Iditarod to decide February 3 which trail to use

In an announcement today that surprises probably no one, the Iditarod Trail Committee announced that they are currently monitoring trail and weather conditions and will come to a decision by February 3, 2025 what to do.

The state of Alaska has had an incredibly unusual winter. Temperatures well above freezing for most if not all of the state. Rain instead of snow has been the norm since December for South Central Alaska. Anchorage, Alaska over the weekend dealt with Hurricane force winds and rain wiping away the last bit of winter everywhere.

This is not the norm, and with it has come a lot of uncertainty for the Last Great Race.

Currently the race is scheduled to hold its Ceremonial Start on March 2 in Anchorage, Alaska with the ReStart to be held in Willow the following day. Snow is often trucked in from outside of Anchorage to put down a trail through the streets and paths of Anchorage for the eleven mile jaunt. In 2016, the race could not make it the full eleven miles due to lack of snow, but they managed to pull off a three mile run ending at the little league ball fields. It wasn't ideal, but it worked. At this time, there's no reason to assume they can't find a similar alternative this year should the snow continue to allude the 49th state.

The big unknown is what trail will the actual race take off from. Currently Willow is reporting above freezing temps and rain mixed with snow - but they do have snow, and they have trails. They're one of the few places that can boast some sort of winter. However, the weather over the weekend with the wind and rain did a lot of damage to many of the trails that Iditarod uses to leave from Willow Lake on their way to Yentna. 

Compounding the problem are the reports that the Susitna River has not frozen over. The Su is one of the many river highways Alaskans use in the winter to get from point A to point B. The Iditarod uses this "super highway" in the early days of the race. In fact, without a frozen Susitna, there is not a good way to get to Nome from Willow. 

Fairbanks has seen quite a bit of warm temps - hitting the 50s this weekend - but they still have snow, and ways to get to the West Coast that does not require swimming. Hopefully. If they choose to do the Fairbanks start it will be the fourth time in race history (the three years prior being 2003, 2015, and 2017 - all of which had normal Ceremonial Starts). A restart in Fairbanks would have the race take off on Monday instead of Sunday, and would likely have about a day earlier finish.

On the opposite end of the trail, Nome is lacking snow and looking more like South Central Alaska with little to no snow in town or out. This is not the only town on the West Coast of Alaska to have winter weather problems. The Kuskokwim Delta has had its issues with above freezing temps, winds, and rain. Several of the Delta Championship Series races have had to be postponed, and there's talk that the Kusko 300 is in jeopardy of starting on time. 

Fans should not worry about a full cancelation of Iditarod 53. As long as there is snow (or even possibly a hint of it) they will do their best to find a way. The Iditarod has never been cancelled in the history of the race, and while there is always the posibility of a first time, the Iditarod took to social media Monday night to assure fans that they are in no way planning to cancel.

The Iditarod Trail Committee will make the decision by 5pm on February 3, 2025. 

What do you think? Fairbanks for the start? Will they get to do the full Ceremonial Start? Comment below with your thoughts.

And, as always, you can Buy me a slice of pizza to help keep the blog up and running. It's always appreciated but never expected.

Jessie Holmes gets his win

Jessie Holmes at the Copper Basin 300 finish.
Still from CB300 Live Feed.

After playing the bridesmaid several times over, Jessie Holmes is the 2025 Copper Basin Champion. The fan favorite took charge of the race on day one and didn't look back. 

Holmes ran fast straight out of the gate, traveling at first with his B team run by Kelsey Winters. By the second checkpoint their race schedules changed with Winters running a slightly more conservative run rest schedule (but just barely). Holmes then traveled (or battled) for trail with Cody Strathe of Squid Acres. Strathe managed to get within a few minutes of Holmes on the second day, but Holmes kicked it into high gear as they ran into their planned time differential mandatory rest. Between the time differential and his lead, Holmes had it in the bag.

Yes, there were still miles to go in the race and we've learned over the years to not count out the weather, wildlife, and other circumstances throwing a wrench in even the most sure of leads, but in this case - Holmes had the winning ticket.

In a race that was warmer than it has been in years, as the rest of the state dealt with hurricane like winds and rain, Team Can't Stop managed to pull off what their musher has been trying to do for the last seven years. Yes, Holmes won the Kobuk 440 which is a HUGE feat in 2017, but for most of his career he consistently lands in the top five - and many times the top three. This could be the turning point to become the Holmes era (especially since he tasted that Iditarod win last year).

Rounding out the top five, Strathe was able to keep everyone behind him (except Holmes, of course) to take second. Third was a surprise as Dave Turner and his Racing Chaos team picked off teams in the final run. Fourth was Kelsey Winters who also ate up a lot of time and trail on those ahead of her Monday. Fifth went to Jonah Bacon who kept with the front runners for much of the race.

