Knik 200 slated for Saturday

KNIK LAKE — Atypical weather conditions are becoming the standard for mid-winter in the Mat-Su Valley.

Bruce Braden, the race director of the annual Knik 200 Joe Redington Sr. Memorial Sled Dog Race knows that and has learned to deal with it.

“They’re ok,” Braden said of the Knik 200 race trail that stretches from Knik Lake to Skwentna. “The first six miles are kind of messy, but it gets better and better. That’s pretty much what we’ve seen for the last four or five years.”

But once you get past that first stretch, Braden said, the conditions improve greatly.

“The first couple miles are kind of dicey. But if you can’t do those first six miles, you won’t be able to do anything else,” Braden said. “Other than that, it’s good trail all the way up to Skwentna.”

Braden said no major changes have been made to the route that leads mushers from the Tug Bar on Knik Lake to the Skwentna Roadhouse and back.

“We’re trying to keep things on the same trail,” Braden said.

Mushers are slated to start Saturday at 11 a.m. at the Tug Bar, and the first teams should be back on Knik Lake at about 9 a.m. on Sunday, Braden said.

Mushers take a mandatory six-hour layover in Skwentna.

As of Thursday afternoon, only about a dozen mushers had signed-up and paid their race dues. But Braden is expecting a much bigger field. In recent years it’s become common to see many of the mushers in the field sign up at the mushers meeting.

The mushers meeting for the 2008 race is scheduled for tonight at 8 p.m. at the Tug Bar.

“We’re probably the only race in the state where we don’t have a limit,” Braden said. “If you show up at the mushers meeting and sign up, you can run the race. Everyone who wants to come can jump right in.”

The current field includes veterans Ryan Redington, Ray Redington and Kelly Griffen, Braden said. Braden has also spoken with former Iditarod champion Jeff King — the defending Knik 200 champ — and King has expressed interest in entering the race again this year.

Braden said other notable Alaska mushers Jon Little and Aaron Burmeister may also compete this weekend.

The Knik 200 will mark the first mid-distance race to be staged in the Mat-Su Valley this winter, and the second in Alaska.

More than 30 mushers competed in the Gin Gin 200 in late December. Jodi Bailey won the race that leads teams from Paxon to MacLaren Lodge, along the Denali Highway, and back.

Lance Mackey, the defending champion of both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest, finished second.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Gin Gin 200 Sled Dog Race

Paxon

1. Jodi Bailey 33 hours, 24 minutes; 2. Lance Mackey 33:44; 3. Zoya DeNure 33:46; 4. Judy Currier 34:50; 5. M. Yazwinski 35:48; 6. Michelle Phillip 36:16; 7. Bill Steyer 36:21; 8. Sonny Linder 37:32; 9. Ed Hopkinds 38:11; 10. Sabastian Schnuelle 38:24; 11. Kelly Griffin 38:29; 12. Casey Stockdale 38:34; 13. Mike Ellis 39:09; 14. Mike Mayer 39:20; 15. Danny Seavey 39:30; 16. Sam Deltour 39:44; 17. Andrew Davis 41:01; 18. Rich Corcoran 41:31; 19. Braxston Peterson 41:32; 20. Iris Sutton 41:37; 21. Jacob Dries 42:09; 22. Rick Holt 42:48; 23. Jeremy Matrishon 44:05; 24. Andreas Moser 44:10; 25. Dave Treasure 44:30; 26. M. Barnett 48:04; 27. Julie Estey 49:38; 28. Dale Curry 50:59; 29. Alyssa Quaile 55:46; 30. Laura Davis 55:46; 31. Carol Blevins 57:08.

Scratched — Heidi Sutter, Rebecca Savidis.