Peter Kaiser won his historic tenth win in the Kusko 300 back in January, and at the time was coy with whether he had plans to enter this year's Iditarod. The pride of Bethel was just wanting to celebrate his win, was incredibly happy with how his team looked, and wasn't going to say yes or no to a run in Iditarod.
Late entries are rare in the race, though in the last few years we've seen several mushers take the opportunity. Mushers like Dallas Seavey and Paige Drobny - as well as Kaiser - have waited to sign up past the deadline. As long as mushers are a veteran in good standing with Iditarod and are willing to pay double the entry fee they can sign up before food drops are due. Pete's drop bags have already been shipped to Anchorage to be sent out on the trail.
Kaiser spent the weekend running the Bogus Creek 150, the champion musher did not win the race but said he was really excited to see how his team performed. Whether or not he used the Bogus Creek run as the deciding factor seems moot with Pete's media team reporting that he had his drop bags assembled and ready ahead of Monday's news. "Slippery Pete" as one friend calls him had everyone fooled.
Pete last ran the Iditarod in 2024 where he finished in ninth place. The 2019 champion hasn't been out of the top 15 since his rookie run in 2010. The Ceremonial Start of Iditarod 54 takes off on March 6.
What do you think about today's news? Will Pete take home the top prize? Comment below with your thoughts!
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