Kaiser wins 2022 Bogus Creek 150

by Greg Lincoln

Pete Kaiser of Bethel is the 2022 Bogus Creek 150 sled dog race champion. Leading his team are Sky and Delmer. They crossed the finish line early Sunday morning at 5:12am. Congratulations to Team Kaiser! photo by Greg Lincoln

Pete Kaiser of Bethel is the 2022 Bogus Creek 150 sled dog race champion! He crossed the finish line at 5:12am on Sunday morning, February 20th, 2022 with his 10-dog team. In lead for Kaiser were Sky and Delmer. His total elapsed time according to the leaderboard is 19 hours and 12 minutes.

This is the second Bogus Creek win for Team Kaiser and his fourth run in this race. They won it back in 2008 and placed 2nd in 2007 and 3rd in 2021. This year and last year the Bogus Creek 150 has been run on a different weekend than the Kuskokwim 300 race, allowing local racers to participate in both events.

The Bogus Creek 150 had a change to the race starting time from 3pm to 10am on Saturday, February 19th due to the coming warm temperatures and rain forecast for overnight Saturday into Sunday. The K300 Race Committee decided that an earlier start may allow teams to complete the race before the worst of weather settles in.

The time change allowed for the frontrunners to arrive in Bethel between 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM Sunday morning.

“We thank all Bogus Creek 150 mushers and volunteers for their flexibility as we worked today to come up with a plan that will be best for all the humans and dogs on the trail this weekend,” said the Bogus Creek race officials.

The trail was also rerouted due to deep overflow on the Tuluksak River, Little Bogus Creek, and also on Big Bogus Creek. Trail crews worked hard to mark a new trail that bypassed the village of Tuluksak and the entire Bogus area. A new turnaround point was made at the same approximate distance as the traditional Bogus Creek checkpoint.

Herman Phillip of Kwethluk took second place. He drove Louis Pavila’s Bad River Kennel team stepping in to help when Pavila couldn’t make it due to illness. Phillip led all the way to the halfway turnaround point and part of the way back to Bethel. His lead dogs were Suukiiq and Cyrus. Kaiser took the lead about 20 miles from the finish line.

In third place was Matt Scott of Bethel. He drove a team from the Kaiser Kennel. Isaac Underwood of Aniak took fourth. Rounding out the top five was the 2022 Akiak Dash and February 50 champion Jackie Larson of Napaskiak.

The only lady musher this year was Twyla Elhart of Bethel. She finished the race in 10th position with a time of 22 hours and 9 minutes. The Red Lantern award went to Spencer Wilson, a rookie from Bethel. He made it in 23 hours and 51 minutes.

“It’s good training to see different conditions than what we’re used to all the time out here, especially going into the Iditarod,” said Kaiser at the finish line after giving his dogs some frozen slabs of salmon. “A little bit of deeper snow. Definitely an unusual race for Bethel standards.”

The 50th anniversary running of the Iditarod will start on March 5th, 2022.

Frozen rain was falling at the finish line on the river in front of the small boat harbor. Folks were hunkered down in their vehicles waiting for the mushers to come in. The race staging area was plowed for vehicle and team access, thank you for clearing this area.

The race trophy this year was made by our very own Kelly Lincoln – a Yup’ik style grass plate or inguqaq decorated with dyed seal gut and grass. The plate measures about 14” in diameter. Kelly picked the beach grass taperrnaat from right here in Bethel.

Congratulations to Team Kaiser and to all the mushers for a successful race. Thank you to the K300 Race Committee and to Race Marshall Jen Peeks (2012 Bogus Creek champion and only lady musher to ever win this race) for sponsoring this event and to all the volunteers and teams for participating.