There are currently seven teams into the finish with many more to come through the night and into Tuesday. Your current Red Lantern is Sydnie Bahl. 

Keep watching the race, folks, it's far from over. The trackers will ping until the final team is off the trail. CB300's Facebook Page and Kale Casey are both going live as teams come into the finish. 

Cheer on those teams and let them hear you!

Jessie Holmes heads for the finish

Jessie Holmes and team at the restart
of Iditarod 52. May 3, 2024.

Jessie Holmes has a commanding lead on the rest of the field leaving the final checkpoint in Chistochina Monday morning. The musher has over a half hour lead over the next team of Cody Strathe. Jessie and Cody have had a solid lead for most of the race, and it should be no surprise that Holmes has been speedy. Jessie barely lost to Brent Sass last year at the same race, and came second in last year's Iditarod. 

Holmes has hoped to be the "champion" of the races he's entered for several years. He is confident that his team is the best in the business, and it's just getting a handle on how to beat the other teams. He's a marathon runner as well as lives off the grid. He's well prepared for any type of trail condition. He made a huge impression in his rookie year of Iditarod when many counted him out as "just a reality star".

Strathe, too, has mad respect within the community. He and his wife Paige Drobny have created a successful kennel and continue to impress in the races they enter. They've won a few, came close in others. Drobny took the Squids on the Iditarod last year and took her very young team to a top five finish, calmly picking off the "more seasoned" teams of dogs one by one on the river and coast.

Holmes has his eyes set on the big prize of Iditarod this year while the Squids are taking time away from "the Last Great Race". They're both willing to test their teams metal against one another.

The finish line is about 47 miles away. The weather has turned windy on the Copper Basin race and ice has been mentioned as well. Temperatures are still reaching the upper 30s or low 40s. With the average speeds we've seen from Holmes, start looking for a finish around 1:45pm Alaska Time.

Of course, if we don't have a working tracker for Jessie Holmes it will be hard to know if that estimate is too conservative or not. Keep an eye on the race's Facebook page as well as Kale Casey Live for updates.

Top Ten are into Meiers Lake

While most of Alaska was blowing away or melting away.... floating away... it seems the little world that is the Copper Basin 300 remains mostly unscathed. Anchorage recorded wind gusts up to 110mph (officially, some on the hillside said they clocked them much stronger). Palmer flooded. Fairbanks reached late spring temperatures (in some areas 50F).

The Copper Basin is also dealing with unseasonably warm temperatures, but they stayed in the 30s. The trail has seen both snow and rain Sunday. Teams are not reporting a "slog fest" but it is a slower going than what one may be used to seeing in this race.

Then again, many years they have quite a bit of snow and trail breaking to do. It's the toughest 300 miles, after all.

Teams moved through the early morning into early afternoon from Lake Louise and Sourdough. Ten have made the haul to Meiers, including favorites to win Jessie Holmes and Cody Strathe. Strathe with his team of Squids left the checkpoint of Sourdough ahead of Holmes early Sunday morning but at some point was passed by the speedy Holmes. Holmes came into Meiers sixteen minutes before Strathe after leaving Sourdough four minutes behind.

Neither of the top two have taken their mandatory 6 hours plus time differential, but it would be a good guess they've both declared and are taking that rest here. Of the current top ten, none of the teams have taken their mandatory 6, however the chase pack have several who have taken theirs. 

Currently into Meiers Lake:

Jessie Holmes
Cody Strathe
Jonah Bacon
Travis Vanderhoof
Dave Turner
Kelsey Winters
Aiden Kosciolek
Lauro Eklund
Anna Hennessy
Elke Hall
Michelle Phillips
Sam Martin
Ben Simard

Two teams chose to cut their races short Sunday, Laura Allaway scratched at Lake Louise and Jessica Hickey scratched at Sourdough. No official release for either as to reason.

Look for teams to start leaving Meiers Lake around 830p or 9p Sunday night.

Top ten are into Lake Louise

The Copper Basin start was a warm and breezy affair for 31 mushers Saturday morning. The teams took off from Glennallen, Alaska and headed down the trail towards Tolsona Lodge. Teams of happy and barking dogs charged out of the starting line in two minute intervals cheered on by an eager crowd. 

Several mushers left the start wearing nothing more than a hoodie and carhart pants. No one looked terribly bundled up, and all shared hopes that with the wind the dogs would stay cool. At temperatures somewhere around 38F before windchill, it was not the norm for the toughest 300 miles in Alaska. 

Talk of weather was most likely the top subject Saturday morning. Reports are calling for snow over night into Sunday as well as wind, with snow turning to rain in the heat of the day. The trail is reportedly slow due to the snow the area got over the last few days, and so teams have had to strategize how best to deal with warmer than usual temps as well as ever changing trail conditions.

