2023 Knik 200 Roster

We've made it race fans! The "regular season" is upon us. After record tying - and in some cases breaking - snow fall in the month of December, trails have been dug out and groomed for the mid distance races throughout the great State of Alaska and it kicks off this weekend with the Knik 200 Joe Redington Memorial Race in, where else but Knik, Alaska. 

Thirty three teams signed up to run the 2023 race, with the final team signing up right at the wire. [Now twenty five are signed up as of musher meeting/bib draw on January 6, 2023.] There is a strong mix of veterans and rookies in the mix. Many familiar names and quite a few that are new to most fans. Some will use this race as a way to jumpstart their training plans for the Quest and Iditarod races, others are using this as one of their qualifiers for those races - and some are just out there to have fun!

As has become the "tradition" on Reitter's Block, I've compiled links for each member of the roster. As requested last season, I've also put the kennel name (when known) in parenthesis. Bib draw will happen Friday, January 6, 2023 - so, for now, names will be listed alphabetically until they are updated with the correct numbers. Bibs are drawn, the roster has been edited to reflect bib number and start order.

01 - Honorary Musher, Lance Mackey
02 - Hunter Keefe (Redington Mush Alaska) - Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
03 - Hugh Neff (Jim Lanier's Northern Whites) - Facebook / Instagram
04 - Michelle Phillips (Tagish Lake) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
05 - Eddie Burke (Wildstyle Racing) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
06 - Travis Beals (Turning Heads) - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
07 - Matt Failor (Alaskan Husky Adventures/17th Dog)- Website / Facebook / Instagram
08 - David Burge (Nautique Sky) - Website / Facebook
09 - Casey Ann Randall (Rock On Racing) - Website / Facebook / Twitter
10 - Josh McNeal (Crooked Creek) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
11 - Jennifer LaBar (Rockin' Ridge) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
12 - Jason Mackey (Mackey's Top Notch Racing) - Website / Facebook
13 - Joshua Robbins (Evermore Adventures?) - Facebook / Outreach 22 / Kennel Facebook
14 - Brent Sass (Wild and Free Mushing) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
15 - Nic Petit (Team Petit) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
16 - Aiyana O’Shaughnessy (Tagish Lake?) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
17 - Juliah DeLoach (Oil Well Kennel?) - Facebook
18 - Anna Berington (Seeing Double) - Website / Instagram
19 - Kelly Ridley (Lost Creek Mushing) - Facebook
20 - Ashley Dove (Crooked Creek) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
21 - Jacob Witkop (Piledriver Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram
22 - Kaiden Foster (Team Petit) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
23 - Katie Timmons (Tailwind Kennel)  - Facebook 24 - Eric Kelly (Daybreak Kennel)- Facebook / Instagram 25 - Kristy Berington (Seeing Double) - Website / Instagram
26 - Anna Hennessy (Shameless Huskies) - Facebook / Instagram 27 - Dakota Schlosser - Website / Facebook / Instagram

Roster as of January 6, 2023.

Who are you cheering for? Comment below!

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2021 Willow 300 Musher Roster

The season is rolling along, and we have another weekend of big races in the sled dog world. While the Willow 300 is one of the newer races (as in, less than 10 years old) it has become one of the most popular mid-distance races in Alaska. Not only is it used by veteran teams to train for the big races - but it's a race that sees a lot of teams looking to qualify for those races. This year is no exception even with all of the uncertainty brought on by that lovely little concern called Covid-19.

The Willow 300 does not do a bib draw, mushers are given the bib number in order of sign up (makes it easy for me as I don't have to come back and edit this list just hours before the start!) Of course, we won't know if all of these teams show up or are who they say they are until race day, but this is the roster as of January 29 February 1.

