There’s just a month to go before the Kuskokwim 300 Race Committee puts on its three signature sled dog races. For one intense weekend in January, mushers from all over the state come to compete in a 300-mile, mid-size race that’s a qualifier for Alaska’s most iconic race: the Iditarod. There are two shorter races that take place at the same time: The Akiak Dash and the Bogus Creek 150. And 2019 is a big year; it’s the 40th Anniversary of the K300.
Last year, things got a little crazy for the K300 Race Committee and their three signature races. At the last minute, warmer temperatures forced the committee to re-route its biggest race, the K300, because of unsafe trail conditions. That could be a factor in future sled dog races, as warmer winters become normal in Alaska. But this winter already has seen colder temperatures compared to last year, so Race Manager Madelene Reichard says that they plan to stick to the traditional route, for now.
"I don’t want to jinx anything, but our late board member "Potts" [Gary Vanasse] would always say race weather would be perfect 12 hours before the race, and everything goes to heck. Right now, where we’re at, we’re happy with the temperatures and the river is freezing more and more every day, which is good. We’re planning to have the traditional route, but at this point you never know what’s going to happen. But I’m hoping it’s going to stay where we like it," Reichard said.
Also this year, the K300 Race Committee has some good news and bad news. The good? The committee raised the purse for its three signature races.
"We’re looking at our prize money comparable to the places in other races and you are getting to make a decent amount of money if you finish 21st in our race compared to other races, which isn’t digging at other races, it’s just kind of impressive and something that we’re really proud of," Reichard said.
Each race gets $10,000 more than last year. For this year, the totals for each race are $160,000 for the K300, $30,000 for the Akiak Dash. and $60,000 for the Bogus 150. Twenty mushers have signed up for the K300 so far, including four-time K300 Champion Peter Kaiser.
That was the good news. The bad? The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame decided not to include the K300 race, which was nominated for the first time this year. Reichard explained why:
"So from my understanding, is no matter how many public ballots you get, it essentially only counts for one. So if we had 700 people vote for us, it really only counts for one vote. So I know that we had a large group of supporters writing in support for us and then the board, the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame, they each get their own vote," Reichard said.
But she says that not every nomination gets into the hall of fame on the first try, and urges fans to keep up their support.
Meanwhile, the K300 Race Committee has scheduled the second local race, the Holiday Classic, for Dec. 22.