Another re-PETE champion

Pete Kaiser giving post race interview. 
Screenshot from KYUK Radio LIVEfeed.

The Kuskokwim 300 welcomed in its Champion a little before 9:30am Alaska time as Pete Kaiser and his team of 12 frosty Alaskan huskies came into the finish. Kaiser took over the lead late Saturday night and never looked back gaining miles on his friend and competitor Matt Failor from the last checkpoint into the finish. The two had traveled a lot of the race together and once again battled for the top spot in Bethel.

Kaiser is the only musher to have maintained all twelve dogs in the team from start to finish. With the hard, fast trail many mushers had concerns on sore wrists playing a main factor, but also with teh cold temperatures some teams just couldn't withstand the long hours in the cold (several teams scratched with concern of frostbite for either dog or musher). 

Pete reported at the finish line that the trail was good and fast and sections they expected to be difficult were "the best [he] had ever seen". The champion musher was also grateful that the winds predicted never hit. "I'm looking forward to some warmth," Kaiser said when asked how he felt coming in first. With air temps at -35 this morning in Bethel the team was covered in a good layer of frost, and the musher had ice buildup on his fur ruff.

Matt Failor will be the next team in followed by Travis Beals and Hunter Keefe in third and fourth respectively. KattiJo Deeter passed Ryan Redington earlier this morning and has pulled away looking to claim a fifth place finish. Keefe slingshotted his way into fourth and should be ROTY for the Kusko. 

Bethel's about to get busy. You can follow all the action LIVE on KYUK Radio's facebook page.

Pete Kaiser racing for 8

We're looking at a musher solidly in position to re-PETE his win for an 8th time in just under an hour as Pete Kaiser is running with a strong team of 12 dogs. Kaiser has grown his lead on Matt Failor all night and into this morning and it looks like Failor is solidly in 2nd.

KYUK will go live for the finish so keep your eye and ear out for that. Kaiser is reported to be on the GWEEK river so it won't be long now. Temp is reportedly at -37 this morning so they may have technical difficulties, be gracious and understanding folks.

Kaiser passes Failor to lead Kusko

In a surprising turn that even caught race officials off guard, Peter Kaiser slipped into Kalskag Inbound checkpoint ahead of Matt Failor Saturday night. Kaiser, with all 12 dogs still on the line, spent just five minutes in the checkpoint before taking off down the trail. Matthew Failor was right behind Kaiser, clocking into the checkpoint came in two minutes behind the 2019 Iditarod Champion. Both Kaiser and Failor have finished their mandatory rest on the outbound trail and just have one final four hour mandatory rest to complete. 

Meanwhile the front runners from Aniak to Kalskag, Ryan Redington and KattiJo Deeter, are completing their mandatory rests with Redington getting ready to leave 47 minutes after Kaiser's departure. Kaiser ran the leg from Aniak to Kalskag about 90 minutes faster than Redington. The run from Aniak to Tuluksak (where the final mandatory rest of four hours must be taken by all teams) is about an 80 mile run. It may well be that Kaiser and Failor will choose to make this their big push and hope there's more than enough gas in the tank to keep Redington behind them and that their teams bounce back after 4 hours rest. 

Travis Beals ran Aniak to Kalskag just 10 minutes slower than Kaiser. He is also finished with his mandatory rest and is now chasing down Kaiser and Failor. Beals, like Redington, has 9 dogs in harness.

This is still anyone's dog race, and as promised the finish is going to be an exciting one. Will we have a repeat champion or will we have a new champion this year?

Redington leads, chase pack several hours behind

Ryan Redington was lone man on the trail for most of Saturday as he blew through Aniak to complete the loop before planning to rest in Kalskag inbound. The Iditarod Champion is known for running fast and aggressively out of the gate and with the trail reports of hard packed icy trails it was no surprise to see Ryan blast off down the trail. 

KattiJo Deeter blew through Aniak two hours behind Redington and is not really running to win. The chase pack behind Deeter, however, have a lot of teams that plan on racing down Redington -if they have to- to the finish. 

Matthew Failor and Pete Kaiser have both completed their 6 hour mandatory rest (while in the loop) and can now run straight on into their mandatory 4 hour at the final checkpoint. Redington and Deeter (both Deeters, actually) still need to take 3 hours in the Kalskag checkpoint.

