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 Brenda has withdrawn.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!

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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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50 years of Iditarod Champion Highlight - Carl Huntington

With 2023 marking 50 years of the Last Great Race, and the 51st running, it's high time we look back on the mushers who had that magic ride into Nome in first. For the next few weeks as we count down to March 4, we'll highlight the 24 Champions of Iditarod. That's right, 50 races with 24 names on the Champion list. Just as more folks have climbed Everest than have run Iditarod, the Champions list is surprisingly short.  

The Sprint Mushing Champion

Carl Huntington
Photo from Iditarod Archives.

The second ever Iditarod Champion was the first Native Alaskan to win the race. Born in 1947, Carl Huntington came from Galena, Alaska. Huntington's Athabascan roots gave him generations of mushing experience, and he was known as a competent sprint musher. In fact, Carl is the only musher to be champion of Iditarod, the Fur Rondy sprint races, and the Open North American Championships (ONAC). Ironically, while Carl would go on to win those sprint races, he holds the record for slowest champion time!

Carl grew up in a large family, and dog mushing was a part of his childhood. With only one sled to carry everyone, the older boys (one being Carl) would often have to run behind the sled on their way to "beaver camp" according to his younger brother Tom. Beaver camp was about a 20 mile run, talk about toughness.

Carl Huntington was a rookie heading to Nome in March of 1974. Not a rookie in the sport, but this was his first time on the still incredibly new Iditarod Race Trail. The 1974 race was a brutal one weather wise. Dick Mackey would write in his autobiography that on one leg he camped with Huntington and several other teams during an overnight windstorm where they piled the dogs together and the mushers hunkered down and kept each other awake all night because it was so cold. They would later find out that with the wind chill the temperature reached a lovely -130 degrees. 

Like many champions who would come after him, Huntington at age 27 came limping up Front Street. He had injured his knee along the trail and at one point was worried he wouldn't be able to finish the race. Huntington would credit his lead dog Nugget - who was eleven years old - with much of his success in getting to the finish line. Nugget was a dog from musher Emmitt Peter's kennel and Carl had borrowed her in 1973 for the Fur Rondy sprint races, which they won. Carl was so impressed with the dog that he asked to take her on the Iditarod the following season. Nugget, at eleven years old, became an Iditarod champion.

Huntington would sign up for the 1975 race, but did not finish. He went back to racing sprint and in 1977 would win the Open North American Championships. In the following years, as Iditarod would pass through Galena, Carl would come down to the teams to give them a once over. Iditarod Champion Joe May would write in 2014: "Carl Huntington came down to the checkpoint, marched up and down the teams and passed 'judgment'...usually with a cursory nod or shrug. With Carl, who had never been known to be wrong about a dog, a “judgment” was as from God to Moses from the Burning Bush.

One year, after scrutinizing my team, he walked to where the checker and I waited with bated breath. I was a mess..bloodshot eyes, ruined nose, peeling cheeks, torn and filthy parka. The checker asked, “what you think Carl?”. Carl looked me up and down and said, “dogs will make it—he won't”, turned and walked away."

Little is publicized about Carl's passing in 2000, but he is remembered fondly by many mushers who knew him. He left his mark in the sport.

For a little bit more on Carl's 1974 race you can read an article archived by the New York Times. Joe Runyan wrote about lead dog Nugget in a blog post for Iditarod insider. 

What are you thoughts on this new series for the blog? Comment below!

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50 years of Iditarod Champion Highlight - Dick Wilmarth

With 2023 marking 50 years of the Last Great Race, and the 51st running, it's high time we look back on the mushers who had that magic ride into Nome in first. For the next few weeks as we count down to March 4, we'll highlight the 24 Champions of Iditarod. That's right, 50 races with 24 names on the Champion list. Just as more folks have climbed Everest than have run Iditarod, the Champions list is surprisingly short. 

Iditarod's first Champion

Dick Wilmarth celebrates his win in Nome.
Photo: Iditarod Trail Committee Archives

Dick Wilmarth hailed from Red Devil, Alaska. An "unknown" on the 1973 roster, Wilmarth was a miner and trapline musher, not a racing team. Dick moved to Alaska at 17, leaving his logging job in Idaho behind. He and his brother were wooed to the Last Frontier with the promise of adventure and opportunity. Settling in the mining community of Red Devil, he learned to fly planes and got interested in mushing dogs. 

