The Bogus Creek 150 sled dog race will not be on the same weekend as the K300 this year. The Bogus Creek will begin later this month, on Jan. 23. The K300 is still scheduled for Feb. 12, and the Akiak Dash will start the day after.
The Kuskokwim 300 Race Committee made the announcement in a press release on Jan. 7. The committee is hoping that the January start date for the Bogus Creek 150 will draw wider participation from mushers, since it no longer overlaps with the other races. It will also serve as a practice run ahead of the K300 to prepare for the challenges of organizing a large mushing event during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Both the Bogus Creek and the K300 will use alternate routes this year. The Bogus Creek will be two loops of the same route with a midway point in or near Bethel, but the final route has not yet been determined. The race will feature a mass start.
The K300 will use the same route it used in 2018, with two trips between Bethel and Bogus Creek. There will be one remote camp set up outside of Tuluksak, and the other checkpoint will be in Bethel. This will keep the race out of village communities and reduce the number of volunteers needed to manage the checkpoints.
The second race of the season, the Holiday Classic, is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 9. However with wind chill, temperatures tomorrow are predicted to be 30 degrees below zero. Kuskokwim 300 Race Manager Paul Basile said that the race may be delayed until Sunday, Jan. 10. You can check the K300 website and Facebook page later in the day for more details.