If anything, those that plan to run the Iditarod in March will have a great training run out of this race.

Currently twelve teams (ten officially) sit in Lake Louise with the first eight coming in just minutes apart from each other. At seventy-five miles into this year's race, it's still too soon to tell who will come out the winner, but there are few surprises as to who are in front at this point. 

Perhaps the lone surprise is that Aidan Kosciolek and Kelsey Winters are the first two in. Aidan is running a team out of Ryan Redington's kennel and Kelsey is running out of Jessie's team. Kelsey had a 16 minute lead on Jessie coming into Lake Louise, but until time differentials are made up during the mandatory rest in one of the checkpoints no run is really equal to the next or an easy comparison. Kelsey started 10 minutes ahead of Jessie back in Glennallen.

The official top ten are as follows (in order of arrival):

Aidan Kosciolek
Kelsey Winters
Jessie Holmes
Lauro Eklund
Jonah Bacon
Travis Vanderhoof
Cody Strathe
Dave Turner
Joey Sabin Dylan Robbins

Each team will have their own strategy of when to take their time differential rest (six hours plus differential). From Lake Louise it's fiftyfive miles to the very remote (and sketchy service area) checkpoint of Sourdough. Look for teams to start heading out around 12:30am or 1am (at least, that's the semi-educated guess).

Did you find the top ten at all surprising? Who are you hoping will keep their lead? Comment below with your day one thoughts.

And, as always, you can Buy me a slice of pizza to help keep the blog up and running. It's always appreciated but never expected.

2025 Copper Basin 300 race preview

Pack your shorts and tanks, it's not your mama's Copper Basin this year. 

That might be a tad bit of hyperbole, but seriously - it's not every day you see the Copper Basin weather be predicted to being anywhere from 35F ABOVE 0 to 48F! Say what?! The "toughest 300 mile sled dog race" isn't just tough because of the elevation changes and middle of nowhere locations - it's tough because it's supposed to be COLD. Like -40 or more cold. Now the temps are going in the opposite direction. Just as all of the rest of Alaska, the CB300 is dealing with unusually warm temperatures.

Even with the weather (both historic and well as current), the Copper Basin 300 remains one of the most popular races in Alaska. The mushers often comment that they love not just the terrain they pass through, but also the organization of the race itself. It seems that love continues as (at the time this blog post was originally written) thirty-six teams are signed up for the 36th running of the CB300.

As with all races this time of year there's a healthy mix of veteran and rookie mushers alike. Those that are using it for a training run for bigger races, others that are using it to qualify for said bigger races. Some just enjoy the trail close to their home turf, others are just happy to find trails with snow. 

Since the Copper Basin 300 is one of the races followed by Fantasy Mushing, let's take a look at some of the sure bets for a top placement.

Who to watch

Cody Strathe - The Squids came in third place in last year's Copper Basin, Cody on the back of the sled for that one. Paige Drobny ended up in fifth with the Ateam of Squids last year which were mostly young and inexperienced (for a top team) dogs. Expect the Squids to be in top form and ready to battle for top placement.

Dave Turner - Can't leave this guy and his Racing Chaos dogs off the list. Dave is a speedy musher and one who has a few tricks up his sleeve. He's a quick study of the trails and when he can find a way, he makes it happen. Turner hasn't won a mid-distance race in a few years, but it would be foolish to count him out of the top ten.

Elke Hall - Last year the Silver Aces teams were split between their two mushers, this year Elke is representing the whole of the kennel with her top notch team. She's posted several of her training runs specifically for the CB300 on social media, and it looks like she is very serious about how she wants to tackle this year's race. Look for Elke and her crew to not let the boys have all the fun.

Jeff Deeter - Black Spruce has two teams in this race, but it's up to Jeff to take the A team all the way. It's a good guess this race will be used to test out the team for the upcoming Iditarod, but Deeter will want to make sure to stay in the hunt for the top prize. 

Jessie Holmes - Holmes wants a win. It's obvious that he is hungry to get a championship at the CB300, and he very nearly got his wish last year coming in just a minute or two behind champion Brent Sass. This year the two most recent champs (Sass, and Nicolas Petit) are not in the race. Jessie is two years post having a house fall on him (litterally!) and seems to be poised to finally get his win.

Matt Failor - This guy is gonna win 'em all before he retires, he has to. He's won the Kusko, he can win the others. Even though he's all about Ohio State(it's hard to forgive, but we'll allow it - GO BLUE) you can't help but cheer for the guy. He is often awarded humanitarian and sportsmanship awards, but he's also consistently in the mix for the top spots in the mid-distance races he enters. 

