Twenty teams are headed to the start line tonight in the 2017 Kuskokwim 300 sled-dog race. The field has narrowed after a total of eight mushers pulled out in recent weeks.
K300 Race Manager Madelene Reichard says the teams have withdrawn for different personal reasons. But winter storm conditions and wind chills forecasted down to near 50 degrees below zero (-50° F) are on the minds of mushers.
“We are currently in the middle of a blizzard right now, so, I would say we’ve gotten about 3-4 inches of snow,” Reichard says. “That is a surprise, but we’re pretty excited about that. And it’s going to be a cold one, but it’s going to be exciting this year.”
The trail was marked last weekend, but Reichard says, with the weather conditions, volunteers were headed out yesterday and today to ensure markers are still standing.
The latest to pull out of the race: previous Iditarod competitors Joar Ulsom and Nicolas Petit, Rick Casillo, and Cim Smyth. And Niklas Wikstrand will now be handling dogs for Pete Kaiser.
With the limited field, that means each finisher will receive money from the largest purse to date, totaling $150,000. The purse is meant to accommodate the top 25 teams, 5 more than the entire starting roster for the 2017 race. Reichard says that the purse surplus (funds leftover after the cash prizes tiered by finishing order) will be put in a pool and evenly distributed as a bonus amongst the finishers.
Reichard has taken over as this year’s K300 race manager after former race manager Zach Fansler stepped down to run for House Representative for District 38. She says she’s confident at the helm.
“Luckily, I’ve been working with Zach for the past few years, so, it’s kind of nice to just transition into this… management position. No big changes this year.”
Preparations for the K300 have also been coordinated by volunteers – both experienced and new – helping organize food, housing and checkpoint assistance for the 2017 race.
“We’re excited to get all the mushers out here. We’re excited to get started. And hoping for another great year on the K300 trail.”
The 2017 Kuskokwim 300 race from Bethel to Aniak and back starts Friday night. Tune into KNOM starting at 6pm for a race preview of the 2017 competitors with live coverage of the race start to follow at 6:30pm.
