Twenty-three mushers and hundreds of dogs will take off on what’s expected to be a fast, freezing cold 2024 Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race this weekend.
Mushers are set to race from Bethel to Aniak and back with a couple of slight deviations from the traditional route. They’re competing for a share of $185,000 in prize money. Here’s what to know about the 2024 K300:
Where and when does the K300 start?
The 2024 Kuskokwim 300 (K300) starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26 on the frozen Kuskokwim River near First National Bank on Front Street.
Teams will take off two teams at a time, every two minutes, in an order determined at the mushers’ meeting on Jan. 25. First-time K300 competitor Joe Taylor and seven-time champion Pete Kaiser will be the first two teams to race out of Bethel into the night. Spectators are welcome at the start.
“It's gonna be a cold night,” said K300 Race Manager Paul Basile. “But Bethelites are hardy folks. And the start of the race is always very exciting.”
There will be a fireworks show on the river approximately 15 minutes after the last two mushers leave the chute.
Who’s racing this year?
The field for the 2024 K300 is stacked, said Basile. “We've got some of the best mushers in the sport. Defending champions, Iditarod champions. You always know before the race that it's going to be an exciting one. That's certainly true this year.”
Four former K300 champs are set to race: defending champ Pete Kaiser, Matt Failor (2019), Richie Diehl (2021), and Ramey Smyth (1995). Defending Iditarod champion Ryan Redington will be racing his first K300.
“One team that everybody's kind of got their eye on is Raymond Alexie and his dogs,” Basile said. Undefeated Kwethluk musher Raymond Alexie is new to the 300-mile distance. He’s the sole musher in this year’s race eligible to win Rookie of the Year.
“Everybody that’s been paying attention to our races for the last year and a half or so is aware of his unprecedented winning streak,” Basile said. “And so it's gonna be really exciting to see him race at the length of 300 miles for the first time and see how he stacks up against some of the best in the business.”
Read about the mushers here or here.
How many dogs will each musher have?
Race rules dictate that mushers must start with at least seven and no more than 12 dogs. Mushers are not allowed to run fewer than five dogs in harness at any point during the race and have to finish with at least five dogs.
What are trail conditions like?
Trail markers report that the 2024 K300 route is a mix of ice and hard-packed snow. There’s a slight change to the route this year, said Basile.
“Our trail marking crew felt that the conditions at Little Bogus Creek were not really viable,” Basile said. “And so racers are going to go into the village of Tuluksak very briefly, and be on the Tuluksak River for a short stretch, and then continue. They'll go back out to the Kuskokwim River and continue up towards Kalskag that way, but then they will go into Big Bogus Creek.”
Find an updated trail map here.
Racers can expect a cold and clear weekend, with daytime highs between zero and 15 below zero Fahrenheit, and nighttime lows reaching 30 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Winds are expected to be less intense than previous forecasts: between 10 and 20 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.
When are mandatory breaks?
Mushers are required to take six hours of rest throughout the race, split as they see fit between the outbound Kalskag checkpoint, Aniak checkpoint, and coming back through Kalskag. All mushers also must take a four-hour rest in Tuluksak before the final 50-mile push back to Bethel.
When might a winner cross the finish line?
Basile said that the K300 Race Committee decided to start the race an hour-and-a-half later in the hope that the winner might cross the finish line on Jan. 28 a bit later than in previous years.
“We think it's going to be a fast race. But, you know, our projections in that way can be off-base,” Basile said. He said that a winner could come in between 8 a.m. and noon on Jan. 28, but to watch the live race tracker and stay tuned to K300 or KYUK websites and social media pages for more updated estimates on the evening of Jan. 27.
What are teams competing for?
Teams in the K300 will take home a cut of a $185,000 purse, the largest purse in the world for this race distance. The winner will take home $28,500. There are also a number of smaller trail prizes, as well as prizes for Rookie of the Year and Red Lantern (last musher to finish).
What about the Akiak Dash and the Bogus Creek 150?
The Akiak Dash mass start is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27 on the Kuskokwim River ice.
Like in recent years, the Bogus Creek 150 is being run on a different weekend than the Kuskokwim 300. The Bogus 150 was postponed because of weather and is scheduled to start on Feb. 10.
How can I follow the races?
Basile said that there are some new ways to keep track of the race this year. The race is adding more live video streaming to the trail.
“This year KYUK is going to be providing the live stream at the start line, and for top finishers in both the K300 and the Akiak Dash,” Basile said.
He also said that K300 volunteers will be live-streaming at each of the checkpoints.
“It's, you know, something of an experiment,” Basile said. “The first time we're doing that part of it, but I think it'll be really interesting for spectators at home to be able to see more of the race than they've ever been able to see before.”
Mushers will start from the Kuskokwim River in front of town beginning at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26. Check in with the race’s online GPS tracker here.
Listen in to KYUK 640 AM, where we’ll have live trail updates at 6 minutes past each hour from reporters at the start and finish line, as well as at the Kalskag, Aniak, and Tuluksak checkpoints. We’ll be posting updates regularly on our website, Facebook, and Instagram pages.
The Kuskokwim 300 will also post updates to its website and Facebook page.
