Willow 300 begins with confusion

All teams for the Willow 300 and 150 are on the trail, but it didn't go off without a hitch. Teams were scheduled to leave the starting line at 9am for the 300 mile race when at around 8:45am they were given word by officials that the start had been moved back an hour to 10am. This was after it was announced at the mushers meeting just the day before that the start was not 10 but 9.

While to some this seems like a small change that shouldn't matter much, it does. There is a rhythm and schedule to these types of things. We're talking dogs who cannot understand the concept of "go time is now an hour later" and mushers are now thrown off their schedules (should they write those up). At the time teams were finding out of the time change, most had their dogs out of their dog boxes, bootied, and some were even lined out. That meant that they now had to unbooty the dogs and put them back in the truck... dogs would be incredibly confused as they are supposed to GO after booties and line out, not just get back in the truck and not run.

To make matters even more confusing, it was announced around 8:30am that the trackers never made it to Willow so there would be no GPS tracking for fans. Not a huge deal from a musher perspective, but it was a bummer to fans. Then as they were announcing the time change for the start, the tracker link went live and it was "the trackers are on their way!" Ah, there's the reason for the start delay.

While I'm not complaining that we get to track the teams, I'm not sure waiting on the trackers is enough to delay a race. I'm sure some mushers were thinking the same thing.

Still, as the close struck 10am, the first team was off the starting line and across the lake. 

Oh, yeah, that was the other big change - no mass start. With the weather turning so warm, overflow is a major concern and it was not safe to park all the teams, personnel, and dog trucks on the lake, so they started at the Willow Community Center (like they do for the Iditarod ReStart) and left at two minute intervals. They will make up their time differential at the mandatory four hour stop at Sheep Creek checkpoint. 

So, armchair mushers, I hope you enjoyed this bit of whiplash as much as this blogger did. We have a lot of mushing to follow in the next 5 days or so (really longer once Beargrease starts) so don't let go of the sled, stick with us for all the news and action! 

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 Willow 150 musher roster

There are two races happening at once in Willow! Along with the 300 mile race, we also have a 150 mile race that also counts as a qualifier, and BONUS they now allow junior mushers to enter the 150! This is very exciting as there are fewer long races for junior mushers, so to have them be able to run a mid-distance race ahead of the Junior Iditarod is a huge boost to their mushing education. Not all of the teams are juniors, of course, but it's nice to see them young 'uns in the mix! (And watch out for the Emily Robinson! Don't let her age fool ya!)

There are a few recognizable names, but some many probably will not recognize, so this will be a fun one to learn about some of the up and coming teams in the next few years. Make sure to give them a follow on social media and cheer them on this week!

2 Emily Robinson (Robinson Racing Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram

3 Walter Robinson (Robinson Racing Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram

4 Kelly Ridley (Lost Creek Mushing) - Facebook

5 Dries Jacobs (??) - Facebook

6 Brianna Blomgren (Team Bailey?) - Facebook

7 Samantha Lalonde (Ryno Kennel) - Facebook / Kennel Facebook / Instagram

8 Artyom Krutikov (Team Petit?) - Facebook / Instagram

9 Ramey Smyth (Smyth Racing) - Facebook

The race starts same place and time as the 300. Look for a preview of the 300 later today (hopefully it's a slow day in the office so I can sneak some blogging in). Thank you to all who follow the blog, and request changes/extras. I do this for myself, but I'm also doing it for fellow fans!

*Edited to reflect the FINAL final roster. Added Smyth and took off two other teams. Sorry for the confusion.

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 Willow 300 musher roster

Hope you got all of your chores done LAST weekend, race fans, because this weekend we are jam packed with sled dog action. Kicking it off will be the Willow 300 in, where else, Willow, Alaska. This is a very popular race for many reasons - mainly its central location in mushing central. 

The Willow 300 was created to fill a gap when other, much more established, races were starting to go by the wayside for one reason or another. With fewer qualifiers for mushers to use for Iditarod and Quest, something had to be done and the Willow 300 was born.

Unlike most other races, the Willow 300 determines bib number by sign ups. This year the honorary musher is Lance Mackey (they were the first to choose him, in fact). Instead of bib #1 being for Lance, though, they have #13 in honor of Lance. Lucky number 13 was the bib number Lance (and brother Rick, and dad Dick all) wore to win his first Iditarod championship.

There are currently twenty-four teams signed up for the race, which seems small compared to recent years but as stated previously they're having to compete with the Kuskokwim 300 for entries and the Kusko is stacked!