Willow 300 Musher Roster

1. Grayson Bruton - Website / Facebook
2. John  Lloyd - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram 
3. Dave Turner - Facebook*
4. Casey Randall - Facebook / Twitter 
5. Deke Naaktgeboren - Website / Facebook / Instagram
6. Jacob Witkop - Facebook 
7. Eddie Burke Jr - Facebook / Instagram
8. Amanda Otto - Facebook / Kennel Facebook / Instagram 
9. Misha Wiljes - Website / Facebook
10. Julie Nelson - Facebook 
11. Gerhardt Thiart - Website / Facebook 
12. Sean Williams - Facebook
13. Allen Lau - Facebook
14. Jessi Downey - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram**
15. Gabe Dunham - Website / Facebook / Instagram
16. David Hassilev - Facebook / Instagram 
17. Hunter Keefe - Facebook / Twitter / Instagram 
18. Nic Petit - Website / Facebook / Twitter
19. Rick Casillo - Website / Facebook / Instagram
20. Cim Smyth - Facebook
21. Jim Lanier - Website / Facebook*
22. Rebecca Rowin - Facebook
23. Julie Ahnen - Facebook / Instagram 
24. Victoria Hardwick - Facebook
25. Susannah Tuminelli - Website / Facebook / Instagram
26. Samantha La Londe - Facebook / Instagram
27. Elliot Hubbard - Website / Facebook 
28. Kai Leddy - Website / Facebook / Instagram
29. Linwood Fiedler - Website / Facebook / Instagram
30. Katie Timmons - Facebook*
31. Dane Baker - Facebook / Instagram
32. Anja Radano - Facebook / Instagram
33. Wade Marrs - Website / Facebook / Instagram
34. Michaela O’Connor - Facebook 
35. Karin Hendrickson - Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
36. Eric Kelly - Instagram / Facebook
37. Lev Shvarts - Website / Facebook
38. Josh Armstrong - Facebook
39. Travis Beals - Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
40. Aaron Burmeister -  Facebook
41. Josh McNeal - Website / Facebook / Instagram
42. Adam Worsell - Facebook
43. Unknown*
44. Joshua Robbins - Facebook
45. Mike Dolinar - Facebook / Instagram

*Edited to remove teams who chose to Withdraw as of February 1. 
**Edited to add links for Jessi Downey (thank you Jae March) 

2020 Copper Basin Bib Numbers

The race is set for its 10am start, the Bib Numbers have been drawn!

Want to know who the mushers are running this year's Copper Basin 300? Look no further. I just spent a crazy amount of time tracking down the teams online. Mushers are traditionally the sort who balk at modern technology, so some of these sites are outdated at best, and some non-existant. Use this info as you wish, perhaps this will help some with their Fantasy Mushing teams. 


1. Misha Wiljes - Website / Facebook
2. Mille Porsild - Website / Facebook
3. Kalyn Holl - Website / Facebook
4. Fabian Schmitz - Facebook
5. Nicholas Petit - Website / Facebook / Twitter
6. Madeline Rubida - Website / Facebook / Instagram
7. Michelle Phillips - Website / Facebook
8. Hal Hanson - Website / Facebook
9. Eric Kelly - Instagram / Facebook
10. Rob Cooke - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
11. KattiJo Deeter - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
12. Susannah Tuminelli - Website / Facebook
13. Aliy Zirkle - Website / Facebook / Twitter
14. Chad Stoddard - Facebook
15. Riley Dyche - Website / Facebook / Instagram
16. Louve Tweddell - Website
17. Mitch Seavey - Website / Facebook / Instagram
18. Lori Tweddell - Website /
19. Kyla Boivin - Facebook
20. Jason Biasetti - Can't find anything!
21. Christopher Parker - Website / Facebook / Instagram
22. Magnus Kaltenborn - Facebook / Instagram
23. Ryne Olson - Website / Facebook
24. Matt Paveglio - Website / Facebook
25. Brent Sass - Website / Facebook / Instagram
26. Hunter Keefe - Website / Facebook
27. Matthew Failor - Website / Facebook / Instagram

Weather cooperating for the Yukon Quest

With talk all last month that the Yukon River was open water all along the trail leading out of Whitehorse, concern was growing that major changes to the course were needed to be made. Race officials held off with announcing any such changes, stating they were watching the river and were actively working on alternate routes... but they trusted mother nature to work with them.

And work with them she has. The last few weeks temperatures dropped and snow hit the area; Much as it has elsewhere in Alaska. The trail reports are all positive - the river is frozen, and the more remote parts of the trail are in the process of being groomed. The weathermen predict a -45* start to race day (that's factoring in the windchill).

Yup, it's going to be a good race.

The starting order is as follows:

01. Allen Moore
02. Brent Sass
03. Normand Casavant
04. Cody Strathe
05. Nicolas Vanier
06. Tamra Reynolds
07. Damon Tedford
08. Lance Mackey
09. Jeff King
10. Tony Angelo
11. Dave Dalton
12. Kristin Knight Pace
13. Rolland Trowbridge
14. Torsten Kohnert
15. Scott Smith
16. Ryne Olson
17. Brian Wilmshurst
18. Joar Ulsom
19. Ray Redington Jr.
20. Ed Hopkins
21. Rob Cooke
22. Mike Ellis
23. Magnus Kaltenborn
24. Jason Campeau
25. Matt Hall
26. Hugh Neff