Born in 1942, Dick was 30 years old when he took off from Anchorage to Nome. Having heard about the race just a few months prior, Wilmarth cobbled a team with very little prep by trading goods for dogs out of several villages to add to his team for a total of twelve dogs at the starting line. He would later say in interviews that it was never about trying to win the race, it just sounded like adventure and he wanted to be a part of it.

As you can imagine, the first ever Iditarod race had its share of trials. There were no air drops of supplies in checkpoints in those days, and very little trail grooming (especially since what little was planned got sidelined when the snow was too much for the snow machines of the day to cut through). No trail had been set for years with just yearly clean up, and so it was more of an extended camping trip than a race. Still, as teams made their way to Nome, it was clear that the unknown from Red Devil was willing to take chances to stay ahead. Part of that, Wilmarth would say years later, was due to the fact that he had to keep moving to stay warm and stay fed. He would tell stories of nearly falling through the ice trying to get fish out of a fish wheel, and how he trapped beaver along the way to eat and feed the dogs. 

One of Dick's best known stories, perhaps, was in his telling of how he ran into a couple who were traveling who couldn't get their camp stove to light. He helped them get it started in exchange for a meal, they were hauling a load of canned goods including Dinty Moore's Beef Stew. Wilmarth said he ate six or seven cans of the stuff before continuing on his way (this was back before the no outside assistance rule was really a thing), a few miles down the trail he said his stomach started to growl - those "hearty meals" weren't Alaskan hearty.

At one point in the race, temps dropped to -50 degrees and some teams wanted to halt the race until conditions improved, but they could only do that if all mushers agreed. Like we've seen in more recent years, the future champ disagreed and felt he needed to continue, so he did.

Of the 34 teams that left Anchorage, only 22 finished, and Wilmarth was first to cross the finish line. He won a whopping $12,000 for the race's first ever win, and won Rookie of the Year (imagine that). He would tell reporters later that he had hoped to use the money to buy a backhoe. 

Wilmarth's win wouldn't be without controversy. There are two camps within the old timers and fans over if his win was legitimate. Some have accused Dick of having a lot more outside help than a few meals along the way, with some rumors to having used an airplane at one point. Dick Mackey would write in his biography in defense of the champion saying he ran close to Wilmarth for a lot of the race and never saw any signs of an airplane having touched down to carry the musher, sled, and dogs anywhere. 

Dick Wilmarth was a one and done champion - completely. He would not return to the race with a team again, which has also fed into the conspiracy theories. Chas St. George of the Iditarod Trail Committee would tell a story that when he asked Dick once why he never ran again Dick responded simply, "because I won." Dick would remain a part of the race lore and family, often showing up at a checkpoint to watch teams in, and in the early days would even fly race officials over the trail to give them a look at the teams from above.

Dick Wilmarth died in 2018 at the age of 75 after a battle with prostate cancer. He left behind a wife and six children as well as grandchildren. The race's first champion was part legend and part mystery, but is very much woven into the lore of the Last Great Race.


For some insights on Iditarod's first champion you can read the article by Tegan Hanlon for Anchorage Daily News after his passing, and view an extended clip of Iditarod Insider's interview with Dick for their documentary on Iditarod created to celebrate their 40th race. 

What are you thoughts on this new series for the blog? Comment below!

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Iditarod Insider increases pricing

Iditarod Champion Mitch Seavey is interviewed
by Iditarod Insider at the 2019 Iditarod ReStart.
March 3, 2019. Willow, Alaska.

In an email sent out to Iditarod fans today, Iditarod Insider announced that they will increase the price of their subscriptions beginning January 1, 2023. The subscription based streaming service began in 2004 when video on the internet was just starting to really take root. The award winning team of Insider prides themselves of being passionate fans of the Last Great Race and the sport it showcases.

Much has changed from their humble beginnings nearly two decades ago, and with it has been a host of growing pains, but the service is one that fans cling to to keep up with the latest news from the trail. Insider now boasts live coverage in most of the checkpoints, as well as expert and color analysis as the race progresses. Each year's race gets its own documentary produced for purchase (or streaming through the subscription service). Along with video and livefeeds, Insider also provides access to the beloved GPS tracker. Gone are the days of waiting for twice a day updates (unless one was a HAM Radio operator), and heaven help anyone related to Insider if it goes down even briefly because fans are addicted to the information it provides.

While Insider has changed its pricing structure in the past, it was never forced to up the subscription price of the established tiers - they always were able to add a new tier/option for subscribers while keeping the original pricing stable. 2023 will be the first time every tier gets a price increase, but it's a needed one according to Insider.