As always, this roster is subject to change up to go time on Wednesday, January 25, but for now the race roster is as follows:

2 Matt Randall (Rock On Racing) - Website / Facebook / Twitter
3 Jason Mackey (Mackey's Top Notch Racing) - Website / Facebook
4 Travis Vanderhoof (Dream Team Kennels) - Facebook / Instagram
5 Anna Hennessy (Shameless Huskies) - Facebook / Instagram
6 Juliah DeLoach (Oil Well Kennel?) - Facebook
7 Eric Kelly (Daybreak Kennel)- Facebook / Instagram
8 Kristy Berington (Seeing Double Racing) - Website / Instagram
9 Anna Berington (Seeing Double Racing) - Website / Instagram
10 Beckie Hacker (Dream Big Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
11 Michaela O’Connor (Dream Big Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
12 Calvin Daugherty (Seavey's Ididaride) - Website / Facebook
14 Millie Porslid (Running Sled Dogs) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
15 Jonah Bacon (Nautique Sky Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
16 Jonathan Hayes (Seavey's Ididaride)* - Website / Facebook / Instagram
17 Dan Kaduce (Dew Claw Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
18 Keaton Loebrich - can't find them online anywhere!
19 Mike Parker (Northern Whites Kennel) - Facebook 
20 Lara Kittleson (Seavey's Ididaride) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
21 Hunter Keefe (Redington Mush Alaska) - Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
22 Joshua Robbins (Evermore Adventures?) - Facebook / Outreach 22 / Kennel Facebook
23 Joanna (Jagow) Weber (Motley Crew Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
24 Nic Petit (Team Petit) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
25 Travis Beals (Turning Heads) - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
26 Ramey Smyth (Smyth Racing) - Facebook

*Note that Jonathan Hayes is running Mitch Seavey's dogs in this race, however I have linked his kennel in Maine for this roster as there is more information at those links, plus he plans on running his own dogs in other races/The Iditarod, and they deserve some spotlight. But he IS running Seavey dogs for this qualifier.

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).

50 years of Iditarod Champion Highlight - Emmitt Peters

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 Yukon Fox

Photo from KTUU Sports archives.

The final rookie to win the Iditarod, Emmitt Peters was not a rookie to the sport. An accomplished sprint musher in his own right, he was encouraged to enter the Iditarod in 1975 after he ran the Fur Rondy Sprint Races where a sponsor would note that he had a "hell of a team" but that he was "running the wrong race." 

Peters had a dream of running the Iditarod and had studied the mushers from the last two races and everything about their runs, but he hadn't planned on entering in 75. With someone willing to foot the bill just days before the start, he headed to Ruby to train and prepare for a last minute entry (something that would not happen today). As Emmitt trained his team his mother - worried her son would freeze to death - and sisters worked tirelessly to make sure he stayed warm on the trail. The village of Ruby chipped in and sewed booties for the dogs. They say it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a Village to outfit an Iditarod musher.

In 1974, Peters loaned his lead dog Nugget to Carl Huntington and they won the Iditarod. In 1975, Peters would run with Nugget in lead and she would be one of the key factors to his win. Nugget gained a reputation in her years as having the best memory of a dog - and musher. While Emmitt was brand new to the trail, Nugget knew where she was going and how to get there. She was a tough dog - one who refused to wear booties - and by all reports incredibly smart. In fact, Nugget would be a key component to the win.

Peters had decided to take his mandatory 24 in Ruby. Back in those days there were no rules about where one could stay on the trail/in checkpoints. Emmitt decided to 24 in his home village so that he could sleep in the comforts of home. Problem was his mother - like any mother would - did not understand the 24 hour rule and so whenever a team would come into the checkpoint or leave, she would come and wake a resting Peters up to tell him he had to leave. After his layover the musher left dog tired with a well rested and re-energized team.

As the story is told in the book Iditarod: The First Ten Years, Emmitt began to fall asleep on the runners so he climbed into his sled bag and slept as his trusty lead dog Nugget lead the team down the trail. Emmitt would later find out that he passed two teams while sleeping in his sled! 

Peters would be credited with starting the more modern race's run-rest strategy. Instead of going until everyone was tired to rest, he stuck with a schedule: run four hours, rest four hours. Sure, he was getting passed by his competitors as he rested, but his dogs were never too tired to give more when he asked. As decades pass the run rest schedule changes - it's now about 6 to 6, or mushers make the rule of "no more than 50-100 miles" depending on the portion of the trail. But it is key to never let the team get over tired. AND that means four hours of rest for the dogs, the musher must spend that time caring for the dog. Emmitt would be quoted as saying "you have to take care of the dogs better than you. They dogs are the main machine, doin' all the work. You gotta take care of them first." 

Peters would run the race a handful of times after his win, but he would only come so close as second. He is also the last rookie to win the race. As he came in towards Nome, a radio DJ believed him to be another musher. Emmitt corrected him saying something like "no, that guy's behind me," and so the DJ began calling Peters the Yukon River Fox - which has since been shortened to "The Yukon Fox".

