In a glaze of early afternoon sun, 16 mushers zipped off along the frozen Kuskokwim River — the 34th annual Akiak Dash has begun.
The 60-mile there-and-back race features a roster of entirely local mushers, with two rookies alongside high-ranking and previous champions of the event.
Teams will follow the Kuskokwim 300 trail upriver above the village of Akiak before making a loop back to the trail, which they’ll follow back into Bethel.
The total race purse of $50,000 will be divided up among the race's top 15 finishers. First place will win $7,000.
