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).

2023 Willow 300 race preview

It's time to kick off one of the busiest race weekends of the season with the early start of the Willow 300 which takes off of Willow Lake at 10am Wednesday. This is the first of two 300 mile races that will take place between now and Sunday, the Kuskokwim 300 kicks off later this week.

The Willow 300 is joined by their little brother the Willow 150 and both races will take off together and run much of the same trail. Both are used as qualifiers for the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest and the 150 decided to allow junior mushers (ages 14-17) the chance to run. 

During today's mandatory vet checks, the mushers reported the temperature getting as high as 41 degrees. That's crazy warm for this time of year, and the forecast shows much of the same for the remainder of the week. There should also be rain mixed with snow on both Wednesday and Thursday into Friday. This will make the race a slog fest as in those temps and conditions the set trail is most likely to be slush on top of the packed trail. The lakes and rivers will no doubt have overflow like conditions. It will be warm, dogs will need to rest, booties will need to be changed more often, this race will be slower than normal. How much slower remains to be seen. 

There are 24 teams signed up for the 300 mile race, and 9 signed up for the 150. While they follow the traditional no bib number one in respect for the honorary musher, bib number 13 is also being left vacant, that's due to Lance Mackey being the honorary musher. Mackey won his first of four Iditarods with lucky number bib 13, the same number his brother Rick and father Dick won their Iditarods with. While it wasn't his bib number every year, it's a number many think of as Lance's, and it seemed only fitting they should remember him that way. Lance is honorary musher for both the 150 and the 300.

Even though there will not be a Fantasy Mushing competition this year for the Willow 300, we should still take a look at some of the top teams that are entered in the 2023 running.

Who to watch

Dan Kaduce - It should come as no surprise that Dan is on this list. The team of Dew Claw Kennel made sure people paid attention during the 2021 Iditarod and Dan hasn't looked back. Dan is one of the few mushers (one of only two) to be able to say they finished in the top 10 with all of their dogs in the Iditarod. He is one of the ultimate dog men, he cares for his dogs and they are time and again amongst the top teams in mid-distance and now long distance races. Expect Dan to be right up there in the top finishes in Willow.

Jason Mackey - Mackey may have the goods, but it's unclear if this is his year yet. He's been out of the running for several years, and this may end up being a rebuilding year for Jason. There's been a lot of upheaval for Jason with the passing of his brother and other personal issues, but you can't count a Mackey out. He had a decent showing in the Knik 200, and he'll look to build on that. It's possible he's running a lot on his name, but it's a good name to run with.

Nicolas Petit - Hey, remember when he posted after the Knik 200 that it was a "good run of winning" but now that was "over" and then he went to win the Copper Basin 300 like I warned? Yeah, at this point just ignore everything he posts about his race "strategy". Nic will be Nic every Nic-ing time. Expect him to get out in front and stay there. I'll keep saying it, he is the KING of the mid-distance race. He was supposed to run the Kusko, but chose last minute to stick closer to home. 

Ramey Smyth - The only name that seems to strike fear in a musher's heart when they find out that musher's behind them is Ramey Smyth. While most talk about Redingtons, Mackeys, and Seaveys, we should also be talking about the Smyth mushers. Their dad was another founding member of the Iditarod TrailBreakers and they KNOW. THEIR. STUFF. Chances are it's Ramey (or brother Cim) who wins the Safety to Nome fastest time award. Why? These guys pack running shoes in their sled, they are known for kicking up speed on the home stretch and they can pick off a ton of teams on their way to the finish. The only time I've ever heard/seen a Seavey get worried about a shake up in Iditarod standings is in 2012 when Ramey started charging up the coast and jumped over 10 places, he gained a lot of time and miles on Dallas. We know how that ends of course, but it sure made Danny Seavey sweat doing the math to see just how much of a threat he was. Ramey chose to run the 150 instead.

Travis Beals - Another team that was supposed to be at the Kusko this weekend, Travis decided road system would work better for his team. Expect him to use this as a trial run for his run at Iditarod. Being in South Central Alaska he'll no doubt have his team ready to deal with the somewhat warmer temps and slushy conditions, but he'll also be preserving his team for Iditarod so don't expect him to do anything wild and crazy. Beals is one of those teams that sticks to a plan.

