The Kuskokwim 300 is among the more highly regarded mid-distance dogsled races in Alaska, annually attracting some of the top mushers in the sport. The race starts and ends on the Kuskokwim River in Bethel, Alaska, and is run on and adjacent to its namesake river.
History Often referred to as the "Kusko 300", or "K-300", the race has been held every January since 1980 (except 2021 which was held in February), and commemorates an early mail route that once tied the settlements along the river to the outside world. Top mushers and hundreds of sled dogs participate in the race for a purse of $160,000, the largest offered by any 300-mile (480 km) sled dog race.
The race is renowned for its often difficult weather and trail conditions. The inaugural race saw a fierce blizzard with dangerously low windchills for the first half of the race, followed by a freak thaw and rain for the latter half. Three separate K-300s (1991, 1999, 2008) earned the nickname "Kusko-Swim", due to strong winds, rain, and deep overflow on top of the river ice.
2021 saw the race rescheduled for mid-February, avoiding Super Bowl LV.
List of race winners
1980 - Rick Swenson 1981 - Jerry Austin 1982 - Jerry Austin 1983 - Myron Angstman 1984 - Rick Swenson 1985 - Rick Mackey 1986 - Myron Angstman 1987 - Rick Mackey 1988 - Susan Butcher 1989 - Sonny Russell 1990 - Sonny Russell 1991 - Jeff King 1992 - Jeff King 1993 - Jeff King 1994 - Martin Buser 1995 - Ramey Smyth 1996 - Charlie Boulding 1997 - Jeff King 1998 - Greg Swingley 1999 - Doug Swingley 2000 - Charlie Boulding 2001 - Jeff King 2002 - Jeff King 2003 - Jeff King 2004 - Ed Iten 2005 - Mitch Seavey 2006 - Jeff King 2007 - Martin Buser 2008 - Mitch Seavey 2009 - Mitch Seavey 2010 - John Baker 2011 - Paul Gebhardt 2012 - Rohn Buser 2013 - Jeff King 2014 - Rohn Buser 2015 - Pete Kaiser 2016 - Pete Kaiser 2017 - Pete Kaiser 2018 - Pete Kaiser 2019 - Matthew Failor (record time) 2020 - Pete Kaiser 2021 - Richie Diehl 2022 - Pete Kaiser 2023 - Pete Kaiser 2024 - Pete Kaiser
External links
2010 Kuskokwim 300 results "Kotzebue musher Baker pulls away to win Kuskokwim 300", Anchorage Daily News