Kuskokwim 300 Sled Dog Race

Well, let's start it out from death over one day. Back in 1979 when organizers gathered at the home of Bethel Muscher's John McDonald and Vep Offman, they had no idea the race they were planning would have such a rich history to celebrate more than a decade later. In fact, they never dreamed the first year of the race would be such a big success. But by the time the drawing for position came around, there they were the stars of the sport who gave the race credibility that very first year. Joe Redington, Rick Swenson, Susan Butcher. And it

was that first race, which really set the tone for the Kaskikworm 300, the wild crazy weather, which almost turned killer, the rain, the minus 100 wind chills, which tested season mushers who thought crossing Alaska by dog team was old hat. Former John Bear grease winner, D.D. John Row had to be rescued after a night of friends and neighbors fearing the worst. That first race also ended in a finish, which was classic for its day. Rick Swenson beat out Susan Butcher by less than a half an hour to claim the first of his two K-300 victories. These are more than just a race, something like this is a real cultural event that draws the whole area together. And it links our past and our present in our future altogether. It was also the first of three second place finishes for Butcher. The two tangled again in 1984 when Rick Swenson rewrote the book on

Middle Distance dog racing. Swenson arrived in Bethel that year boasting that he would run the 300 miles in less than 48 hours. Some 17 hours less than my first year. There were an Aksman's record set the previous year. I basically this strategy is going to be to go until you can't go any more and if you don't get to Bethel, that's too bad. As luck would have it, a perfect trail and a full moon guided the mushers during that race. And using a strategy developed in the previous winners all Alaskan sweepstakes, Swenson bettered his prediction by two hours. The three-day race had now become a two-day race. Despite making good on his prediction, Swenson may not have won his second 300 had it not been for a long turn taken by Butcher. Leaving the last checkpoint, a queen looked the three time I did a rod winner had less than a 15-minute lead over the fast closing Swenson when she made the errant turn,

which cost her all chance of victory. But the duel between Swenson and Butcher did not produce the most electrifying moment in the nine-year history of the event. That came in 1983 when an excited crowd watched from the river bank as two headlamps raced along the banks of a cusp of quim. It was the last year the race finished on 1st Avenue and it proved to be the most memorable. Two lights belonged to Bethel Musher, Myron Aksman and the legendary George Atler. Just a few hundred yards from the finish line and out of the side of the crowd, the two mushers battled in the dark to get their dogs across the overflow in front of town. With their sleds nearly touching, Aksman was able to get his dogs across the water and instant before Atler. When the mushers finally emerged from the darkness, it was Aksman crossing the finish line, just 15

seconds in front of a frustrated Atler who cried foul but to know a veil. Aksman's victory held up and he became the first local musher to win the cusp of quim 300. With the race getting much faster and the mushers less willing to rest their dogs, the committee felt it was time to change the rules. They installed a mandatory six hour layover which could be taken at any one of three checkpoints. The first time the race was run under those rules was in 1986 and it was a daring move by Myron Aksman which earned him his second 300 crown. Many people thought the race that year would be between Susan Butcher and Yukon Quest champ Sonny Lidner. And it did appear to be going that way as several of the leaders raced up to Antioch to take their layover. Aksman finding himself almost an hour behind in cow scag had decided to take his layover there.

Six hours later he burned up the trail to Antioch faster than any musher had ever made the trip before. And fast enough that he was able to check into the halfway point with the other leaders still waiting out their layover. Aksman was able to snack his dogs and leave the halfway point with a half an hour lead and his second 300 victory in his pocket as well as a new record of 44 hours and 52 minutes. Along with Aksman's two victories in the race, his dogs almost won two other K-300s. Both times it was, I did a rod champ Rick Mackey who came out on top for his two titles. In 1985 Aksman's team was driven by Crooked Creek Musher Nathan Underwood. Underwood crossed the finish line first. However, a mistake early in the race cost him a two-hour penalty at the finish line dropping him to fourth place. Mackey was declared the winner and Blanco Wasselly running six young dogs from one litter held on for second.

In 1987 Aksman's team was driven by rookie Beau Bergland, a Swedish Musher who was Aksman's handler that year. It was only three weeks after Aksman had driven the same team to victory in Minnesota's John Bear grease race with a record setting performance. It appeared Bergland had the fastest team that year, but he lost to the crafty Mackey who's racing ability enabled him to outfox Bergland and overtake the faster team during the last 100 miles of the race. Bergland finished a close second. One other Musher who has two Cuskakwim 300 titles under his belt is St. Michael's Jerry Austin. In 1981 Aksman, who ran in the first seven races beat the likes of George Atler, Ricks, once in Joe May, Aksman and Butcher. He took him 79 hours and 35 minutes to accomplish the task. In 1982 it was Austin again, this time beating Aksman,

Redington, Emmett Peters, E. Banderson and a woman Musher from Teller who would soon make history in the Ididarot, Libby Riddles. In 1988 Susan Butcher, a veteran of six K-300s, won her first in grand style. Butcher beat Aksman's mark by four minutes, setting a record of 44 hours and 48 minutes, a record which still stands today. Thank you. In 1989 a Musher came out of the bush to challenge the big names in a race that went down

as the coldest Kuskakwim 300 on record. And the only one to ever be delayed due to bad weather. One K-300 rule states the race shall begin on time, whatever the weather. However, race officials and veterinarians agree that minus 40 to minus 70 degree temperatures on the race trail were too cold for man and dog alike, too cold even for the planes necessary to support the race. So both dogs and Mushers literally cooled their heels for a full four days, waiting for temperatures to warm. And even when the race finally did begin, the Musher's face windshields down to 65 below zero. The Musher's facing the K-300 to reach back for a little Race officials move the start of the race back to the river where it began 10 years ago to afford teams protection from the cold. Even so 1989 was probably the toughest Kuskakwim 300 of them all

with only 11 teams making it all the way back to the finish line. And in the end, the race may have been decided by a single cup of coffee. It was four time I did a rod champ, Rick Swenson going for his third title who had that cup at a camp in Bogus Creek on the trail between Kuskak and Tulexak. Swenson pulled into the camp 75 miles from the finish line just as sunny Russell was leaving. Swenson and others had been chasing the Kuskaboo Musher for almost 200 miles. And the Ididarod King seemed finally to have Russell in his sights. Swenson, however, dated the camp for almost an hour. And never caught the speedy Russell. Over its 11-year history, the Kuskakwim 300 has never failed to produce historic and often electrified moments.

And there's no reason to believe 1990 will be any exception. 300 miles on the Kuskaboo, 300 miles on the Kuskaboo. aries. satellite transmission of the Cusco Quim 300 sled dog race start is being provided by Alaska, the one you call on.

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