At long last, it's time to race again. After several weeks of delays the annual Holiday Classic will start tomorrow, Saturday, January 7th, at 11:00 AM in Bethel. 20 teams are set to face off in the 50 mile race, the second of the Delta Championship Series.
The race will begin with a mass start on the Kuskokwim River, near the mouth of the small boat harbor. Racers will travel up the Kuskokwim, via Steamboat Slough, then continue up the Gweek River. At about the 25-mile mark teams will come to a turnaround then return on the same trail.
It looks like it's going to be a very nice day so we hope to see lots of spectators out cheering on mushers and following the race. For those who can't be there, as always, we'll be doing our best to livestream the start and the arrival of each finisher at www.facebook.com/kuskokwim300
Race Rules:
1. The race will begin with a mass start at 11am on the Kuskokwim River, near the mouth of the small boat harbor. The K300 truck will mark the start/finish line and teams may choose whatever starting position they like.
2. Eight dog limit.
3. No dropped dogs.
4. General passing rules apply. When any team approaches to within 50 feet of another team, the team behind has the immediate right of way upon demand. The racer ahead must stop their dogs and hold them to the best of their ability for a maximum of one minute or until the other team has passed, whichever occurs first. The passed team must remain behind at least 15 minutes before demanding the trail. The race officials may penalize a team if this rule is violated. “No Man’s Land” will be marked by two K300 stakes about 2 miles from the finish.
5. No pacing by snow machine. There may be an official snow machine pacing the field in the early part of the trail to show all teams the proper trail, and also perhaps at other points on the trail as needed.
6. Mushers must be a current member of the K300 to participate in this race. Membership may be purchased for $100.
7. The race purse is $20,000 distributed as follows:
1……………………………....$2,700
2…………………………..…..$2,450
3………………………………$2,250
4………………………………$2,050
5……………………………....$1,850
6………………………….…..$1,700
7……………………………...$1,450
8…………………………..…$1,250
9…………………………..…$1,050
10…………………………...$900
11…………………………...$750
12…………………………...$600
13…………………………...$450
14………………………..….$300
15…………………………...$250
The Mushers:
Photo by Katie Basile