Now that you've got an idea of who the front runners should be, what about watching the race sitting there at home (like I am, not judging at all. Armchair mushers unite!) I've got you covered with all of the ways to keep in tune with the race!

How to watch

Unlike the other races that have established media sources and big sponsorships that garner attention from outside media, the Willow 300 runs mainly by its volunteer staff to keep fans updated. Here are the links you need to know to be able to follow the race.

Official Website

A couple of years ago the Willow 300 went big league and got their own website, and it's a decent one! Lots of good information on the race as well as all the links on the front page to help you follow the race in real time, as best as possible. It's definitely worth a look. 

GPS Tracker

Beep, boop! That's right, we have trackers. Can't have races without trackers, right? No worries, trackleaders.com has us covered once again. Don't forget to jump on Wednesday morning to follow along! TRACKERS DID NOT COME IN IN TIME, THERE WILL BE NO TRACKERS FOR THIS RACE! Nevermind, they delayed the start to get the trackers.

Social Media

For the Willow 300, Social Media is the race's life blood. They post mainly to their Facebook Page, and they are sometimes active on their Twitter account at race time. They also share a few photos and posts on their Instagram Page. The official hashtag is, simply, #Willow300. Expect a live feed for the start and finish on their facebook page, and videos throughout the day.

Kale Casey is in Willow covering the race on his facebook page. Make sure to follow his page Kale Casey LIVE so that you don't miss whenever he goes live.

Schedule of Events

Tuesday, January 24
9am-3pm Vet Checks
3:30pm Musher Meeting

Wednesday, January 25
10am Mass Start Changed to 2min interval start

Saturday, January 28
6pm Finisher Banquet & Auction

Who are you hoping to see finish first? Thoughts on the race? Comment below!

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).

2023 Eagle Cap Extreme roster and race preview

Happy race day, folks. Yup, this is getting out late because the Eagle Cap Extreme out of Oregon starts on a Thursday and not a Friday or Saturday and I just realized that last night! Whoops! Vet checks are happening today (Wednesday) and then the teams take off on Noon Thursday.

Like most of the races in the states, there are several classes including a 200 mile race that can be used as an Iditarod and Yukon Quest Qualifier. In fact it is Oregon's only qualifier, and they get to boast having the only one in the entire Pacific Northwest!

This year there are six teams signed up and ready to run the 200 mile race and most are using it as a qualifier for bigger races. Because this roster is so small, I've decided to combine the roster with the race preview. I'll also just say WATCH EVERYONE! This race is not on the fantasy mushing list, so there's no need for me to try to guess who will take home the prize. And, can I be completely honest - I don't really know this race at all. Sure, it's been around a long while, but it almost always lands when another race in Alaska is taking place. Not this year! This is the only qualifier running, so here we go!

200-Mile Roster

10 Jed Stephensen (Nordic Wayfinding) - Website / Facebook / Instagram 
11 Charmayne Morrison (Morrison Racing Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram
12 Bryce Mumford (Cub River Kennel) - Instagram
13 Rex Mumford (Valley Kennel) - Facebook
14 Josi Thyr (There & Back Again Sleddogs) - Website / Facebook
15 Clayton Perry (TSA Kennel) - Facebook 

How to Watch

The Eagle Cap has a wonderful website full of tons of information for how to watch in person at the different checkpoints. It is well organized and easy to read, you definitely want to take time to explore their site. You'll definitely want to read the musher bios, some fun little tidbits hidden there.

They are active on Facebook, and will most likely share even more as the race begins.

Trackers will be used on this race as well! I know how much fans love those little GPS minions who sometimes hitch a ride with the aliens, and it is confirmed that we will have SPOT trackers on the race again this year. Be sure to check back as once the link goes live I'll edit this post to include it.

