Dogs Ready, Trails Ready: Knik 200 Rescheduled for Weekend Action

Despite being delayed due to weather, the Knik 200 Joe Redington Sr. Memorial Sled Dog Race kicks off this Saturday January 24th. Trails conditions are looking good and a field of roughly 20 mushers are ready to run their dogs and enjoy the race. The staff behind the Knik Iditarod Trail Blazers has been working hard to make this year’s event happen.

The race starts at 11:00 a.m. on Knik Lake and the community is invited to cheer on mushers and their dog teams as they depart from the starting line. Teams will arrive back at the lake throughout the evening and take a six hour rest before heading back out again. Top placing teams are expected to return the next day. The Knik Bar and Grill will be open to serve hot beverages and food throughout the festivities.

The trail is looking better the more that it gets used, President of the Board for the Trail Blazers Brian Hanson said. He and others have been grooming trails and inspecting conditions leading up to the race. Water crossings are holding for now and there is still snow to race on. The course this year will take mushers out of Knik Lake north to Deshka Landing near Willow, where they will turn around and come back to take a rest on Knik Lake before repeating the course again the next day.

The forecast this weekend looks to bring warmer weather, staying below freezing and some sun to the teams. Postponing the race three weeks brings slightly longer days and more favorable conditions.

The Knik 200 will lose some of their original roster to the Kuskokwim 300 that will be held on the same weekend in Bethel. Mushers had until the 17th to withdraw and any mushers looking to race this weekend can sign up until the pre-race meeting at 4 p.m. at the Knik Bar and Grill on Friday January 23rd. Hanson said that they have had some new teams sign up since postponing their original date.

“We’ve got a good field of mushers,” Hanson said.

Both board members and mushers are happy to still be able to host the race this year. The race serves as a great opportunity for mushers to get a good run in with their teams without traveling all the way to the Kusko. It’s also a way for young teams to gain experience.

“It’s a good chance to see how your dogs are doing against other teams and put them in that race environment,” Hanson said. “It’s an excellent race/camp experience for those young dogs.”

Held every January, it serves as the first chance for mushers and dogs out and compete. The more relaxed vibe of the race makes it a great testing ground to see where teams stand and what training needs to sill be done. Along with a considerable purse for the winners, the roster opens to junior mushers, helping foster dog sledding for the next generation.