Seventeen Kuskokwim 300 teams are through the Kalskag checkpoint and on their way to Aniak. It’s an extremely tight pack: within a 20-minute period this morning, the front nine teams left Kalskag.
First out was K300 rookie Travis Beals at 7:18 a.m. on Jan. 18. He was followed by Tony Browning, Richie Diehl, and Joar Leifseth Ulsom within minutes. The fifth musher out was Will Rhodes, followed by Aaron Burmeister, Pete Kaiser, and defending champion Matthew Failor. The first nine out all rested three hours in Kalskag.
Different rest strategies are now scattering top teams across the trail. Nine-time winner Jeff King was the first into the Kalskag checkpoint just after 4 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18, and rested a full four hours before leaving on the trail. Wade Marrs, Nic Petit, Ramey Smyth, and Paige Drobny all stayed for four hours. Four teams are now resting in Kalskag.
Over the course of the day, teams must take six hours of rest in either Kalskag or Aniak. All teams rest for a four-hour break in Tuluksak on the way back to Bethel.