Knik 200: Late error by leader allows Iditarod champ to zoom by and claim title

Jan. 9, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

KNIK LAKE - John Little's small mistake paid off big for Jeff King.

Just a mile before the finish of the Knik 200 sled dog race, Little made a wrong turn into G.B. Jones' dog lot near Knik Lake, allowing King to pull out a three-minute victory.

&#8220It was my fault,” a disappointed Little said after the race.

Little had passed King just minutes before, and looked like he was headed to his the long-distance racing title of his career. King, in fact, said he resigned to second after seeing Little's dogs go streaking past.

&#8220About three miles from the finish line I started crafting my concession speech,” King said.

Little said he immediately realized he'd taken a wrong turn, but it was already too late to avoid his dogs getting tangled up.

&#8220I got to this spot that was unfamiliar to me, it looked like the trail went left, so I said ‘haw,'” he said. &#8220It was that fast. It only took me two or three seconds to realize what I'd done.”

King, of Denali Park, passed Little as the Kasilof musher was just getting back on the trail. And once the defending Knik 200 and Iditarod champion regained the lead he'd held for much of the race, he wasn't about to fall behind again.

King said he was happy to win, but said at the post-race musher's banquet that he wished he'd done it another way.

&#8220I honestly felt bad for him,” King said of Little.

Little had nothing but praise for King after the race, saying it was an honor to come so close to beating the legendary musher.

&#8220He's at the top of his game,” Little said. &#8220He's the best distance musher in the world.”

Despite the difficult circumstances of the finish, Little said he's proud of the way his dogs were able to go nose-to-nose with the best in the sport.

&#8220I was racing him and that felt great,” he said. &#8220It was a lot of fun.”

Still, he said it may take a while to get over Saturday morning's tough turn.

&#8220I felt like Tony Romo,” he said, referring to the Dallas Cowboys quarterback whose fumble this weekend cost his team a playoff game.

For winning, King took home a $3,000 winner's check. Little's disappointment was tempered somewhat by his $2,000 second-place prize. Sebastian Schnulle, of Whitehorse, placed third, Talkeetna's Melanie Gould was fourth and Ray Redington, Jr., of Two Rivers, placed fifth.

Twenty-nine of the 36 teams who started the race crossed the finish line, with most coming in Sunday afternoon and evening. Ben Pysto was the last finisher to make it home, coming in at 3:20 Monday morning.

Race organizer Kit Braden said she was happy with how this year's race turned out, with good snow conditions and plenty of help from the race's all-volunteer staff.

&#8220I'm so pleased,” Braden said.

After two days and nights of almost nonstop action, however, Braden also said she's happy this year's race is over.

&#8220I think I'm going to bed now,” she said as the post-race banquet came to a close.

King led much of the race, taking control early on by posting the fastest run time between Knik Lake and Skwentna, where mushers had to take a mandatory 6-hour layover. But Little, who left Skwentna in second, was able to steadily close the gap through the early morning hours Sunday on a hard, fast trail.

He said his dogs could have gone even faster on the ideal trail conditions, but he held them back to conserve their strength.

&#8220I actually had to slow them down,” he said.

King said he was slowed by having to carry one of his leaders for much of the trip back to Knik. He also said it was tough running out front, as there was no teams to chase and no broken trail to run.

&#8220I had a few issues,” he said.

It's rare for anyone to ever catch King once he's taken a lead in a sled dog race, and the Denali Park musher said he was somewhat humbled by the experience.

&#8220It's a good lesson for me,” he said. &#8220I guess I'm not too old to learn some new stuff.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com.