Schedule of Events
(Note: times are Pacific Timezone)

Wednesday, January 18
9am-4pm Vet Checks
6pm Musher Meet & Greet
6:30pm Potluck & Bib Draw

Thursday, January 19
12pm Race Start

Saturday, January 21
Finishes throughout the day
5:30pm Awards Reception

2023 Copper Basin 300 race preview

Glen Allen, Alaska is about to get busy and full of dogs as the Copper Basin 300 is set to kick off this weekend. As of January 11 there are twenty nine teams set to take on the most difficult 300 miles of Alaskan terrain for a sled dog race. That may or may not be hyperbole, but it WILL be one of the coldest races we see all year - CB300 has a reputation.

As teams head from their kennels to the starting line, the roster has had last minute changes and withdrawals as illness and injury have caused several teams to rethink their season. Most notably was the announcement out of Mitch Seavey's kennel that Jonathan Hayes, scheduled to run part of the Seavey A-team in the CB300, was swapping out for another handler's turn on the runners - Lara Kittelson. Hayes suffered a knee injury on a last minute training run and may be out the rest of the season, though the musher's hopes are high he will be ready to go for next weeks' Willow 300.

Also unable to make the CB300 is Ashley Dove who is currently working on her Iditarod qualifiers like Hayes. Dove ran in the Knik 200 with a team from Josh McNeil's kennel and the dogs have come down with a cough. McNeil reported that all dogs in the kennel are up to date on vaccinations and are showing mild symptoms, but they will not be running the Copper Basin. The right move. Weeks ago Amanda Otto swapped in for Jeff King who chose to not run this year's race after all.

A quick look at the weather forecast from AccuWeather has Glen Allen's high on Saturday at a balmy -11F. The race begins at 10am so the temp may be closer to the -18 they're predicting with the 5mph wind gusts adding to the cold. There shouldn't be much sun as they expect it to be mostly cloudy. This will be perfect musher weather, but if you're headed up that way you may want to bundle up and invest in some hand and toe warmers. By afternoon the wind will be a steady 5mph with slight gusts of 6mph. Fun times. I think I'll stay in and watch the trackers.

If you're reading this blog trying to finalize your Fantasy Mushing team ahead of the start, I've got you covered with some top names to watch.

Who to Watch

Brent Sass - The Iditarod and Yukon Quest Champion came in second in last weekend's Knik 200, but now we're closer to his backyard. While Sass is looking more towards Quest and Iditarod for his team to be in peak form, his dogs looked strong after the "awesome" trails they had in Knik. Expect him to at least stick in the chase pack to be in position to make his move and come out on top or nearly so.

Cody Strathe & Paige Drobny - The teams from Squid Acres will definitely be in the mix. It's unclear if they are splitting up the teams evenly with a mix of veteran and rookie dogs in both teams or if they are running and A and B team. Either way neither musher is an unknown to the top of the field and they could prove successful again here in the Copper Basin.

Jeff Deeter - Half of Black Spruce kennel, Jeff is not shy of the race circuit, and can always play a "spoiler" in the favorites' standings. He has more than an outside chance of coming in for one of the top places. 

Jessie Holmes - Team Can't Stop really can't. This will be Jessie's first big test to see how his recovery is going after having a close to death experience in Golovin this summer. The veteran musher and reality tv star had no doubt that he would make it to the starting line, but it will be interesting to see if he takes it easy or goes all in (and hopes his body holds together). He shared a few updates early on in training and it seems he hasn't missed much time at all with the dogs. Mushers are a different breed.

Matt Hall - The 2007 Yukon Quest champion is another who is no stranger to the crazy cold temperatures that the CB300 is known to throw at teams. While it does seem it may be a tad warmer thatn in years past, the Interior dog teams thrive on this race for a reason. This is just like home. Watch Hall to be another contender for one of the top placements.

Nic Petit - Nic took to facebook after the Knik 200 where he placed a respectable third conceding this season to other, faster teams. Whether that was hyperbole to fake his competition out or not, do not trust Nicolas Petit to not give it everything he's got. Expect him to be in that chase pack and make a move when he can. Do not trust the down and out posting.