Travis Beals is also in the mix, completing his rest and is using the highly successful strategy of resting dogs in the sled/trailer while running. It seems to be paying off as he has had very strong runs thus far. 

Redington is about 4 miles to Kalskag and his three hour rest. Kaiser and Failor look to be about two hours behind Redington at this stage. There's still plenty of race left and it's anyone's guess who will take the lead out of Kalskag.

23 teams are on the trail

8pm on the dot teams began leaving the starting chute with the help of snowmachines playing the part of tag sleds at the start of the 45th Kuskokwim 300. Some of the state's top teams along with local heroes are on their way dealing with hard, icy trails and frigid temperatures. 

The bright side of the start was that the predicted winds seemed to stay away and so the fans stood in -20F temps and not -40. With the cold snap the river froze over solid making for a safe trek into the Kusko Delta for the teams (and cars could once again park along the trail to wish the teams well.

Joe Taylor and Pete Kaiser were first out of the chute with Kaiser leaving no doubt he was going to run an aggressive race on his home turf - taking the very early lead. The final team of Travis Beals - who chose Bib #23 in honor of the late Paul Gebhardt who passed away late last year after a long battle with cancer - bookended a roster of highly competitive teams.

Kale Casey Live reported that at some point in the start two dogs seemed to break off the line and were running without a team down the trail - it was uncertain whose dogs they are. Most likely they pups were connected to the team until another dog or two chewed their tuglines. No report yet on which dogs they were or if they've been caught.

With the icy fast first leg of the trail teams are flying up the river and will likely get into the first checkpoint sometime after Midnight. At last glance it appears Kaiser's tracker stopped reporting about 25 minutes ago, he had about a mile and a half lead on the next teams before his tracker went dark. Dang aliens.

You can follow all of the tracker action here.

2024 Kuskokwim 300 race preview

As teams make their way to Bethel, Alaska excitement mounts as some of the sports greatest descend on the highly anticipated Kuskokwim 300. The Western Alaskan race boasts a robust purse, is considered one of the best organized of any sled dog race, and consistently a favorite of mushers and fans alike. This year is no exception with the race seeing the roster full and overflowing in record time. 

This year's race is composed mostly of veterans, with only six? rookies in the mix. It boasts four Kusko champions, and two Iditarod Champions (one of which is a rookie in the race). Eight teams are "local" to the Kusko-Delta area. Three women are going to give the men a run for their money.

Alaska has finally entered the cold snap portion of our winter with the Interior dropping to temps anywhere from -40F to -60F. South Central saw temps as low as -20F. For Western Alaska (where our race will take place) the negative temperatures will be intensified by strong winds. Bethel, Alaska, had winds up to 25mph Monday. A quick look at the weekend forecast has winds between 15 and 25mph during the race. For the evening start it's a forecasted -23F but with the wind it could feel/act more like -45F. Looks like the Kusko and the Copper Basin 300 swapped temps this year.

Registration has already opened for Fantasy Mushing's K300, and how anyone will pick just seven teams for their fantasy roster is a head scratcher. There are so many heavy hitters heading out on the trail this weekend! Let's try to at least take a look at some safe bets for your fantasy team.

Who to watch

Aaron Burmeister - Burmeister sat out last season, spending time being dad at home. Aaron sent his team down the trail with Tony Browning and Eddie Burke Jr. in different races, and fans worried 2022 was the final year they'd see him on the runners. However, like a couple of other well known mushers through the years, Burmeister's hiatus was short lived and he's back racing not only the Kusko this weekend, but he'll race to Nome in the Iditarod as well. Aaron grew up on the West Coast of Alaska, look for him to have a solid run - don't expect him to be rusty. Aaron last raced the Kusko in 2022 and came 7th. Aaron has withdrawn.

Cim Smyth - We all know that with a Smyth in the race the other mushers get a crick in their neck with how often they look back to see if the Smyth boys are catching them. It's even rumored that Cim changes out his boots for running shoes when it comes down to the final stretch. In seven races on the Kusko, he's only been out of the top ten once. The last two Kuskos he's come in 9th and 6th. Cim has withdrawn.

Dave Turner - The hybrid sprint and mid distance mushing kennel is always a shoo in for fast times into a checkpoint, which bodes well for the scoring of fantasy mushing. Turner is a top placement finisher once he gets the hang of a race - and it doesn't take him long to figure it out. If Dave makes it to Bethel watch for him to challenge for a top placement. Turner has never placed outside the top 10 when he's run. Last year he came 8th.

