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Holmes, Redington Jr., Sass, and Kaiser Reach Kalskag in K300

Dean Swope
/
KYUK

8:10 a.m. Saturday Update:

Three teams have now left Kalskag: Jessie Holmes was first out at 7:43 a.m., followed by Brent Sass at 7:49 a.m., and Ray Redington Jr. at 7:54 a.m. These teams spent three hours resting.

Original post:

Nenana musher Jessie Holmes is resting in Kalskag after arriving first among the 20 Kuskokwim 300 teams at 4:18 a.m. Saturday morning. The top teams ran overnight without any significant rest through temperatures reaching 40 below. Fourteen minutes later Ray Redington Jr. arrived in the second position and is planning on dropping one dog, according to KYUK trail reporter Will Peterson. Right behind Redington was Brent Sass, last year's second place finisher, a minute behind.

Peterson says both teams took the wrong trail around Bogus Creek area and went a couple miles in the wrong direction before getting back on the right trail towards the Kalskag checkpoint. Pete Kaiser arrived in the fourth position at 4:47 a.m. with 11 dogs in his team and one in bag. Paul Gebhardt, telling KYUK that he's, "too old for this," arrived fifth at 4:53 a.m.

A total of 16 teams had arrived as of 7:00 a.m. Saturday. Only 35 minutes separate the front five teams. After a dumping of snow late this week, front racer Jessie Holmes described race conditions to KYUK reporter Peterson as a well set up trail. Sass told Peterson it was a "perfect trail." Teams must rest a total of six hours in the outbound or inbound Kalskag stops and Aniak. The start time differential will be adjusted there, prior to racing downriver towards the final mandatory four-hour break in Tuluksak.