Michelle Phillips - Expect her to win or come very close to it. Just do.

Mille Porsild - Mille knows dogs. Mille knows mushing. Mille is a force on the trail. There's some very strong girl power in this roster, and Mille's one of them. She's a fierce competitor and it would surprise no one to see her in the top three. Mille withdrew prior to race day.

Rohn Buser - Rohn came in 8th last weekend in the Knik 200 which he was using as a training run of sorts for the Copper Basin. The dad of soon to be two babes will no doubt work to finish in a top placement. Buser had hinted he would run the Iditarod this year, but then baby changed those plans, so races like the CB300 will be his "big race". Expect him to do well. Rohn withdrew prior to race day.

Ryan Redington - He just came in second place to Emily Robinson on his home trails of the Knik 200. Ryan likes to start out fast and try to get enough of a buffer between he and the rest of the competition. Don't expect anything different here at the CB300, but with the warmer temps that may not be the best strategy. Still, his years living, training, and racing in the Lower 48 may have he and his team a little more conditioned to the wild weather we're having in Alaska this season.

With the above freezing temps predicted for this year's race, it could prove that those that leave out of the start earlier in the line up fare better - at least for the first day - than those towards teh back. Torn up trail that's already slushy/not well set because of warm temperatures can easily slow and tire a team out if they are stuck in the back of the line. Keep bib numbers in mind when you choose your Fantasy Team.

But what about watching if you can't be there in person, well, as always, there are ways to follow online!

How to follow

Copper Basin has several areas where cars cant go and satellites can't find. There's a remote checkpoint that almost no instant communication comes out of. Just remember, if the trackers don't work or the news isn't instantaneous to just be patient. Part of the fun of a sled dog race is the unknown.

GPS Tracker
TrackLeaders.com is once again supplying all of our GPS tracking obsession needs, you can find this year's map and teams here. (The link goes live typically after the bib draw/starting order is finalized.)

Official Website
If you want to see official in and out times, the official website is the best place to find the updated timesheets. Remember, this is all done by volunteer and communication and connection can be sketchy, but if you want the latest greatest numbers use patience and follow along on the CB300 website.

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.

Kale Casey LIVE
That's right, your FAVORITE live stream of any dog mushing race will be covering the action of this year's Copper Basin 300. Kale was out of town for the Knik 200 to celebrate another trip around the sun. However, he's back for the CB300! Be sure to catch when he goes live by following his page on Facebook! And don't forget to buy him a coffee or two. Kale often goes live around an hour before the start to give a little pre-race coverage, so keep your eyes peeled for that notification when he goes live.

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 10
10am-3pm 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 11
10am - Race Start

Tuesday, January 14
6pm - Award Banquet

So, who are you expecting to cross the finish line first? Who are you cheering for? Do you foresee any spoilers? Comment below with your thoughts ahead of the Copper Basin 300!

And, as always, you can Buy me a slice of pizza to help keep the blog up and running. It's always appreciated but never expected.

2025 Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race musher roster

This race is new to the blog as far as any sort of coverage goes. The smaller mileage race, though, is very popular with mushers and there are quite a few names that fans should easily recognize whether they follow mushing in the Lower 48 or not. Because of this, the 10-dog pro class is the first to get featured on the blog this year.

The Tahquamenon Country Sled Dog Race will take place on January 11 and will work similarly to how the Knik 100 runs, where it is raced over two days with two starts and stops. The first leg will be 37 miles and the second will be 24 miles. 

While this is not a race that is used to qualify for the "big" races, it is a fun event that deserves attention. This is the first time in several years the weather has cooperated with enough snow for them to hold the race.

Below is the current roster for the 10-dog pro class. 

Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
Erin Altemus	Sawtooth Racing	Website	Facebook
Garett Moore	?		Facebook
Haleigh Bonk	Otter River Sled Dog Training Center	Website	Facebook
Joann Fortier	Coyote Run Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Larry Fortier	Coyote Run Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Laura Neese	MI DOG Sled Dog Center	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Lynne Witte	Iskristal		Facebook
Martha Schouweiler	Otter Run Kennel	Website	BlueSky
Matthew Schmidt	Sawtooth Racing	Website	Facebook
Melissa Mendelson	Flight Risk Mushing	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Mike Bestgen	Fugarwekennels		Facebook	Instagram
Paul Thierrault	2XTREME		Facebook
Rita Wehseler	Stoney Creek Kennels
Sally Manikian	Shady Pines Sled Dogs	Website	Facebook	Instagram

Do you have a favorite in this race? Have you volunteered or spectated with the race? Are you going to try and catch the action in person this year? Comment below!

And, as always, you can Buy me a slice of pizza to help keep the blog up and running. It's always appreciated but never expected.