After being postponed almost a month because of above-freezing temperatures, the 2024 Bogus Creek 150 Sled Dog Race takes off on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Fifteen mushers will take on the 150-mile run from Bethel to Bogus Creek and back on what’s expected to be a fairly smooth and potentially snowy trail.
It’s a deep field, with six former champions in the mix. Defending champion Raymond Alexie, 2019 champ Jason Pavila, 2006 winner Mike Williams Jr., and 2004 winner Fr. Alexander Larson will go up against K300 forces Pete Kaiser and Richie Diehl, both of whom have also won the Bogus 150.
But there is also a strong Bogus Creek 150 rookie presence. Seven potential Rookie of the Year candidates are signed up to compete this year. Six of the 15 teams have never run the race before: Charlie Chingliak, Byron Pasitnak Jr., Kenneth Snyder, Darren George, Sigurd Napoka, and Robert Charles Jr.
In addition, one team started the race more than a decade ago but scratched. Aaron Alexie didn’t finish the Bogus 150 the one other time he registered in 2010.
Mushers are asked to self-identify rookie status, and are considered a rookie if they have not completed a 150-mile race in the past.
Racers can expect a cloudy weekend with daytime highs in the mid to upper 20s and nighttime lows in the teens and low 20s Fahrenheit. Snow is forecast on and off throughout the weekend, with 15 to 20 mile-per-hour winds switching on Feb. 11 from south to northeast, according to the National Weather Service.
Every team has to take a four-hour layover at the halfway Bogus Creek checkpoint. It’s the only checkpoint, and the only required rest in the race. Mushers have to start with at least seven and no more than 10 dogs on the tow line, and aren’t allowed to have fewer than five dogs on the line at any point during the race, including while crossing the finish line.
Teams compete for a cut of a $75,000 purse, one of the largest in the sport after the Iditarod and the Kuskokwim 300. The winner will take home $12,000. If there are no scratches from the race, the 15th-place finisher will take home $2,250 and the Red Lantern Award.
The mass start of the 2024 Bogus Creek 150 will happen on the Kuskokwim River in front of town at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Follow the race by tuning in to KYUK 640AM, with live race updates at six minutes after the hour, every hour between the race start and between midnight and 1 a.m. on Feb. 12. Coverage will resume at 6:06 a.m. on Feb. 12 until mid-afternoon.
KYUK will livestream the race start and finish, and will regularly be posting updates to the KYUK.org website and the KYUK Facebook and Instagram pages.
Race fans can also follow the live GPS tracker and detailed leaderboard at K300.org.
