by Greg Lincoln
The 45th Kuskokwim 300 sled dog race has its champion – Pete Kaiser of Bethel has won his eight Kuskokwim 300 crown. Team Kaiser crossed the finish line at 9:25am on Sunday, January 28th, 2024 with 12 dogs in harness – no dropped dogs from beginning to end. Kaiser’s total elapsed time was 37 hours 25 minutes in the Bethel to Aniak and back sled dog race. He also won in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2023, and now 2024.
The 45th running of the Kuskowkim 300 got underway at 8pm Friday, January 26th, 2024. 23 mushers began their race on the river in front of Bethel starting two by two under the start/finish banner. Mushers chose their starting positions at Thursday’s K300 starting position selection event at the Bethel Longhouse, K300 Race Headquarters.
Coming in second place was the 2019 K300 champion Matt Failor. He finished at 10:06am. In third place was Travis Beals of Seward. His finishing time was 10:46am. Hunter Keefe, a rookie, came in 4th place at 11:26am. Aniak’s Richie Diehl and 2021 K300 race champion arrived in 5th position at 11:50am.
KYUK Radio provided live broadcast of the start of the race. Race emcees Myron and Andy Angstman sent off the mushers at the starting line with commentary and the countdowns.
From the start mushers traveled upriver to Straight Slough, then continued on to the Gweek River. At roughly the 20 mile mark on Gweek, teams turned onto an overland trail behind the villages of Akiachak and Akiak. Below Tuluksak the trail returned to the Kuskokwim to the Tuluksak Checkpoint and then quickly returned back to the Kuskokwim, bypassing Little Bogus Creek.
From there the K300 trail continued up the Kuskokwim to Big Bogus Creek, past the traditional Bogus Creek race checkpoint and on to Kalskag. From Kalskag they traveled to Aniak via the river. The trail returned to Kalskag via the Whitefish Lake Loop. From Kalskag they will follow the same route downriver to Bethel.
At the starting line fans lined the starting chute to cheer on the mushers. Many were holding up red light sticks lighting up the way while race volunteers kept the chute clear for the safety of the mushers and dogs and spectators. Temperatures were at -15 F on the river and folks were bundled up accordingly.
Raymond Alexie, wearing bib #4, lost two of his dogs at the starting line. The two dogs hooked together took off running down the chute. They were quickly recovered and returned to their team.
After the race start fans were treated to the Lead Dog Light Show fireworks presented by First National Bank Alaska on the river.
Racers were tracked online at the K300 website.
Five mushers scratched during the race: John Snyder, Josh McNeal, Raymond Alexie, Jason Pavila, and Dave Turner. Temperatures were frigid in the negative twenties and there was a lot of ice on the trail. As of Sunday night, most of the teams made it safely back to Bethel. Still on the trail as of midnight on Sunday making the final run from Tuluksak is Isaac Underwood of Crooked Creek.
Providing support for the race was the Alaska Army National Guard, thank you.
If Kaiser wins one more K300 race, he will tie the wins record set by Jeff King of Denali at 9 championships. The Kuskokwim 300 Mushers Awards Banquet is up next, scheduled for Monday, January 29th.
