As of last week, 23 mushers are signed up for Alaska’s premiere mid-distance sled dog race, the Kuskokwim 300!
No surprise that Pete Kaiser of Bethel is on that roster, looking for his 7th K300 victory.
Only Jeff King has won this race more times than Kaiser. Joining Richie Diehl of Aniak and Kaiser as returning top finishers from last year are Matthew Failor, Travis Beals, and Cim Smyth.
Rookie of the year from 2022, Jason Pavila is back, looking to improve on his 8th-placed finish. Representing Nome this year is Reese Madden, back for his second K300 in three years. He ran his rookie race in 2021 on the COVID-19 modified trail.
Although Aaron Burmeister is done with mushing, his Nenana kennel will still compete this year under the leadership of Eddie Burke.
Tune into KNOM 780 AM, 96.1 FM to hear the latest K300 race info and who’s where on the trail. Official race updates will be at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m., starting on Friday, January 27 at 6 p.m. and finishing off at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 29.
*As of the publishing of this post, three mushers including Nicolas Petit have withdrawn from this year’s K300.
Image at top: Pete Kaiser at the K300 finish line in Bethel. Photo courtesy of The K300 Race Committee. Used with permission (2022).
