races had an abundance of trails to choose from that did not rely on mostly travel by river. The Kuskokwim 300 runs mostly on, well, the Kuskokwim River while visiting several of the KuskoDelta villages. 

"Organizers felt that in light of the bleak forecast, a decision should be made to postpone before teams begin making the costly trip to Bethel early next week," the press release stated. "The Race Committee has been in touch with registered mushers in the days leading up to the decision to postpone and at this time, no racers have indicated an intent to withdraw as a result of the change."

Currently there are twentyfive teams signed up for this year's Kusko. Most notibly affected by this change of date will be junior musher Emily Robinson. Robinson, most fans know, has become something of a legend. The teen wins just about every race she enters and the Kusko is set to be her first three hundred mile race. Not every junior musher is allowed to run this race, their entry is up to race officials and committee to allow. Sure, all teams are under that scrutiny, but junior mushers must show that they are capable of handling a 300 mile race by themselves and care for their team by themselves. Robinson has shown this not just on the junior circut, but by also running (and winning) "adult" races like the Knik 200 the past two seasons. 

The problem for Robinson is that this date change puts the Kusko start on the same day as the Willow Jr 100, a race that Robinson is signed up for. The question will be whether the seventeen year old chooses to forgo a race in her division and race in the more "pro circut-esque" Kuskokiwm 300 which will be her hardest race to date (on paper).

This is not the first time the race has had to move its race dates "last minute". There have been several times in race history that changes had to be made, most notibly in 2021 during the Covid-19 Pandemic when they postponed the race so they could figure out a way to run the race safely while also letting mushers from outside the region attend (they limited the number of teams traveling into Bethel to ten). In the 46 years of Kusko history there has never been an all out cancellation of the race.

To view the full press release you can visit the race's website.

Thoughts on last night's news? Do you believe Emily Robinson will (or should) choose to run the Kusko? Comment below with your thoughts!

And, as always, you can Buy me a slice of pizza to help keep the blog up and running. It's always appreciated but never expected.

Iditarod to decide February 3 which trail to use

In an announcement today that surprises probably no one, the Iditarod Trail Committee announced that they are currently monitoring trail and weather conditions and will come to a decision by February 3, 2025 what to do.

The state of Alaska has had an incredibly unusual winter. Temperatures well above freezing for most if not all of the state. Rain instead of snow has been the norm since December for South Central Alaska. Anchorage, Alaska over the weekend dealt with Hurricane force winds and rain wiping away the last bit of winter everywhere.

This is not the norm, and with it has come a lot of uncertainty for the Last Great Race.

Currently the race is scheduled to hold its Ceremonial Start on March 2 in Anchorage, Alaska with the ReStart to be held in Willow the following day. Snow is often trucked in from outside of Anchorage to put down a trail through the streets and paths of Anchorage for the eleven mile jaunt. In 2016, the race could not make it the full eleven miles due to lack of snow, but they managed to pull off a three mile run ending at the little league ball fields. It wasn't ideal, but it worked. At this time, there's no reason to assume they can't find a similar alternative this year should the snow continue to allude the 49th state.

The big unknown is what trail will the actual race take off from. Currently Willow is reporting above freezing temps and rain mixed with snow - but they do have snow, and they have trails. They're one of the few places that can boast some sort of winter. However, the weather over the weekend with the wind and rain did a lot of damage to many of the trails that Iditarod uses to leave from Willow Lake on their way to Yentna. 

Compounding the problem are the reports that the Susitna River has not frozen over. The Su is one of the many river highways Alaskans use in the winter to get from point A to point B. The Iditarod uses this "super highway" in the early days of the race. In fact, without a frozen Susitna, there is not a good way to get to Nome from Willow. 

Fairbanks has seen quite a bit of warm temps - hitting the 50s this weekend - but they still have snow, and ways to get to the West Coast that does not require swimming. Hopefully. If they choose to do the Fairbanks start it will be the fourth time in race history (the three years prior being 2003, 2015, and 2017 - all of which had normal Ceremonial Starts). A restart in Fairbanks would have the race take off on Monday instead of Sunday, and would likely have about a day earlier finish.

On the opposite end of the trail, Nome is lacking snow and looking more like South Central Alaska with little to no snow in town or out. This is not the only town on the West Coast of Alaska to have winter weather problems. The Kuskokwim Delta has had its issues with above freezing temps, winds, and rain. Several of the Delta Championship Series races have had to be postponed, and there's talk that the Kusko 300 is in jeopardy of starting on time. 

Fans should not worry about a full cancelation of Iditarod 53. As long as there is snow (or even possibly a hint of it) they will do their best to find a way. The Iditarod has never been cancelled in the history of the race, and while there is always the posibility of a first time, the Iditarod took to social media Monday night to assure fans that they are in no way planning to cancel.

The Iditarod Trail Committee will make the decision by 5pm on February 3, 2025. 

What do you think? Fairbanks for the start? Will they get to do the full Ceremonial Start? Comment below with your thoughts.

And, as always, you can Buy me a slice of pizza to help keep the blog up and running. It's always appreciated but never expected.