Matthew Failor - The 2019 Kusko champion is back once again! Matt surprised a lot of folks with his win 5 years ago, but has been pretty dang consistent in challenging for the first place spot since then (we'll ignore that one 7th place finish in there). The new dad will most likely keep that tradition up in the 2024 race.

Nicolas Petit - Petit is having a rough season. Everything behind the scenes have been a little sideways and Petit has been vocal that the beef shortage and financial concerns have made him have to re-evaluate his goals during the races. That being said, Petit is a dark horse one should probably not count out. He does have a pattern, though, of placements on the Kusko (ie one year in the top five, one year in the teens) and we're on a low placement year if he sticks with his pattern. Petit announced via facebook this morning that due to forecasted weather and trail conditions he's making the difficult decision to forfeit his entry fee and will not head to Bethel this week.

Pete Kaiser - While the 2019 Iditarod title is nothing to sneeze at, for those on the Kusko it might be an even bigger deal that Pete Kaiser is also a seven time Kusko Champion. Kaiser is once again the reigning champ of the race, and there are a whole lot of people waiting for him to win it an eighth time to keep his historic hold on the race going. Since his first win back in 2015 if he isn't first, he's second. Don't expect that to change.

Ramey Smyth - We could just say "see Cim Smyth" for the whole run down (pun only slightly intended) of why one doesn't count out a musher with the last name Smyth. Ramey is the 1995 Kusko champion, has been second a couple times, and is kind all over the map with placements, but this former champion is always a good choice to have on a fantasy team - expect him to have solid, fast runs throughout.

Raymond Alexie - This local musher has lit the trails of the Kusko-Delta on fire the last two seasons. Alexie has won just about every race he's entered since making waves last season in the Delta Championship Series. He's beaten several of the teams running the Kusko this weekend. This will be his rookie run on the Kusko, but don't expect him to just sit back and take in the learning experience. Raymond is THE ONE to watch in this race. 

Richie Diehl - The 2021 Kusko Champ is not running the Iditarod this year, so the Kusko 300 may be his biggest race of the season. With not having a thousand mile race to prepare for later in the season, Diehl can focus all of his attention on the Kusko. This isn't just a training run/test for his team. This is the final exam for the 2024 season. Expect the champ to contend for that top spot.

Travis Beals - The last time Beals ran the Kusko, he came 4th. That was in 2022. Travis has had a solid season thus far, and while the Iditarod is the ultimate goal don't expect this to be a camping trip for Beals. Travis is another good bet to have a top ten finish in the race.

(No, Ryan Redington wasn't forgotten... he could definitely be a major spoiler in his rookie run.) 

So now that you have at least some idea of who to add to your Fantasy team, just how will you be able to keep up with the action sitting at home warm and toasty (and not too sleep deprived)? Glad you asked.

How to follow

While many of the other mid distance races rely on fan videos and Kale Casey LIVE to cover their races, the Kusko is unique in that the local grade school runs a program where they film the start and finish of the races. They go live on Facebook with race coverage done mainly by the students. It's fantastic and well worth a watch. However THIS year Kale Casey WILL be LIVE at the race beginning Thursday! You'll want to keep an eye on both social media pages to make sure you don't miss any of the action.

Official Website

The Kusko's website is pretty slick. You can follow all of the races, fundraising and news from their site. It's easy to navigate and they have great musher bios. And this is where you will find those ever important in and out times from the checkpoints. Be sure to check it out.

GPS Tracker

Real time updates will come through the trackers as always. With the cold there may be more glitches than we'd like (I blame the aliens!) but there's not much we can do. Cold and technology don't get along. The link for trackleaders hasn't gone live yet, so this will get edited once it does. Trackers are live! View them here.

Radio Broadcast

KYUK Radio will broadcast the start which begins at 8:00pm (start listening at 7:30pm for pre-race info). You can listen to the broadcast online through this link.

Social Media

Updates will most likely be posted on the race's Facebook page, and possibly their twitter account. Photo updates should come from Instagram. They typically try to have a Facebook live feed. If you are tweeting, instagramming, etc. the traditional hashtag is #K300.

KYUK is also plans to post updates on their Facebook page, including Facebook interviews with the mushers from the last week or so.

