As teams make their way to Bethel, Alaska excitement mounts as some of the sports greatest descend on the highly anticipated Kuskokwim 300. The Western Alaskan race boasts a robust purse, is considered one of the best organized of any sled dog race, and consistently a favorite of mushers and fans alike. This year is no exception with the race seeing the roster full and overflowing in record time.
This year's race is composed mostly of veterans, with only six? rookies in the mix. It boasts four Kusko champions, and two Iditarod Champions (one of which is a rookie in the race). Eight teams are "local" to the Kusko-Delta area. Three women are going to give the men a run for their money.
Alaska has finally entered the cold snap portion of our winter with the Interior dropping to temps anywhere from -40F to -60F. South Central saw temps as low as -20F. For Western Alaska (where our race will take place) the negative temperatures will be intensified by strong winds. Bethel, Alaska, had winds up to 25mph Monday. A quick look at the weekend forecast has winds between 15 and 25mph during the race. For the evening start it's a forecasted -23F but with the wind it could feel/act more like -45F. Looks like the Kusko and the Copper Basin 300 swapped temps this year.
Registration has already opened for Fantasy Mushing's K300, and how anyone will pick just seven teams for their fantasy roster is a head scratcher. There are so many heavy hitters heading out on the trail this weekend! Let's try to at least take a look at some safe bets for your fantasy team.
Who to watch
Aaron Burmeister - Burmeister sat out last season, spending time being dad at home. Aaron sent his team down the trail with Tony Browning and Eddie Burke Jr. in different races, and fans worried 2022 was the final year they'd see him on the runners. However, like a couple of other well known mushers through the years, Burmeister's hiatus was short lived and he's back racing not only the Kusko this weekend, but he'll race to Nome in the Iditarod as well. Aaron grew up on the West Coast of Alaska, look for him to have a solid run - don't expect him to be rusty. Aaron last raced the Kusko in 2022 and came 7th. Aaron has withdrawn.
Cim Smyth - We all know that with a Smyth in the race the other mushers get a crick in their neck with how often they look back to see if the Smyth boys are catching them. It's even rumored that Cim changes out his boots for running shoes when it comes down to the final stretch. In seven races on the Kusko, he's only been out of the top ten once. The last two Kuskos he's come in 9th and 6th. Cim has withdrawn.
Dave Turner - The hybrid sprint and mid distance mushing kennel is always a shoo in for fast times into a checkpoint, which bodes well for the scoring of fantasy mushing. Turner is a top placement finisher once he gets the hang of a race - and it doesn't take him long to figure it out. If Dave makes it to Bethel watch for him to challenge for a top placement. Turner has never placed outside the top 10 when he's run. Last year he came 8th.
Matthew Failor - The 2019 Kusko champion is back once again! Matt surprised a lot of folks with his win 5 years ago, but has been pretty dang consistent in challenging for the first place spot since then (we'll ignore that one 7th place finish in there). The new dad will most likely keep that tradition up in the 2024 race.
Nicolas Petit - Petit is having a rough season. Everything behind the scenes have been a little sideways and Petit has been vocal that the beef shortage and financial concerns have made him have to re-evaluate his goals during the races. That being said, Petit is a dark horse one should probably not count out. He does have a pattern, though, of placements on the Kusko (ie one year in the top five, one year in the teens) and we're on a low placement year if he sticks with his pattern. Petit announced via facebook this morning that due to forecasted weather and trail conditions he's making the difficult decision to forfeit his entry fee and will not head to Bethel this week.
Pete Kaiser - While the 2019 Iditarod title is nothing to sneeze at, for those on the Kusko it might be an even bigger deal that Pete Kaiser is also a seven time Kusko Champion. Kaiser is once again the reigning champ of the race, and there are a whole lot of people waiting for him to win it an eighth time to keep his historic hold on the race going. Since his first win back in 2015 if he isn't first, he's second. Don't expect that to change.
Ramey Smyth - We could just say "see Cim Smyth" for the whole run down (pun only slightly intended) of why one doesn't count out a musher with the last name Smyth. Ramey is the 1995 Kusko champion, has been second a couple times, and is kind all over the map with placements, but this former champion is always a good choice to have on a fantasy team - expect him to have solid, fast runs throughout.
Raymond Alexie - This local musher has lit the trails of the Kusko-Delta on fire the last two seasons. Alexie has won just about every race he's entered since making waves last season in the Delta Championship Series. He's beaten several of the teams running the Kusko this weekend. This will be his rookie run on the Kusko, but don't expect him to just sit back and take in the learning experience. Raymond is THE ONE to watch in this race.
Richie Diehl - The 2021 Kusko Champ is not running the Iditarod this year, so the Kusko 300 may be his biggest race of the season. With not having a thousand mile race to prepare for later in the season, Diehl can focus all of his attention on the Kusko. This isn't just a training run/test for his team. This is the final exam for the 2024 season. Expect the champ to contend for that top spot.
Travis Beals - The last time Beals ran the Kusko, he came 4th. That was in 2022. Travis has had a solid season thus far, and while the Iditarod is the ultimate goal don't expect this to be a camping trip for Beals. Travis is another good bet to have a top ten finish in the race.
(No, Ryan Redington wasn't forgotten... he could definitely be a major spoiler in his rookie run.)
So now that you have at least some idea of who to add to your Fantasy team, just how will you be able to keep up with the action sitting at home warm and toasty (and not too sleep deprived)? Glad you asked.
How to follow
While many of the other mid distance races rely on fan videos and Kale Casey LIVE to cover their races, the Kusko is unique in that the local grade school runs a program where they film the start and finish of the races. They go live on Facebook with race coverage done mainly by the students. It's fantastic and well worth a watch. However THIS year Kale Casey WILL be LIVE at the race beginning Thursday! You'll want to keep an eye on both social media pages to make sure you don't miss any of the action.
Official Website
The Kusko's website is pretty slick. You can follow all of the races, fundraising and news from their site. It's easy to navigate and they have great musher bios. And this is where you will find those ever important in and out times from the checkpoints. Be sure to check it out.
GPS Tracker
Real time updates will come through the trackers as always. With the cold there may be more glitches than we'd like (I blame the aliens!) but there's not much we can do. Cold and technology don't get along. The link for trackleaders hasn't gone live yet, so this will get edited once it does. Trackers are live! View them here.
Radio Broadcast
KYUK Radio will broadcast the start which begins at 8:00pm (start listening at 7:30pm for pre-race info). You can listen to the broadcast online through this link.
Social Media
Updates will most likely be posted on the race's Facebook page, and possibly their twitter account. Photo updates should come from Instagram. They typically try to have a Facebook live feed. If you are tweeting, instagramming, etc. the traditional hashtag is #K300.
KYUK is also plans to post updates on their Facebook page, including Facebook interviews with the mushers from the last week or so.
Schedule of Events
Wednesday, January 25
Vet Checks
Thursday, January 26
Vet Checks
5pm - Musher Meeting
7pm - Bib Draw
Friday, January 27
8:00pm - Kuskokwim 300 START
8:40pm - FIREWORKS
Saturday, January 28
NOON - Akiak Dash Mass Start
Monday, January 29
6pm - Musher Awards
Who do you think will cross the finish line first? Who do you expect to beat every expectation? Can Pete Kaiser win his 8th title? Comment below with your thoughts!
If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).
