Season openers may be delayed

The Delta Championship Series - coordinated by the Kuskokwim 300 board - announced on social media this week that in all likely hood the season opener would have to be rescheduled due to unsafe trail conditions. Alaska is having an unseasonably warm December with much of the state seeing rainfall instead of snow, and most bodies of water (including rivers) are still open. 

On the road system the Knik 100 is set to kick off on December 21. the Forecast betweem now and then shows no sign of cooling down, with several days of sleet and freezing rain predicted. Many teams in South Central Alaska are looking for alternate parts of the state to continue training in better trail conditions.

After several years of decent weather early on in the season, fans and mushers all were hoping to see that weather trend continue - but it appears to be a wet and sloppy holiday season in Alaska, with races having to rethink the season.

If things do not drastically improve January races may face a similar fate.

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).

Kuskokwim 300 Race Board announces purse increases

The Kuskokwim 300 Race Board which governs not only the famed K300 but also the Delta Championship Series of races released a statement today with news that they would be increasing the purses of all of their races "substantially." The press release this afternoon broke down the increases for each of the three "big" races as well as giving numbers "for the rest" of the races. They weren't joking, the increases are substantial.

The Kuskokwim 300 sees a $25,000 increase in purse. The K300 pays out to the top 25 (out of 30) teams. The winner of the 2024 Kusko is guaranteed $28,500 - $3,500 more than last year. The other 24 "in the money" placements will also see pay increases. The Bogus Creek 150 purse saw a $15,000 increase, topping out now at $75,000 with the champion winning $12,000. The Akiak Dash which takes place the day after the start of the Kusko 300 saw a $10,000 increase bringing the total purse to $40,000 with the champ getting $5,500. All other races have purses of $25,000. You can see the breakdown of purses via a PDF provided on the race website.

The Kusko is not the only racing organization to boost the purse payouts. The Iditarod announced ahead of opening their 2024 registration that they had increased the purse by $50,000. The increase was the first for the Last Great Race in six years, and credited the fundraising efforts of the Iditarod Board of Directors.

For the K300 races, a lot of the fundraising comes from "rippies"/pull-tabs, but also come from very generous sponsors in the Kusko-Delta region. This is the first time in five years that the Kusko board has raised purses. 

The Kuskokwim 300 race has a rull roster of 30 teams set to race on January 26, 2024. 

As always, 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 Kuskokwin 300 reaches roster limit

In what felt like record time, the Kusko 300's roster was capped last week when it hit 30 teams just over a week after registration opened. Teams from all over Alaska and Canada plan to descend on the Western Alaska city of Bethel where the only way to get there is to fly if you don't live close enough to snow machine, mush, or if you're brave drive on the local ice road. But if you're from Anchorage, Fairbanks, The Yukon, and other parts of Alaska - you gotta fly (or you could spend a week mushing out there but then your team would probably not want to get up and race after!

The Kuskokwim 300 is one of the premiere mid-distance races in North America, and one of two major races in Western Alaska. Where the Iditarod's creation was in part to support the Alaska Native tradition of mushing by giving a reason to keep dogs even with the more modern inventions of travel, the Kusko actually has maintained that lifestyle for many of the mushers of the Kuskokwim Delta. They keep the expenses rather low for locals, they have other races throughout the season to bolster confidence and monies... and the Kusko 300 is the BIG race with the BIG purse. Where other races big and small seem to struggle with financial incentives - the Kusko is thriving.

And mushers notice. The race is heralded every year as one of the best run and organized of the races in Alaska. The locals in the villages come out for a weeklong party - almost like their own version of Anchorage's Fur Rondy celebrations - celebrating the dogs running the race. They manage in some of Alaska's harshest conditions to keep fans up to date in a variety of ways - including facebook live updates run by not only race volunteers but local students at the school.

It's just a really cool race, and it gives a lot of "outside" teams (as in not KuskoDelta teams) a chance to run in conditions you only find on the Alaskan West Coast. 

So just who are the lucky 30 with spots secured for the 2024 race? Take a look below:

Travis Beals
Pete Kaiser*
Brent Sass*
Ebbe Winstrup
Joe Taylor
John Snyder
Dave Turner
Josh McNeal
Raymond Alexie
Gabe Dunham
Lev Shvarts
Richie Diehl
Jessica Klejka
Riley Dyche
Matthew Failor
KattiJo Deeter
Cim Smyth
Jessie Holmes
Hunter Keefe
Isaac Underwood
Jeff King*
Father Alexander Larson
Jeff Deeter
Jason Pavila
Nicolas Petit
Rob Cooke
Aaron Burmeister
Mike Williams Jr.
Dakota Schlosser

Bold signifies Kusko Champion
*Asterisk signifes Iditarod Champion
Italics signifies Kusko Rookie 

Teams that missed out can sign up to be on a waitlist. Teams will be contacted if one of the thirty currently signed up withdraw their name. Waitlist teams will have twenty four hours to respond and pay for their entry once they are contacted. The race begins Friday, January 26, 2023 at 6:30pm in Bethel. Be sure to like/follow them on Facebook to keep up with all the race announcements as well as announcements on the Delta Championship Series.