Emmitt is still considered one of the greatest of Iditarod history for how he managed to not only beat the odds, but he shaved a ton of time off the record finish time. He dropped nearly six days off the champion finishing time. All because of his dog care strategy, and a dog named Nugget.

Emmitt Peters passed away April 2, 2020 at his home in Ruby. 

If you're an Iditarod Insider, you can view a clip of Emmitt Peters talking about Nugget from an interview in 2016(14?). You can also read the Anchorage Daily News' obituary for Peters here.

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

Like what you see and want it to continue, you can "buy me a pizza" as a way to support the costs of running the blog.

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

Nicolas Petit wins Copper Basin 300

Photo from the CB300 Facebook page.

In a classic Nicolas Petit victory, the Team Petit Racing dogs came charging down the trail to finish the race in first at just a little past Noon on Monday. Petit has reclaimed his title after losing it to Brent Sass. The two teams have battled back and forth for several years now on the Copper Basin 300.

Petit led for most of the race, until Meiers Lake where Brent Sass was first into the next couple of checkpoints, but Petit's rest strategy paid off and the 12 minute lead he had out of Chistochina, those were 12 minutes Sass and his Wild and Free team just couldn't make up.

The race for third appears to be the hotter contest. Jessie Holmes ate up a lot of trail overnight to leap frog over both Hedda Mosleth and Matt Hall. After finishing up their mandatory rests in the final checkpoint, Hall and Holmes had five minutes between them and judging by the trackers, that has not been enough for Hall to hold off Team Can't Stop.

Teams will continue to come into Glen Allen throughout the day. The awards banquet will be held Tuesday evening. 

Petit and Sass race to the finish

The front runners for the Copper Basin 300 are in the home stretch. With just about 8 miles to go, Nicolas Petit looks to clinch the title once again as champion of the CB300. Brent Sass is a solid two miles behind the Big Lake musher, and is quickly running out of time to catch up much less pass. 

Petit took a moment from the runners this morning as he left the last checkpoint in Chistochina to send out a quick message reading simply, "Turned on the afterburners." For a musher who just last weekend conceded his time may have come to an end of being champion of mid-distance races, it seems his prediction was premature.

Or was it a prediction? Nic is known to enjoy playing mental games with his competitors (and tease his fans) and it appears that is exactly what he was trying to do after his third place finish in the Knik 200.

Seventeen miles behind Nic are Jessie Holmes and Matt Hall. Hall is down to eight dogs, Jessie has nine but also has the speed. Their trackers are not consistently pinging so it's difficult to tell who is actually ahead of the other at this point. 

Look for the finishers to begin arriving close to Noon Alaska time.

Sass, Petit, and Hall lead Copper Basin, several teams scratch

It should be no surprise that the top three are out of the Meier's Lake checkpoint within a couple of miles of each other. Brent Sass was first to leave at just before 7pm, Nicolas Petit followed twenty eight minutes later. Even though Matt Hall was second into the checkpoint, he was third out nearly an hour later. 

While there is an hour difference between second and third, Hall has the most rest banked out of the top three. He is running as fast as the top two and only needs two more hours of mandatory rest. Petit needs two and half hours, and Sass three.

The chase pack is starting to leave the checkpoint now, with Hedda Mosleth leading that charge. Hedda is running a team from Dallas' Seavey's kennel, and it does not appear that she is running conservatively. She's keeping up "with the big boys" and may play a spoiler. 

Five teams have scratched on the run between Lake Louise and Meier's Lake. Trail reports from those that made the difficult decision to scratch said that the deep snow and "moose tracks" created conditions that gave many teams minor injuries - causing mushers to either run the second half of the race with a small team, or call it a day. All teams report no major injuries, but they want to keep it that way.

Moose tracks in deep snow can cause a problem for dogs as the holes the moose make in the trail are much deeper than the dogs can step in causing falls and pulled muscles. This type of post holing is not just physically dangerous it's also mentally demanding of the dogs and at the end of the day if they dogs aren't loving it - you're in it for the wrong reasons.

The five teams who've scratched so far are:
Jeff Deeter
Cody Strathe
Vickie Justice
Riley Dyche
Richie Beattie

Not every team that's scratched has "checked in" with followers to give their exact reasons, but the top teams that pulled out earlier have.

With just over 100 miles left to go for the frontrunners, do not expect a winner until late morning (at the earliest) finish on Monday. As stated, they still have three to four hours of rest they have to take on top of keeping up top speeds to make a morning finish even possible - it's more likely afternoon or evening on Monday for teams to show up back in Glen Allen. We'll have a better picture come Monday morning.

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).