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, January 25
Vet Checks

Thursday, January 26
Vet Checks
5pm - Musher Meeting
7pm - Bib Draw 

​Friday, January 27
8:00pm - Kuskokwim 300 START
8:40pm - FIREWORKS

Saturday, January 28
NOON - Akiak Dash Mass Start

Monday, January 29
6pm - Musher Awards

Who do you think will cross the finish line first? Who do you expect to beat every expectation? Can Pete Kaiser win his 8th title? Comment below with your thoughts!

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).

2024 Kuskokwim 300 musher roster

We're nearly to the end of January and mushing fans know what that means! The premiere dog mushing event of the Kuskokwim Delta kicks off Thursday night with a full roster of mushers from all across Alaska. The Kuskokwim 300 is one of the most popular races with mushers seeming to race each other to the sign ups. Because of its location it also holds one of the smaller rosters of just 30 teams - many traveling to the West Coast of Alaska to attend. This year the roster filled up in less than a week, with several names on the wait list. 

As always, change happened from sign up day to the registration deadline, but the Kusko is ready to go with now twenty-three teams all highly competitive. The Kusko knows how to hold a dog race, and as the teams leave two at a time from the starting line and fireworks set off as the teams head off into the night, fans will religiously follow the trackers as the teams travel down the river. Will seven time champion Peter Kaiser rePETE an eighth time, or will the young upstart Raymond Alexie who wins just about every race he enters? With several past champions in the mix it is anyone's guess what will happen.

Bib draw isn't until Thursday, so for now we'll go with the list in order of sign ups. As with all of the musher rosters on the blog, it will be edited to reflect the bib numbers once they become available. Now, onto what you're really here for:

Bib	Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
1	Joe Taylor	Mushing Malarkey	Website	Facebook	Instagram
2	Pete Kaiser	Kaiser Racing	Website	Facebook	Instagram
3	Josh McNeal	Crooked Creek Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
4	Raymond Alexie	Alexie Racing Kennel		Facebook
5	Dave Turner	Racing Chaos		Facebook	Instagram
6	John Snyder	Snyder's Kennel		Facebook
7	Hunter Keefe	Redington's Mush Alaska	Website	Facebook	Instagram
8	Gabe Dunham	Evermore Adventures	Website	Facebook	Instagram
9	Father Alexander Larson	Larson Kennel
10	Matthew Failor	Alaskan Adventures	Website	Facebook	Instagram
11	Jessica Klejka	Tailwind Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
12	Richie Diehl	Real Diehl Racing		Facebook	Instagram
13	Riley Dyche	Dark Horse Sled Dogs	Website	Facebook	Instagram
14	KattiJo Deeter	Black Spruce Dog Sledding	Website	Facebook	Instagram
15	Jason Pavila	Bad River Kennel		Facebook	Instagram
16	Bailey Vitello	Team Bailey	Website	Facebook	Instagram
17	Dakota Schlosser	Sled Dog Systems Racing	Website	Facebook	Instagram
18	Ryan Redington	Redington Mushing	Website	Facebook
19	Ebbe Winstrup Pedersen	Pedersen Kennel?		Facebook	Instagram
20	Jeff Deeter	Black Spruce Dog Sledding	Website	Facebook	Instagram
21	Ramey Smyth	Smyth Racing Team		Facebook
22	Isaac Underwood	Underwood Kennels
23	Travis Beals	Turning Heads Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram

*Roster updated January 25, 2024 at 7:30pm to reflect final roster with bib numbers.

Who are you excited to cheer for? Who are you adding to your Fantasy Mushing Team? Predictions? Comment below with your thoughts!

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).

2023 Kuskokwim 300 race preview

One of the most exciting races of the season kicks off Friday in Bethel, Alaska. That's right, it's time for the Kuskokwim 300 to finally take off across the Delta to crown a champion! The Kusko is one of the premier races in Alaska, with many of the top teams vying for a coveted spot on the roster. This year saw quite a few early sign ups, but for one reason or another there were several last minute withdrawals, but that does not at all diminish the highly competitive field here this weekend.

The Kusko is known for its storms, as with most coastal Alaskan races - it's always windy. This year teams may also deal with freezing rain and the lovely overflow they've come to know in the past few years. This year the race will start with a winter weather advisory. They are predicting 3-5 inches of snow in Bethel beginning noon on Friday and ending around midnight. They also expect freezing rain south of Bethel. Teams could be looking at a very slippery time out on the trail mixed with wet snow. 