What are your thoughts on the 2024 roster? Got any early predictions on who brings home the prize? Who do you plan to cheer for? Comment below with your thoughts!

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Twenty teams already signed up for 45th Kusko

In just 48 hours of opening registration, the Kuskokwim 300's roster is 2/3 full. This is the 45th year for the beloved Kusko race, and it seems it's a not to miss event again this year. With registrations coming in quickly, the race took to their Facebook page to announce that mushers still contemplating entering better hurry as there were only ten spots left. The race traditionally limits the roster to 30 teams so as not to overwhelm the communities involved in the race. Unlike many of the mid-distance races, the Kusko is not "on the road system" and so villages rely on local volunteers to keep the race going.

With the smaller roster, it always makes for an incredibly competitive and coveted race. So far for the 2024 Kusko there are three former Kusko champions in the mix as well as two Iditarod champions. There are two women currently signed up, and six rookies line the roster. Several local mushers are in it, including the champion of the newly formed Delta Championship Series (which, don't worry fans, it will return this season). 

Here's the list of names as of October 12, 2023 at 9pm:

Travis Beals
Pete Kaiser*
Brent Sass*
Ebbe Winstrup
Joe Taylor
John Snyder
Dave Turner
Josh McNeal
Raymond Alexie
Gabe Dunham
Lev Shvarts
Richie Diehl
Jessica Klejka
Riley Dyche
Matthew Failor
KattiJo Deeter
Cim Smyth
Jessie Holmes
Hunter Keefe
Isaac Underwood

Bold signifies Kusko Champion
*Asterisk signifes Iditarod Champion
Italics signifies Kusko Rookie 

Mushers have until December 31 to register at the $400 fee, after which it will be $800 to register (if there are spots available). The race begins Friday, January 26, 2023 at 6:30pm in Bethel. Be sure to like/follow them on Facebook to keep up with all the race announcements as well as announcements on the Delta Championship Series.

Who are you most excited to see sign up? Who are you hoping joins the roster? Any early predictions on who takes home the prize? Will Kaiser Re-PETE for an eighth time? Comment below with your thoughts.

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Kaiser holds off Failor to win Kusko 300

Sunday afternoon brought on a finish "in the light" for the first time in years as Peter Kaiser's team crossed the finish line for a 7th championship for the kennel. Kaiser's race time was the slowest time for a winner in over fifteen years. The hometown hero, who won the Iditarod in 2019, battled "mashed potato" like trails in sometimes pouring rain while fighting back several top teams to take the top prize.

The race was all set to be its normal cold windy self when Mother Nature decided to throw a curve ball. The week of the race, warm winds blew in and the snow storm turned into rain and ice. There was water on top of the trail, and open water on the rivers. This was going to be more of a KuskoSWIM on the Kuskokwim Delta. Still, the trail was passable, and everyone was excited.

This was the first race since 2020 that fans were able to mingle with the teams and that race headquarters was stationed at the Longhouse Hotel where mushers, fans, and officials all gathered. With Covid making social distancing a must in 2021 and 2022, things felt more normal this year. The only hiccup race planners had were the fireworks traditionally set of after the last team takes to the trail. They'd not applied for the permit in time and were pretty sure they weren't happening this year, but thanks to a call into US Representative Mary Peltola they were able to get an expedited permit and just two days before the race the fireworks were back on.

Teams took off Friday night under rainy skies, they made their way to the Gweek River and to the first checkpoint in mostly normal fashion. There were spots of open water on the Gweek, and race officials marked them with lighted trail markers so teams knew where not to go. From the first checkpoint the teams began to hit bad trail. The "mashed potato" snow made for slow going, especially for those further back in the race. Eddie Burke and Isaac Underwood would lead the way for much of the night, with Peter Kaiser hot on their heels. 

By Saturday afternoon, Peter Kaiser had taken the lead and was first into Aniak which marks the unofficial halfway point of the race (which this year, due to trail route it's actually just a little more than halfway). Kaiser would not relinquish his lead for the rest of the race. On the return trip from Aniak back to the same trail to the finish, the front runners would report that the trail had set up thanks to cooling temps and the rain holding off. By the time the chase pack and back of the pack would run the trail they could not report the same. Teams would report "it got worse" to each others social media posts after the race. 

