K300 starts today

After a weather related delay of 2 days, the Kuskokwim 300 dogsled race will begin today at noon with local favorite Mike Williams, and Yukon Quest runner-up Ken Anderson in the starting chute first. At 8 am this morning the temperature at Bethel Airport was 6 degrees with a wind out of the north at 17 miles an hour. This is a significant improvement over the weather occurring over the previous 48 hours where unseasonably warm temperatures and very stiff winds caused all sorts of problems with race logistics.

Heavy winds and icy runways caused numerous flight delays for planes carrying dogs and mushers from Anchorage to Bethel. Eventually all mushers and dogs except for those of Dallas Seavey and Sebastian Schnuelle made it to Bethel. Both of those mushers elected to withdraw from the race. In Bethel, very windy conditions and very slippery conditions caused more havoc. Iditarod veteran musher John Baker slipped on the ice and broke his elbow. There has been no indication that he has withdrawn from the race however. race officials were unable to get food drops and race officials out on the course since very little air traffic was able to depart from Bethel. One of the race volunteers planes (a Cesna 185) was blown from it's moorings and destroyed.

Ken Anderson has some added incentive to score his fair share of the $100,000 purse. His pickup hit a moose on the way into Anchorage and caused significant damage to it merely a week after he had dropped collision insurance on it. All the dogs are raring to go after several days of very little activity. The course is being laid out to avoid any open water from last weeks significant thaw, but there is always the chance of hitting some overflow hidden beneath the snow, and mushers are preparing to get wet. With the cold weather now, the trail will either be frozen slush or glare ice. This poses a dilemma for mushers since booties are required for protection in the frozen slush, but don't help at all on the glare ice since the toenails are required for traction. Mushers able to put booties on and off efficiently, especially with smaller teams will have the advantage. John Baker will find that task particularly difficult.