While the roster is a little on the small side (for CB300) there are still 25+ teams set to run - though final count won't be official until the bib draw Friday night. Teams have posted to their social media pages that they were making their way to Glenallen.
Let's take a look at the top teams that should challenge for first.
Brent Sass - The three-time Yukon Quest Champion has proven to once again be one of the top mushers in any field. Sass has shared a lot during the training season of just the daily trials and struggles of running a champion level kennel. He's shared video of the slow going of putting in a trail, to breaking trail, and losing a snow machine (for you outsiders you call it a snowmobile) to overflow. Sass lives off grid in the interior of Alaska and should be well suited for the crazy cold temps the racers will face this weekend.
Jeff Deeter - Deeter was scheduled to run in the Knik 200 last weekend, however the severe snow storms that the Interior of Alaska has faced most of the winter set back his training. He posted earlier this week that he is bringing his core group of Iditarod dogs to this race but is looking for this to be more of a training run. He DID use a "however" throwing in the possibility that should his team look strong, he'll challenge for the top spot.
Joar Leifseth Ulsom - The 2018 Iditarod Champion and new dad is starting his season in the "toughest 300 miles" race. Joar is not good at sharing what his plans are for any given race, but it'd be easy to guess that he will be working hard for a top finish. He did come in second last season.
Matt Hall - Matt posted that he was on the fence for several days if he was going to come down to the race or not. The -40 temps had him second guessing his choices, but he is headed for the race today. Look for Matt to put up a strong race.
Nicolas Petit - The four-time and reigning Copper Basin Champion looks to keep the streak alive and snag a fifth title this weekend. Petit won the Knik 200 last weekend with seemingly little problem with the wind and overflow, so look for him to once again take the lead early and hold on to it. He is, in my mind, the king of the mid-distance races.
Travis Beals - Travis came in second at this year's Knik 200 race, and won the humanitarian award for best dog care. Beals has been climbing steadily as one of the foremost mushers in this sport, and his season has started off incredibly strong. He'll no doubt want to keep the momentum going for this race.
How to Follow
While covid is still a concern, last year proved that - for the most part - mushing races are relatively safe for all participants and so rules are a little more lax. It also helps that most mushers and volunteers are vaxxed as it's a requirement for the Iditarod and everyone must be vaxxed well in advance of that race.
GPS Tracker
As fans have come expect, there is once again a GPS tracker to follow your favorite teams! Many thanks to TrackLeaders for providing the technology needed to make this possible. You can find the link to track the 2022 race here.
Radio Broadcast
KCAM Radio will broadcast the start beginning with musher interviews at 9:30am. If you're in the area you can listen to the broadcast on AM 790, or online through this link.
Social Media
Updates will most likely be posted on the race's facebook page, and possibly their twitter account. They do plan to have a live feed that you can stream from their facebook page or their website, however they noted in a post today that with the forecasted weather they cannot promise the feed won't die. They will also livefeed or record the first five finishes of the race. If you are tweeting, instagramming, etc. the traditional hashtag is #CB300.
KCAM normally posts updates throughout the weekend on the race on facebook as well.
Schedule of Events
Friday, January 7
9am-4pm Registration
10am-4pm Vet Checks
6pm Handler & Musher Meetings, Meet and Greet, and Bib Draw
Saturday, January 8
10am - Race Start
Will you be watching? Who are you hoping takes the win? Comment below with your thoughts!
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