Though Kaiser never lost his lead, he was far from safely in first. By the time he reached the final checkpoint, Matthew Failor (the 2019 Kusko champ) was a mere eight minutes behind him. It would become a battle on the final leg between the two champions, but that 8 minute lead grew to a 10 minute lead and Kaiser held on to the win. Kaiser would tell the media at the finish that these trails were Pete's trails and there was "no way to beat Pete if he is out ahead of you." For their efforts, Pete won $25,500, and Matt came away with $17,500. Huge take-aways for a race of this size. 

 Even with the trail being difficult, there were only two scratches. Twyla Elhardt called it quits for her team in Aniak. There was no real report as to why, other than to say they were happily headed home. With trail conditions being what they were, and Twyla being at the back of the pack, it would not be surprising that she decided to end her race early to remain on a positive note for the team. The other scratch was last year's rookie of the year, Jason Pavila. Jason took a fall on his sled out on the trail and injured his shoulder, unable to properly hang onto the sled or take care of his team he was forced to end his race early.

The awards banquet was open to the public and was in person this year for the first time since the Covid-19 Pandemic. It was a great turn out that appeared to be close to standing room only. While mushers for the Akiak Dash and Bogus Creek 150 were not all in attendance due to the increasingly unstable river conditions making travel unsafe, there were still many locals in attendance to celebrate the mushers. 

Each musher from each race was given the opportunity to speak, and most did. Those for the Kusko 300 all made sure to not just thank their sponsors and families back home but their host families in Bethel. Some shared stories, others just said thank you and took their seats as with many mushers speaking in public isn't really why they got into the sport.

Jeff Deeter, who came in 7th place after having passed Dave Turner in the last mile (known as "No Man's Land") of the race, was awarded the Humanitarian Award given to the team that showed exemplary dog care. Deeter said he was shocked by the award, and that the thanks and credit go to the dogs and also to his wife KattiJo.

Sixth place finisher Will Rhodes spoke at length about the history of the race and his family's part in it. Rhodes is married to Brenda Mackey (who he credited as his heart and soul) whose father is the 1982 Iditarod Champion, Rick Mackey. Rhodes pointed out that Rick won the Kusko twice, in 1985 and again in 1987. He spoke with a lot of emotion as he also noted that the last year has been hard for his family as they said goodbye to Uncle Lance [Mackey] this past summer. He noted just two weeks after Lance's celebration of life his father in law Rick was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. He choked up as he said he's thought a lot about Rick while running this year's Kusko.

Rookie of the year went to fourth place finisher Jacob Witkop who spoke about how great it was to come to Bethel where he didn't have much in the way of cell service so "work couldn't get ahold" of him. He also spoke at length at the kindness and generosity of the locals. He also noted that his host family kept him so well fed he wasn't ready to go home.

Eddie Burke Jr maybe the most improved musher this year as he found himself finishing in a strong third place. Burke is a relative newcomer as he's only been serious about mushing at a high level for the last three years. He gave credit to his mentors Aaron Burmeister, though he said Aaron's been busy being a family man this year and not spending time on the runners, but gave most of the credit to mentor Tony Browning. 

Matthew Failor shared stories of dreaming of Richie Diehl's mom's pizza (it's "awesome") and when he ran into her during the race he let her know just how much he thinks about her pizza. He caught a nap and woke up to fresh, hot pizza slices waiting for him. I mean, I think pizza would be the highlight of my race, too. He also praised the "new bathroom facilities" in Aniak, though he got to see a little too much of a couple of his fellow mushers (the stalls don't have doors).

Then it was Pete Kaiser's turn at the mic. He of course praised the race, thanked his sponsors, and gave a shoutout to all of those that travel from outside of the Kusko-Delta, "we love sharing our trails with everyone." The seven time champion said the only story he had to share was how technology has improved the race in so many ways, and how it's leaps and bounds what it was just a few years ago. As he was coming off the Gweek to head back to the finish he noticed some fans in the distance and he decided he needed to "take a leak" before getting any closer. As he was doing his business he heard a weird sound coming from above him, looked up and caught site of a drone! He spoke out to the crowd to "whoever has that footage, you'll need to do some editing... or don't." Mushers and bathroom humor, it's a thing. Trust me.

Overall, the Kusko once again lived up to the hype. This is definitely one for the record books.

How'd your favorite place? Did you come across a favorite story from the trail? Share your thoughts below!

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