While the start will have snow, the finish could end up with ice as an ice storm is set to hit on Sunday. We're also looking at very warm temperatures, above freezing!, for most of the race which is not the norm. It will be interesting to see how it all combines and what that means for the teams. Western Alaskan teams often are heavier coated dogs that don't do well in above zero temps, and this is their backyard so it will make for a complex strategy for everyone.

There are twenty one teams ready to take off tomorrow night and, as I've said many times, this roster is one of the most (if not THE MOST) competitive fields for the entire season. There are so many options on how things will play out, and even with Nicolas Petit choosing to run the Willow 300 instead, there are still many who can challenge for that top spot. So let's look at the top names, shall we?

Who to watch

Brent Sass - The last time Brent ran the Kusko and placed was in 2017 when he came in second. The reigning Iditarod Champion has grown a lot since then, and his kennel is solid. He's come up second in the Knik 200 and Copper Basin 300 this year, both times within minutes of the winner. Look for him to again challenge for first.

Cim Smyth - Never count out a Smyth. Cim was king of the Tustumena 200 in its day, and ask any musher they'll tell you they are always nervous to find Cim (or his brother Ramey) behind them. They're known to carry running shoes for the last push to the finish. Cim comes from a mushing dynasty, he has 40+ years of mushing experience. Look for him to be a contender.

Dave Turner - Turner has had to withdraw from the other races he entered this season, but he IS in Bethel and will run the Kusko. Turner is a quick study of any trail he's run, and come back in a very short time to win them. He is a Tustumena 200 champion as well as champion of the Yukon Quest 300. Dave's got a speedy bunch of dogs, and is race savvy.

Eddie Burke - I made the mistake of counting Eddie out in my preview of the Knik 200, do not make that mistake again! Eddie is running Aaron Burmeister's dogs, sure, but he's worked with them for three years. His race plan is his along with the mentorship of Aaron Burmeister and his kennel partner Tony Browning, but they don't have a strict rule that they follow their suggestions. He is very much his own musher and he has a fantastic team trained up. They had a slight "stutterstep" Wednesday when the musher made it to town but the dogs didn't, however they've since reunited and he's stretched out their legs and they look strong.

Jason Pavila - Last year's rookie of the year will be looking to improve on his eighth place finish. He finished 6th in the Bogus Creek 150 a couple weeks ago, running against several teams running this weekend. Pavila may not challenge for first, but he's a solid choice for your Fantasy Team, and at a decent "price".

Matt Failor - Failor surprised everyone when he won in 2019, and he's challenged to regain that title several times since. The 2022 Kusko second place finisher seems to have a knack from running this race and it would not be a surprise any longer should he find himself first across the finishline again. 

Pete Kaiser - The six time Kusko champion (and let's not forget the 2019 Iditarod Champion) has been first or second in this race since 2015. No one has won this race more, and it wouldn't be a stretch to see him win another. Pete's come in second (or close to it) in just about every race he's entered this season, and it's no doubt high on his mind that it's about time he come in first. These trails are in his backyard, and this is his race. 

Richie Diehl - Another musher who has grown up on the Kusko trails, Richie stopped Pete from continually winning the Kusko back in 2021. He's good friends with the repeat champion, but he's hungry for more wins in his part of Alaska. He's another solid pick for your Fantasy Team and could very well be first across that finish line.

Will Rhodes - The other half of Mackey's Alaskan Distance Dogs operation. While not a Mackey he is married to one, but he is an experienced musher in his own right. He's a consistent top ten finisher in this race, and could play spoiler if given the opportunity. He's a solid choice for your fantasy mushing, if you play that sort of thing, and expect a strong, healthy team at the finish.

Now that that's all out of the way, how can one follow along if you couldn't afford to hang out in Bethel for a week? Let's take a look...

How to watch
While many of the other mid distance races rely on fan videos and Kale Casey LIVE to cover their races, the Kusko is unique in that the local grade school runs a program where they film the start and finish of the races. They go live on Facebook with race coverage done mainly by the students. It's fantastic and well worth a watch.

Official Website

The Kusko's website is pretty slick. You can follow all of the races, fundraising and news from their site. It's easy to navigate and they have great musher bios. And this is where you will find those ever important in and out times from the checkpoints. Be sure to check it out.

