Girdwood musher wins Knik 200

WASILLA —Nicolas Petit followed a full dogs back to the finish line on Knik Lake Sunday morning and captured the title in the Knik 200 Joe Redington Sr Memorial.

The 36-year-old Girdwood musher officially hit the finish line at 7:25 a.m. to win the 200-mile sled dog race. Petit made the 65-mile run from Eagle Quest Lodge to the Knik Lake finish chute in 4 hours, 7 minutes, fast among the 30 mushers who finished the 2017 race. Petit was also the first musher in and out of Yentna Station, the midway point of the race. Petit arrived at the Yentna Roadhouse at 6:20 p.m. Saturday, and following his mandatory six-hour layover, he left just after midnight.

Will Rhodes of Two Rivers finished as the race-runner up. Rhodes, who captured the last Knik 200 title in 2015, arrived at the finish line at 8:01 a.m. Sunday, about 36 minutes behind Petit. Both Petit and Rhodes made the 35-mile trip from Yentna Station to Eagle Quest Lodge in 2:48. Rhodes needed 4:19 to get from Eagle Quest to the finish line.

Ray Redington Jr. finished third in the race named for his grandfather. Redington Jr crossed the finish line at 8:55 a.m., three minutes before Joar Leifseth Ulsom, the fourth-place finisher, arrived.

Dave Turner rounded out the top five.

In the days prior to the race, organizers reported sufficient trail conditions. While not perfect, race manager Bob Sexton said, “the race is doable.” After difficult seasons in recent memory, organizers were intent on seeing the 2017 race through. The 2015 race was shortened after the start and finish was moved from Knik Lake to Willow due to poor trail conditions. Last year the race was cancelled completely.

Organizers also hosted the Knik 100. Four mushers finished the race. Mille Porslid finished first and Tracey Schaeffer was the runner-up. Krys March was third and Wayne Curtis finished fourth.

Knik 200 final standings (Into Knik)

1. N. Petit 7:25 a.m. (Sunday); 2. W. Rhodes, 8:01 a.m.; 3. R. Redington Jr, 8:55 a.m.; 4. J. Ulsom, 8:58 a.m. ; 5. D. Turner, 9:12 a.m.; 6. M. Degerlund, 10:27 a.m.; 7. C. Bejna, 10:55 a.m.; 8. S. Janssen, 11:27 a.m. 9. M. Reitan, 12:10 p.m.; 10. E. Maxwell, 12:12 p.m.; 11. R. Cooke, 12:18 p.m.; 12. D. Delcourt, 12:19 p.m.; 13. M. Konno, 12:31 p.m.; 14. J. Vanderwal, 12:32 p.m.; 15. R. Bundtzen, 12:53 p.m. ; 16. R. Lee, 3 p.m.; 17. D. Noland, 3:10 p.m.; 18. P. Nolan, 4:28 p.m.; 19. T. Pope Jr., 5 p.m.; 20. B. Farguhar, 6:57 p.m.; 21. K. Anderson, 6:57 p.m.; 22. J. Stewart, 7:10 p.m.; 23. M. Mapes, 8:42 p.m.; 24. J. Shelley, 9:17 p.m.; 25. J. Deeter, 9:33 p.m.; 26. M. Failor, 10:24 p.m.; 27. S. Martin, 10:29 p.m.; 28. M. Baker, 10:36 p.m.; 29. T. Schonberger, 11:19 a.m.; 30. R. Corristan, 2:15 a.m. (Monday).