Travis Beals - One half of the Turning Heads kennel in this race, be sure Travis has the main race team. His ultimate goal is Iditarod Champion, and to win that he has to have an unbreakable bond with the team he's taking to hopefully get there. Beals will be joined by his partner Sarah Stokey on the trail, but don't expect them to travel together (though if it does go that way, good for Sarah!) Travis and Sarah have withdrawn from the race.

There are five other teams I would also suggest adding to your fantasy team, they could all be spoilers to this whole field. Calvin (Leon) Daugherty is the son of "Lost Boy" Larry Daugherty and is running dogs out of Mitch Seavey's kennel, many of his team are looking to become the A-team for Christian Turner's Iditarod team, but Mitch typically sends his handlers (especially in their first season) to the races with very conservative schedules so he's a very outside shot - but he'll definitely finish (unless it goes to -60 again, then be prepared for a WD). Riley Dyche is another up and coming musher who has already made his mark in past seasons and could easily spoil those listed in the who to watch listing. Jeremy Traska is another solid musher and team that could find themselves in good position for a top placement. And the Vitellos, a father and son duo who are rookies to Iditarod, but not to mushing. 

But how can you watch if you aren't right there with the action? Glad you asked...

How to Follow

2022 marks the full return to whatever we call normal in the sled dog world. Thankfully while a lot of the world shut down in 2020-2022, mushing was able to continue with little change due to the remote nature of many of the races. This year it's back to normal routes, normal volunteering, and normal armchair watching. Here's how you can have the winning strategy to keep tabs on all the action.

GPS Tracker
The best way to make a mushing fan happy is make GPS tracking available, and the link should go live sometime after the bib draw on Friday. As always, this blog will be edited to add in that click for your one stop shopping for all things race following. TrackLeaders.com is once again supplying all of our GPS tracking obsession needs, you can find this year's map and teams here.

Radio Broadcast
KCAM Radio will broadcast the start beginning at 10am (or shortly before). 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. There may even be live video feeds, but there's been no promise that systems will work for the whole start. 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. KTUU/Alaska's News Source is always good for a recap of the races.

Schedule of Events

Friday, January 13
10am-4pm Registration and Mandatory Vet Checks
5:30pm Mandatory Handler Meeting
6pm Mandatory Musher Meeting & Bib Draw
*Rookie Meeting follows directly after Bib Draw*

Saturday, January 14
10am - Race Start

Tuesday, January 17
6pm - Award Banquet

Will you be watching? Who are you hoping takes the win? 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 Knik 200 race preview

It's the first race weekend of 2023! Welcome back, mushing fans, it's upon us once again! Luckily South Central Alaska was hit with a ton of snow early in December so even with our warmer temperatures of late the Knik 200 has been able to stay alive and run this weekend, so here we go! 

The Knik 200 is a memorial race in honor of the late Joe Redington Sr. For those that may be new to this sport, Redington is known as the Father of the Iditarod. Without Joe we may never have had these longer distance races much less the beautiful niche community of long distance mushers. 

Typically the honorary musher is Joe Sr, but this year they've chosen mushing legend Lance Mackey for the honor. Mackey dominated the sport from 2006-2010, he was a four-time Iditarod and four-time Yukon Quest champion (winning both in the same year twice). Lance passed away from a battle with cancer last summer, and many races are paying tribute to one of the sports greatest mushers.

There are currently 33 names on the roster (as of January 4, 2023) with a handful of teams that are sure to challenge for the win. Let's get to looking at the top names to watch.

Who to Watch

Brenda Mackey - While one could make the argument that the last name "Mackey" would be enough to qualify any musher for "who to watch" in Brenda's case it's a legit argument. The daughter of Iditarod Champion Rick Mackey is no stranger to the lifestyle or the sport and she and her husband have built a fantastic program in their kennel. Brenda has had a difficult end to 2022 with the loss of her beloved uncle as well as now her father dealing with his own battle with cancer, as well as another uncle currently fighting cancer. Once Brenda gets out on the runners she will have a good chance of leaving those worries behind and focusing on the team and trail in front of her. Look for her to make a bid for the win. Brenda has withdrawn.