GPS Tracker

Real time updates will come through the trackers as always. With the cold there may be more glitches than we'd like (I blame the aliens!) but there's not much we can do. Cold and technology don't get along. You can follow the trackers here, but they won't go live until closer to go time on Friday.

Radio Broadcast

KYUK Radio will broadcast the start which begins at 6:30pm (start listening at 6pm for pre-race info). You can listen to the broadcast online through this link.

Social Media

Updates will most likely be posted on the race's facebook page, and possibly their twitter account. Photo updates should come from Instagram. They typically try to have a facebook live feed. If you are tweeting, instagramming, etc. the traditional hashtag is #K300.

KYUK is also plans to post updates on their facebook page, including facebook interviews with the mushers from the last week or so.

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, January 25
Vet Checks

Thursday, January 26
Vet Checks
5pm - Musher Meeting
7pm - Bib Draw (KYUK to livestream)

​Friday, January 27
6:30pm - 2020 Kuskokwim 300 START

Saturday, January 28
NOON - Akiak Dash Mass Start

Monday, January 29
5pm - Musher Awards

Comment below with any thoughts about who you think are favored to win. 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).

It's a 6-peat for Pete Kaiser

Peter Kaiser of Bethel, Alaska has reclaimed his title of Kuskokwim 300 Champion this morning as he crossed the finish in a fast and strongly contested race for the win. The "King of the Kusko" managed to keep 2019 Kusko Champ Matt Failor and 2021 Champ Richie Diehl behind him in the last leg of the race. Friends and roomies Failor and Diehl would duke it out for second place, with Travis Beals hot on their heels trying to play spoiler. 

Kaiser and team were met by Kaiser's daughter running up to give her dad a big hug. An enthusiastic crowd welcomed their hometown hero home. The trail this year was a fast one with very little weather issues - though Pete Kaiser's team got turned around coming into Aniak. With Pete's sixth win he is now the second most winning musher of the Kusko, with only 3 more wins to tie Jeff King's 9-time record.

Matt Failor and Richie Diehl came in 2nd and 3rd respectively with Travis Beals fourth and Joar Leifseth Ulsom rounding out the top five. Cim Smyth is the 6th musher in. Aaron Burmeister should come in soon.

Livefeed of the 2022 Kusko 300 Finish

2022 Kusko LIVEFEED from KYUK

2022 Kuskokwim 300 Preview

It's a busy weekend for mushing fans. Three major mid-distance races will happen as well as a major stage-stop race. Good luck keeping it all straight (but I'm trying to help with that!) A race many are anxious to see get underway is the Kuskokwim 300. The premiere mid-distance race in Western Alaska, the race runs out of Bethel into coastal villages before returning to Bethel. Teams from all over Alaska have flown in to be part of this race, but what makes the Kusko special is how many local village teams enter and are competitive. When Joe Redington Sr. and his merry crew worked to get the Iditarod off the ground, one of their main goals was to keep mushing a part of the village communities. The argument could be made that the Kusko, and not the Iditarod, is the reason for the healthy mushing community in Western Alaska.

Teams arrived in Bethel Tuesday and Wednesday and settled in with their host families. Due to continued concerns with the Covid-19 pandemic, all participants (including volunteers and race officials, as well as handlers) must be fully vaccinated. Teams will self test and must show proof of a negative result by Thursday afternoon. Banquets, checkpoints, etc are closed to spectators, and even the start and finish spectators are asked to remain distanced from each other. 

Last year was very much the same with the covid precautions, and the race went off without any problems. It also did not discourage teams from traveling in, though this year the race limited how many "outside" teams could attend. There are three Kusko Champions on the roster as well as some other very competitive teams. 16 teams are on the roster (as of January 26) so let's take a look at the front runners.

Aaron Burmeister - Aaron nearly ran down Dallas Seavey and team during the 2021 Iditarod, and I still say he would be the 2021 Iditarod Champion had they been on the traditional trail to Nome. They simply ran out of room to catch the young gun. Needless to say, Aaron has a highly competitive dog team and with this supposedly being his final year of competitive racing, expect Burmeister to have a solid finish (though all experience points to him wanting to keep his team strong for Iditarod).

Cim Smyth - Known for fast finishes, Cim's team is always one to watch. Cim is a multiple time champion of the Tustumena 200 as well as a few other mid-distance races. He comes from Iditarod Mushing "royalty" as his father was part of the "Iditarod Trailbreakers" (mushers from the first ten years of Iditarod including the first). Cim is what they call a "dog man". Look for him to have one of the fastest finishes no matter what place he comes in. (I wonder if he still brings his running shoes?)