"We appreciate your continued support in the Iditarod Community," the statement reads, "your support is what helps keep our mushers and four-legged friends doing what they love. For the first time in its 18 year history, we are nominally increasing the Insider subscription prices to reflect the growing cost of bringing these services to our fans. The subscription cost has not paralleled the rising costs of producing the Insider coverage since its inception."

During the 2022 "Town Hall" Zoom Meeting the Iditarod put on in December, Insider producer Greg Heister noted that neither he or any of his team were making money off of Insider, that all profits go directly to the race and that his crew are paid "significantly less than industry standards" suggesting the crew worked Insider out of love for the race and the people and dogs that make it happen. Insider has to pay for its own accommodations, food, and transportation. While, yes, they do use the Iditarod Air Force, they also run snow machines up and down and around the trail and - as we all know - fuel prices are exponentially higher this year. The pricing increases come as really no surprise, though there did not seem to be a hint of the increase during the Town Hall.

Price increases are as follows:
Ultimate Insider - Increase from $33.95 per year to $39.95 per year.
Ultimate Insider Plus - Increase from $39.95 per year to $49.95 per year.

Subscriptions purchased before January first will not be affected, but will see the price increase on their next renewal (June 2023).

To view the full email, click here.

What are your thoughts on the price increase? Will you be purchasing Insider this year? Tell me below in the comments!

Lance Mackey named Honorary Musher for Iditarod 51

In a short statement released today by the Iditarod Trail Committee, the Last Great Race announced the 51st's running's Honorary Musher would be 4-time Iditarod Champion and Legend Lance Mackey. Lance Mackey dominated long distance mushing in Alaska from 2005-2010 when he won four consecutive Yukon Quest titles (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008) and four consecutive Iditarod titles (2007, 2008, 2009, 2010) before a number of personal and health setbacks saw him drop in the rankings. The feat of winning those eight titles in the span of five seasons will most likely never be repeated.

The ITC wrote, "Lance was one of the Iditarod nation’s most colorful champions, exciting the crowds and his fans everywhere he went."

Lance was born into a mushing family, he often bragged that he ran his first sled dog race from inside his mother Kathie's womb. Lance's childhood was not your dreamy Norman Rockwell version of childhoods, but he spent a great deal of time watching, studying, and idolizing the men and women of the Iditarod as his father Dick Mackey helped Joe Redingtom start the Last Great Race. 

Lance's young adulthood was fraught with difficulties, most he would later say from his own doings, but when he packed up the wife and kids and moved to the Kenai Peninsula to start fresh, it wasn't long before he picked up stray and unwanted dogs and cobbled together a kennel. He would work hard to qualify for the race he grew up cherishing, and it was his rookie run in Iditarod when Mackey discovered something wasn't quite right. A trip to the doctor discovered he had a very aggressive form of throat cancer. 

Lance Mackey defied the odds and credited his recovery on his dogs. The dogs gave him extra reason to fight, as well as helped him heal. They needed him and he needed them just as much. Mackey was soon back on the runners and even entered the Iditarod just months after treatment (he would later say that wasn't the best of ideas). While Lance and team started to see success in mid distance races, and steadily climbed the standings in the Iditarod and Quest, most counted him out. Even after winning two Quest titles in 2005 and 2006, many did not believe as Lance did that he would be able to continue - and as long as he was winning the Quest it was believed he would never win Iditarod. Two thousand mile races less than a month apart, the experts all said, was impossible to win both. 

In 2007, Lance knew his time had come to prove everyone wrong. Drawing bib number 13 at the Iditarod bib draw the now three time Yukon Quest Champion KNEW he was going to be the 2007 Iditarod Champion. Both his father Dick and older brother Rick had won their Iditarod titles with lucky bib number 13. Lance believed his fate was sealed, and wouldn't you know it, Lance crossed the finish line in first... and would do so for the next three consecutive races. 

Lance reignited the imagination of mushing fans and mushers alike. He didn't have flashy sponsors, gear, or really much of anything but gumption. Mackey with his "Comeback Kennel" was a sort of throwback to his father's days of mushing, and the world ate it up. He would be nominated for an ESPY award, and be the focus of an award winning documentary.

When fans learned in 2021 that the musher was diagnosed with cancer again (a different type than the first) they rallied around the champion musher. Lance's 2020 was already difficult with the shame of testing positive for methamphetamine - for which he went to out of state treatment for - and the loss of his life partner Jenne in an ATV rollover accident leaving their two children without their mother. It just seemed totally unfair that, once again, things seemed stacked against him. Mackey remained quiet for the next year, with just a scattering of posts about car racing, a few kennel updates where the musher was quietly selling equipment and dogs, and a couple kid updates.

