Willow 300 needs volunteers

September into October often sees many sled dog races start to amp up their social media presence (if they have one at all) with updates on race dates and registration links. It's not often that a race starts asking for volunteers to commit to shifts so soon, but that's what the Willow 300 did on Tuesday. The Willow 300 is a fairly new race in Alaska - having started in 2017, but having to cancel in 2019 due to weather. The race returned in 2020, but has always struggled for man power. 2020 saw a small field of volunteers having multiple duties all at once. There was talk of burn out, but the love of the dogs and sport kept them in the trenches. 

Wanting to improve the quality of the volunteer experience, as well as address burn out and safety concerns, the Willow 300's 2021 race is contingent on volunteer sign ups. The teams to run the race are there, but they need the infrastructure to successfully continue one of the few races in South Central Alaska used as an Iditarod and Yukon Quest qualifier. 

"Urgent: Please spread the word.
We want more than anything to hold the Willow 300 Sled Dog Race this year, but if we can be frank, we need more volunteers to make it happen. Experience, no experience, all are welcome.
The last few years we have managed on fewer volunteers than we really should have. We never jeopardized safety, and we never will, but this year, due to not only Covid but the strain of everything else that is ongoing, many of our regular volunteers may not be able to assist. Due to travel constraints, essential employees needed where they are and economic reasons, many volunteers will have to sit out this race.
If you can help, in any capacity, we need a firm commitment of the day or days, hours you can give us. We can take it from there once we have people who are willing to commit. We will see where you can be placed and work with you to make it happen.
We can't stress enough the urgency of our need. Will you help keep a tradition alive?
If so, please contact us by pm or contact Marshall at 907-707-9254. Call or text is fine.
If you are a musher and have friends or family that can volunteer, we appreciate you sharing our call for help. 🙂
The dates of the Willow 300 are Thursday, February 4 - Sunday, February 7, 2021. Volunteers are also needed the day before and after the race dates.
Thank you in advance for helping us keep a wonderful tradition alive." - W300 Facebook

The volunteer positions will mainly fall to Alaskans with the pandemic still hanging over the race season. While the Willow 300 has not stated what - if any - special accommodations they have planned depending the state of Covid by February, several other races have given details into how they will keep contamination to a minimum. The Yukon Quest has cancelled their Canadian version of the 300 - which originally was going to be in place of the 1,000 mile race - and on the Alaskan side they've renamed the 300 race to the Summit Quest. Iditarod put out a statement this weekend saying that they are planning for several options dependent on the severity of the Covid-19 Pandemic by March and how villages feel. The Kuskokwim 300 gave the most detailed plan this week on how they plan to allow teams and volunteers to travel into the Western Alaska town and villages. 

With travel still limited, it may be a great way to encourage Alaskans to stop thinking of Hawaii and instead take up some volunteering with the state's official sport. If you are interested in volunteering for the Willow 300 contact Marshall at 907.707.9254 for info.