Bethel musher Pete Kaiser is the first Kuskokwim 300 musher to reach the Aniak checkpoint. Kaiser arrived in Aniak at 12:23 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18 with 12 dogs after running the overland trail past Whitefish Lake. Nine minutes later, Richie Diehl made it to his hometown checkpoint.
Kaiser and Diehl each rested about three hours in Kalskag early this morning, and both have three hours of additional rest to complete before they pass through Kalskag on the inbound trail.
Just minutes behind the two Y-K Delta mushers were Will Rhodes, Joar Leifseth Ulsom, defending champion Matt Failor, and K300 rookie Travis Beals.
As the race transitions to the second half, a second pack that logged extra rest earlier in Kalskag, mushers Jeff King, Nic Petit, and Wade Marrs, may leapfrog some of the front mushers.
Over the course of the day, teams must take six total hours of rest in either Kalskag or Aniak. All teams rest for a four-hour break in Tuluksak on the way back to Bethel.