Then August of 2022, Lance gave a gut-wrenching interview with Iditarod Insider's Greg Heister. He was calling in from a hospital room where he revealed he had been in and out of the hospital all summer. The musher said he wasn't done fighting and that's exactly what he did up until the very end. When the news of his passing hit social media via a simple post by his father on Facebook, fans immediately took to sending condolences and tributes - and as Iditarod wrote to confirm that the beloved champion had passed fans immediately called for them to choose him as the 2023 Honorary Musher.

Iditarod heard those pleas, and they have chosen wisely. Jr. Iditarod, also, will have Lance as their honorary musher and members of the Mackey Family will be in attendance at the race. For the Iditarod, the Honorary Musher or their representative ride in the first sled out of the chute driven by that year's Jr Iditarod champion. In Lance's place his two youngest children, Atigun and Lozen, will ride in the sled through the 11 miles through Anchorage. 

You can read the press release here.

Neff speaks to fans about Iditarod decision

Never one to let things go, Hugh Neff hasn't stayed quiet after he announced yesterday the Iditarod Review Board denied his application for the 2023 race. The former Yukon Quest Champion posted more details to his Facebook account citing how he and Jim Lanier knew that Iditarod would not let him run months ago. Neff planned to run dogs from Lanier's kennel again this year, and used their win in the Kobuk 440 as proof that his "forced scratch" from Iditarod 2022 was a farce. 

To hear Hugh's side of things is to hear one conspiracy after the other for the last decade or so. The Quest was out to get him. The Iditarod was out to get him (and in one race he suggested that Iditarod wanted to kill him when they wouldn't send a rescue team out in the middle of a storm out onto the Norton Sound to find the wayward musher). Different mushing clubs/associations who chose to deny him membership due to the Quest's decision to bar him from the 2019 race because of his dog's death in 2018 was found to be caused by musher negligence. So then the vet teams of races were out to get him. Mark Nordman, the musher's hinted, dislikes him and is jealous of him. And don't get him started on all of those fake mushers with tv deals (Seavey? Redington? Holmes?) he's following in the traditions of Alaska and real mushers whereas they're just about money. 

Neff's statement last night cited mushers by description and not name siding with him, stating they won't speak publicly for fear of retribution. In an odd sort of twist it seems Neff is trying to take a few pages out of Dallas Seavey's book after Seavey had to deal with the fall out of the Musher X scandal, with a big difference being mushers spoke out publicly for the musher. Even rivals who had not great things to say about the youngest Iditarod Champion wrote letters of support for Dallas. So far, if Hugh does have supporters in the community, they aren't coming forward.

In his statement on facebook the musher promised he is not going anywhere and plans to continue mushing in "Alaska's Greatland". A quick scan of mid distance race rosters does not show Hugh with any future races lined up.

Neff denied Iditarod entry

Hugh Neff navigates a turn in
Anchorage during the ceremonial 
start of Iditarod 50. March 6, 2022.

In a series of Facebook posts Friday night, Yukon Quest Champion Hugh Neff reported that his Iditarod Registration was rejected by the Race Board. The musher did not mince words and hinted at conspiracy against him as well as the kennel he plans to runs dogs out of - Jim Lanier's Northern Whites Kennel.

All entries for the Iditarod are reviewed by a committee which determines if a team meets the requirements - regardless of past experience on the trail. These decisions are not typically made public by the race other than approvals being posted to the roster. The committee takes in consideration kennel conditions, current races, as well as past Iditarods (when applicable).

Neff has had a string of concerns in the last few years stemming from the Yukon Quest barring him from racing the thousand mile race until he could requalify after they found him negligent in the death of his dog Boppy in the 2018 race. Other races, including Iditarod, followed suit in denying Hugh's entries in the 2019 season. 

Neff ran in the 2022 Iditarod but had to scratch in Ruby due to concern for his dogs. Controversy surrounded his scratch as the musher and the race differ on what happened with Neff accusing Mark Nordman of having a vendetta against him. 

This is a developing story.

Race season in Alaska begins in December

It's the most wonderful time of the year. With those holiday greetings, and sled dog race meetings, where loved ones are... wait... what?

That's right, race fans! We're into the first few races of the season! Can you believe it?! Weren't we just talking about Iditarod 50 last week? Okay, well, some of us are still talking about it all these months later. But, really, the race season in Alaska gets underway in just a few short days. 

