Montana Creek mushing club completes season

MONTANA CREEK — A mere three seconds separated the top two mushers of the Su Valley Championships open class, but that’s all Arleigh Reynolds needed to win the sprint sled dog title.

The Salcha musher logged a two-day total time of 72 minutes and 54 seconds on the 12.3-mile course en route to the open class win.

Egil Ellis, of Willow, finished second.

Reynolds posted a time of 36:19 during the first day, 39 seconds better than Ellis, and recorded a time of 36.35 the following day. Ellis put together totals of 36:58 and 35:59.

Fairbanks musher Jennifer Probert earned the eight-dog class title. Her time of 60:53 was nearly two minutes better than fellow Fairbanks musher Amanda Byrd. Probert was also fourth in the six-dog.

Kris Rasey, of Anchorage, won the six-dog event.

In the skijor, Wasilla’s Rebecca Knight finished first with a time of 38:39.

The Su Valley Championships mark the end of the Montana Creek Dog Mushers Association season.

Su Valley Championship

Saturday, Sunday; Montana Creek

(Two-day totals)

Junior one-dog — 1. A. Berry, 2:18; 2. B. Conn, 3:09; 3. L. Hahn, 3:33.

Four-dog — 1. K. Wells, 36:33; 2. M. Owens, 41:58; 3. B. Rice, 44:27; 5. M. Mapes, 46:09; 5. D. Castro, 50:28.

Skijor — R. Knight, 38:39; 2. B. Voris, 38:43; 3. K. Wells, 31:47; 4. L. Williams, 42:5; 5. G. Jurek, 43:54.

Six-dog — 1. K. Rasey, 49:31; 2. A. Gjeston, 49:55; 3. B. Stevens, 50:46; 4. J. Probert, 52:59; 5. M. Reynolds, 55:35; 6 M. Owens, 56:39; 7. M. Mapes, 58:08; 8. P. Gregory, 60:33; 9. J. Castro, 62:04.

Eight-dog — 1. J. Probert, 60:53; 2. A. Byrd, 62:36; 3. B. Burge, 63:14; 4. H. Lundberg, 63:39; 5. K. Chezik, 65:14; 6. E. Arobio, 65:32; 7. C. Taveau, 65:35; 8. E. Beeter, 67:38; 9. D. Haecker, 74:62; 10. S. DeWild, 75:19.

Open class — 1. A. Reynolds, 72:54; 2. E. Ellis, 72:57; 3. C. Taveau, 75:16; 4. D. Hollingsworth, 76:40; 5. J. Conn, 76:47; 6. M. Kokrine, 77:45; 7. E. Rennenberg, 77:46; 8. K. Chezik, 77:57; 9. M. Raitto, 79:58; 10. S. DeWilde, 82:50; 11. G. Hoekman, 88:30; 12. H. Schwafel, 89:46.

Former Iditarod champ wins second race of month

KENAI — Jeff King won the Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race on the Kenai Peninsula over the weekend.

King hit the finish line, at Mile 112 of the Sterling Highway, at 1:36 p.m. Sunday. The victory was his second of the winter. The four-time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race champion also won the Copper Basin 300 earlier this month.

King beat a pair of Valley mushers to the finish line to grab the Tustumena win. Big Lake’s Cim Smyth finished 37 minutes behind King, and placed second.

DeeDee Jonrowe, of Willow, arrived at 2:33 p.m. to place third.

Three-time defending Iditarod champion Lance Mackey hit the finish line at 3:44 p.m. and placed sixth.

Sheep Mountain’s Zack Steer was seventh, Willow’s Ramey Smyth was eighth and Knik’s Ryan Redington finished 10th.

Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race

Final results

Into finish (Sunday):

1. Jeff King, 1:36 p.m.; 2. Cim Smyth, 2:13 p.m.; 3. DeeDee Jonrowe 2:33 p.m.; 4. Mitch Dergerlund, 3:06 p.m.; 5. Scott Smith, 3:32 p.m.; 6. Lance Mackey, 3:44 p.m.; 7. Zack Steer, 3:50 p.m.; 8. Ramey Smyth, 3:53 p.m.; 9. Jim Lanier, 4:08 p.m.; 10. Ryan Redington, 4:32 p.m.; 11. Jesse Royer, 4:35 p.m.; 12. Cindy Barrand 5:26 p.m.; 13. Braxton Peterson, 5:27 p.m.; 14. Jon Little, 6:02 p.m.; 15. Robert Bundtzen, 8:02 p.m.; 16. Didier Moggia, 9:14 p.m.; 17. Kristy Berington, 10:50 p.m.

Into finish (Monday)

18. Shaynee Seipke, 1:00 a.m.; 19. Sam Deltour, 4:19 a.m.; 20. Travis Beals, 4:19 a.m.; 21. Kelly Maxiner, 6:53 a.m.