This weekend kicked off the start of mushing season on the lower Kuskokwim River. The Kuskokwim 300 Race Committee sponsored its season opener on Dec. 4. The course was 32-miles long, beginning and ending in Bethel. The two top finishers flew into the gate neck-and-neck, duking it out for first place. Ultimately, Mike Williams Jr. of Akiak took first place with an elapsed time of 2:27.49. Greg Larson of Napaskiak crossed the finish line just three seconds behind him. According to race manager Paul Basile, the same two mushers came in neck-and-neck during the last race of last season, but that time Larson took the top prize.
In the third place of this weekend’s race was 18-year-old Jason Pavila. The race purse was $18,000, which is a decreased amount from recent years and was paid out to the top 16 finishers. Basile said that the purse is projected to be cut by 10% across all races this season because the pandemic prevented the race committee from in-person fundraising for most of last year.
The next race is scheduled for Dec. 18. Click here for the full list of this weekend’s race results.