2023 Willow 300 musher roster

Hope you got all of your chores done LAST weekend, race fans, because this weekend we are jam packed with sled dog action. Kicking it off will be the Willow 300 in, where else, Willow, Alaska. This is a very popular race for many reasons - mainly its central location in mushing central. 

The Willow 300 was created to fill a gap when other, much more established, races were starting to go by the wayside for one reason or another. With fewer qualifiers for mushers to use for Iditarod and Quest, something had to be done and the Willow 300 was born.

Unlike most other races, the Willow 300 determines bib number by sign ups. This year the honorary musher is Lance Mackey (they were the first to choose him, in fact). Instead of bib #1 being for Lance, though, they have #13 in honor of Lance. Lucky number 13 was the bib number Lance (and brother Rick, and dad Dick all) wore to win his first Iditarod championship.

There are currently twenty-four teams signed up for the race, which seems small compared to recent years but as stated previously they're having to compete with the Kuskokwim 300 for entries and the Kusko is stacked!

As always, this roster is subject to change up to go time on Wednesday, January 25, but for now the race roster is as follows:

2 Matt Randall (Rock On Racing) - Website / Facebook / Twitter
3 Jason Mackey (Mackey's Top Notch Racing) - Website / Facebook
4 Travis Vanderhoof (Dream Team Kennels) - Facebook / Instagram
5 Anna Hennessy (Shameless Huskies) - Facebook / Instagram
6 Juliah DeLoach (Oil Well Kennel?) - Facebook
7 Eric Kelly (Daybreak Kennel)- Facebook / Instagram
8 Kristy Berington (Seeing Double Racing) - Website / Instagram
9 Anna Berington (Seeing Double Racing) - Website / Instagram
10 Beckie Hacker (Dream Big Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
11 Michaela O’Connor (Dream Big Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
12 Calvin Daugherty (Seavey's Ididaride) - Website / Facebook
14 Millie Porslid (Running Sled Dogs) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
15 Jonah Bacon (Nautique Sky Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
16 Jonathan Hayes (Seavey's Ididaride)* - Website / Facebook / Instagram
17 Dan Kaduce (Dew Claw Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
18 Keaton Loebrich - can't find them online anywhere!
19 Mike Parker (Northern Whites Kennel) - Facebook 
20 Lara Kittleson (Seavey's Ididaride) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
21 Hunter Keefe (Redington Mush Alaska) - Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
22 Joshua Robbins (Evermore Adventures?) - Facebook / Outreach 22 / Kennel Facebook
23 Joanna (Jagow) Weber (Motley Crew Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
24 Nic Petit (Team Petit) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
25 Travis Beals (Turning Heads) - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
26 Ramey Smyth (Smyth Racing) - Facebook

*Note that Jonathan Hayes is running Mitch Seavey's dogs in this race, however I have linked his kennel in Maine for this roster as there is more information at those links, plus he plans on running his own dogs in other races/The Iditarod, and they deserve some spotlight. But he IS running Seavey dogs for this qualifier.

Comment below with any thoughts about the roster, or any corrections. If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).