Andrews wins Bogus Creek 150

by K.J. Lincoln

Congratulations to Maurice Andrews, age 34, of Alakanuk who is this year’s Bogus Creek 150 champion! Andrews, wearing bib #4, pulled into the finish chute with 9 dogs on Saturday morning with an elapsed time of 18:12:25.

Maurice said that his dogs were good and that he knew that they would win right from the start. He finished in 3rd place last year. This year he put in a lot of training with his team.

Snowcover started appearing around Tuluksak to the Bogus checkpoint. Around Bethel it was a lot of slippery ice.

During his post-win interview at the finish line Andrews said that the last time he saw a fellow Bogus musher was when he left the Bogus checkpoint.

Of all the mushers who ran the Bogus Creek 150 not a single one scratched out of the race this year.

The sister race of the K300 got started last Friday at 5pm at the Charles Family Lake starting area. Fans lined the chute to cheer on their favorite mushers.

In an exciting turn of events a brave fan also saved Lewis Pavilla’s lead dogs who got loose from the team at the starting line. The unfastened leaders took off like two bullets racing up the trail, untethered. A couple of spectators tried to form a blockade with their bodies on the path of the oncoming dogs but the determined leaders blew right past them. Then another fan a little further up noticed what was going on and quickly dove onto the ground to grab one of the dogs as they sped past, saving them from getting any further away from their main team.

Pavilla mushed his team up the trail to retrieve and re-attach his leads before heading off into No Man’s Land.

Second place finisher Cameron Jackson of Akiak said that he sped up the pace when he saw a musher behind him, which happened to be Brent Sass, one of the K300 mushers. He thought it was a Bogus musher.

His time was 19:16:43.

In 2011 Jackson placed 4th and was the Rookie of the Year. He said that he will be back again.

Running his ninth Bogus Creek 150 race was John George of Akiachak. He is also a past champion, winning in 2002. This year he placed 3rd.

The 3rd-5th place finishers finished within a 5 minute span. In fourth was Matt Scott of Bethel, followed by Gregory Larson of Napaskiak.

Another close finish was between 10th and 11th place finishers – Nicholas Ayapan of Kwethluk and Joe Demantle III of Tuluksak. They finished within a couple minutes of each other.

Twelfth place finisher Fr. Alexander Larson of Kwethluk said that both of his leaders got hurt on the ice-covered Gweek River. One had an ankle injury and the other was limping, tussilluni. He had to find some leaders. He finished Saturday afternoon a little before 4pm saying he felt good but tired. He said that when he almost fell asleep that he was dreaming that he was doing the K300.

The Red Lantern award goes to Carl Ekamrak of Akiachak. He finished with a total elapsed time of 27:31:32.

Bogus Creek 150 Results

Musher/Village/Time

1 Maurice Andrews, Alakanuk 18:12:25

2 Cameron Jackson, Akiak 19:16:43

3 John George, Akiachak 19:36:57

4 Matt Scott, Bethel 19:38:21

5 Gregory Larson, Napaskiak 19:41:57

6 Lewis Pavila, Kwethluk 19:50:41

7 Robert Larson, Napaskiak 20:09:42

8 Nate DeHaan, Bethel 20:55:00

9 Solomon Olick, Kwethluk 21:06:00

10 Nicholas Ayapan, Kwethluk 21:28:31

11 Joe Demantle, Tuluksak 21:30:57

12 Fr. Alexander Larson, Kwethluk 22:44:43

13 Jonathan Simon, Bethel 24:27:00

14 Tory Fitzpatrick, Akiachak 25:56:00

15 Carl Ekamrak, Akiachak 27:31:32

The Bogus Creek 150 awards will be given out during the Mushers Banquet on Monday, Jan 22nd.