Fr. Alexander Larson - Father Alexander Larson ran the Kusko last year as a rookie and managed an impressive fifth place in a highly competitive field. I feel bad putting him on the list only because I worry it will jinx him, but the Russian Orthodox priest probably does not believe in such nonsense. Larson has been a constant on the mushing scene as of late in and around Bethel. Expect another solid performance from his team.

Joar Leifseth Ulsom - The 2018 Iditarod Champion may not be a Kusko champion, but that shouldn't stop people from adding him to their fantasy mushing team. Ulsom will also use this race as a sort of training run for the Iditarod, but that shouldn't stop him from challenging for first. Do not be surprised if he manages to pull off the win, though he's in for a fight with such a competitive field.

Matthew Failor - the 2019 Kusko Champion upset the apple cart when he won considering for several years before that it was all Pete Kaiser. Matt is a positive force on the trail and has really come into his own in recent years. His team is becoming one of the teams to always watch to place near the top. It will be interesting to see how his new hip holds out against the famed Kusko winds and weather. (I'm still impressed he ran Iditarod just before going in for hip replacement surgery, like whaaaaat?!) 

Pete Kaiser - The Five-Time Kusko Champion (and 2019 Iditarod Champion, but who cares, right?) is one of the hometown heroes of Bethel. These trails are his home base and his team knows how to win. Don't expect Kaiser to be anywhere but near the front. Will he go for six? Time will tell, but it wouldn't surprise me if he did manage that impressive feat.

Richie Diehl - The reigning Kusko champ is another one of the hometown heroes. Close friends with Kaiser, it's a joy when either of the two teams win. While they do share quite a few bloodlines within their kennels (I mean, the breeding programs are gonna be a little smaller out there anyway), the mushers are completely separate in kennels and in racing style. They say defending your title is harder than winning you first, so it's a wait and see what Richie can manage to pull off, but he's another safe bet to do well in this race.

Travis Beals - No list of who's who is complete if you don't add Travis to the list (well, when he's on the roster anyway, otherwise that's just awkward). Beals' team dealt with insane wind and weather during the Knik 200, and looking at the weather report for the Kusko it's looking more like the team will think they're on a picnic in comparison. Travis could be a dark horse in this competition, so keep an eye on those Turning Head Kennel dogs.

How to Follow

Unlike the bigger races like the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod, there is very little promise of any video coverage. With the temps dropping so low, even the facebook live feeds we've grown accustomed to cannot be guaranteed. Cold air zaps batteries faster than lighting, and who has the time or ability to keep their fingers exposed long enough to even press "start"?! That being said, the Kusko crew do their best to give us a looksee into the start, fireworks, and finish. So, how can race fans follow along when a race doesn't have Iditarod Insider like coverage?

Official Website

The Kusko's website is pretty slick. You can follow all of the races, fundraising and news from their site. It's easy to navigate and they have great musher bios. Be sure to check it out.

GPS Tracker

Real time updates will come through the trackers as always. With the cold there may be more glitches than we'd like (I blame the aliens!) but there's not much we can do. Cold and technology don't get along. You can follow the trackers here, but they won't go live until closer to go time on Friday.

Radio Broadcast

KYUK Radio will broadcast the start which begins at 6:30pm (start listening at 6pm for pre-race info). You can listen to the broadcast online through this link.

Social Media

Updates will most likely be posted on the race's facebook page, and possibly their twitter account. Photo updates should come from Instagram. They typically try to have a facebook live feed. If you are tweeting, instagramming, etc. the traditional hashtag is #K300.

KYUK is also plans to post updates on their facebook page, including facebook interviews with the mushers from the last week or so.

Schedule of Events

Wednesday, January 26
Vet Checks

Thursday, January 27
Vet Checks
Covid Tests are due
5pm - Musher Meeting
6pm - Bib Draw (they plan to livestream)

​Friday, January 28
6:30pm - 2020 Kuskokwim 300 START
7:15pm - "The Lead Dog Light Show" presented by First National Bank Alaska

Saturday, January 29
2pm - Akiak Dash Mass Start

Monday, January 30
8pm - Musher Banquet (closed to public, planned livestream)

Comment below with any thoughts about who you think are favored to win. 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).