Brent Sass - the reigning Iditarod Champion is no stranger to winning, he's also a multi-time winner of the Yukon Quest, and he certainly seems prepped to ride the upswing of last year's win for quite a few years. While he could be using the Knik 200 as a way to get the team back into the swing of the race rhythm don't expect him to hold back for the red lantern position either. 

Dave Turner - Dave had to bow out of last year's race, but don't expect that to mean he won't be able to hold his own and challenge for the win this year. Dave thrives in these mid-distance races and could prove to once again be the dark horse. Dave has withdrawn.

Jason Mackey - I don't think there are many mushing fans who aren't pulling for Jason to have a breakout year in 2023. The younger brother of Lance Mackey, Jason has always been in the mix in Iditarod, but he isn't always able to make the mid-distance races, but it looks like Jason's "Top Notch" Kennel is looking to make their mark. He's a musher in his own right and not riding on anyone's coattails, but he's also keeping Lance's kennel alive and running some of Lance's dogs. I'm not counting Jason out of a top finish.

Matt Failor - The expectant dad (baby due in June!) knows these trails, and is a solid musher. He won the Kuskokwim 300 a couple years back and is a consistent top place finisher in races he enters. He was trained up by four time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, so Matt has a strong advantage in that regard from some of his cohorts on the trail. I'd give him an outside chance.

Nic Petit - I'm still declaring Petit the King of the Mid-Distance race. Team Petit thrives on the 200 and 300 mile races. He likes to start fast and race fast all the way through. It makes for a very exciting race but also devastating when the team runs out of gas before trail. Nic is a fan favorite by how he seems to just fly by the seat of his pants, his persona is one of shrugging chaos, and he likes to refer to himself as the team dad and the dogs are his kids. I'd say he's the front runner leading into the race.

Travis Beals - One of those Alaskan kids who grew up knewing he was going to be a dog musher and run these races he grew up watching and volunteering at. Beals is a solid contender year in and year out. He's got the goods to do it, and you shouldn't count him out.

Michelle Phillips - We don't have names for the two teams that Tagish Lake Kennel, but one can assume one of the teams could be Michelle Phillips, in which case definitely put her in the top running for a win. Michelle is a strong competitor who chooses dogs over everything else and we love her for it. 

**Hugh Neff - Neff is once again running dogs out of Jim Lanier's kennel. He has a lot of controversy surrounding him lately that was years in the making. With Neff not being allowed to run the Iditarod this year he made the announcement he'd run the Knik 200 instead (because it's comparable?) he name drops Joe Sr. almost daily and so I expect he will push the dogs past their limits if need be to try and make a point. In a 200 mile race that may not be a bad thing for the race, but it's also why there are so many races that have put his entries into question.

How to Watch

For those of us who cannot watch in person, there will be a lot of refreshing of internet pages, here's a run down on how you can follow along with this weekend's race.

Official Website
The race had to restructure their organization a couple of years ago and is now under the direction of the Knik Iditarod Trail Blazers, so they have just a page on their site for the race, but it has the rules and basic information.

GPS Tracker
What would we do without these little trackers that drive us crazy when they go haywire (I will always blame the aliens), trackleaders.com will once again keep us obsessively refreshing our screen with their wonderful GPS map. It isn't live yet, so an edit to this blog post will happen once it does. The 2023 map and trackers can be found here.

Social Media
The race is most active on Facebook. The race has not been active on Twitter in years. There's also no Instagram. 

And I've just heard that KALE CASEY will be covering the event LIVE, so be sure to watch for when he goes live on Facebook!

Schedule of Events

Friday, January 6, 2023
4:00pm-6:00pm Musher's Dinner and Bib Draw
**It's steak dinner night, come hungry**

Saturday, January 7, 2023
8:00am Mandatory Vet Check
10:00am Start
**Teams will start on Knik Lake**

Sunday, January 8, 2023
6:00pm Award Banquet

Which team do you think will win? Who are you cheering for? Comment below!

Like what you see and want to see this blog continue? Buy me a slice of pizza (that actually goes to internet costs)!