While December does not host a lot of "big" races that are used to qualify for the super bowl of dog mushing (Iditarod), it's a way to shake loose the cobwebs and get into the racing mindset. This season we're hoping to see an exciting new series of races called the Delta Championship Series that kicks off - hopefully - the first weekend in December with a race simply titled "Season Opener".

So why do we see so few races in December? Simply put, weather and trail conditions. While, yes, most years we don't have to dream of a White Christmas in Alaska and the Yukon, the rivers aren't always quite as frozen as they need to be for teams to travel safely on them. Even if it's "just" a river crossing, teams and trail sweeps need to have confidence that the ice won't break out from underneath them. Overflow is also a concern, and no one wants to be wet in negative degree temperatures (which currently most of Alaska is experiencing).

So a few smaller, faster, more fun races happen to just get everyone back in the groove before mid-distance races really take off in January.

For Bethel's "Season Opener" race, it is set to be a 32 mile out and back fun run. Few details have been made public mainly because they are still observing and testing trail conditions. A decision to push back the race will happen by December 1, but if all goes to plan they will leave out of Bethel on Saturday, December 3, and follow the Atmautluak trail.

Should the Season Opener go off as planned the next races will be the Alpine Creek Excursion on Dec. 10, followed by the Holiday Classic (2nd race in Delta Championship series) on the 17th, and then the Two Rivers Solstice race on, well, the Solstice. 

For a list of most major races (ie Iditarod/Quest qualifiers, plus a few fan requests) be sure to bookmark my 2022-23 Race Schedule.

*And as an aside, Mushing Radio's podcasts will go to once a week through the race season. We're still working out the schedule so if you have an opinion hop on twitter and vote in the poll I've created that will run for the next five or so days. We will go to a weekly program instead of bi-weekly in January, and of course we'll have our daily coverage in March during the Iditarod.

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Covid vaccination recommended but not required for Iditarod 51

Riley Dyche wears a mask during the
ceremonial start in Anchorage, Alaska.
March 5, 2022.

Iditarod released a statement to fans, mushers, and media this weekend with an update to their Covid-19 Policy ahead of the 2023 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. After three years of ever changing plans (sometimes mid-race) to keep villages as well as participants in the race safe, the Iditarod has chosen to walk back some of the previous year's policy on what will be required of mushers in March. 

When Covid-19 broke in the US in 2020, the Iditarod was days into the race. In "the race bubble" where the outside world isn't even a thought, mushers and most volunteers had no idea what the rest of the world was dealing with. The first time teams - especially those in the lead - found out things had gotten bad "out there" was when race officials had to inform teams that checkpoints were changing or being done away with entirely to prevent possible exposure.

When the pandemic continued past a year and into 2021, everyone held their breath to figure out what Iditarod would do. The ITC worked diligently with the villages and came to the conclusion the safest thing to do was to run what would be called the Gold Trail Loop, a similar trail to what Joe Redington originally invisioned for the race before deciding to go to Nome. Teams ran to the ghost town of Iditarod and back staying away from most villages, and not allowing villagers into checkpoint areas in other. Vaccines were still up in the air for many and so quarantining pre-race was the standard requirement with testing every few days. 

In 2022, Iditarod required all mushers, personnel, and volunteers to be vaccinated by January 1 to be able to participate - there would be no exceptions. This caused several well known names to withdraw due to their stance on the vaccine or for medical reasons that kept them from being vaccinated. The race ran from Anchorage to Nome but bypassed the popular checkpoint of Takotna by request from community leaders who just could not take the chance of exposure. 

For participants in the 2022 race there was frustration over the written policies. It seemed to never be fully finalized and questions continued all the way up to race day and beyond. To see that the 2023 policy is still being worked out fully has given volunteers pause. Still, knowing that vaccination status would not have to be given has gotten many excited in Alaska and volunteer numbers could possibly increase from the last two years.

With a smaller roster so far for the 2023 race, fans often asked if it was the possible continuation of the vaccination mandate that was keeping teams from entering. While that does not appear to be a deciding factor for most, it could allow teams like Jessie Royer and Wade Marrs the opportunity to come back to the race they have been top contenders in. Neither is currently signed up for the 51st running of the race. Mushers must sign up by November 30 to make sure they do not have to pay a higher fee for late sign ups. Volunteer sign ups should begin sometime in November.

What do YOU think about the latest changes to the policy? Comment below with your thoughts.
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