Two Rivers mushers dominate Copper Basin final race standings

WASILLA — As teams closed in on the finish line, it became apparent a musher from Two Rivers would win the Copper Basin 300. It was just a matter of which one.

Matt Hall was the first of four straight Two Rivers mushers to cross the finish line in Glennallen Monday morning, arriving at 9:43 a.m. to win his first career Copper Basin title. Hall finished 17 minutes ahead of fellow Two Rivers musher Ryne Olson. Allen Moore, who entered the 2016 race as the winner of three straight Copper Basin events, was third. Aliy Zirkle rounded out the group of Two Rivers frontrunners with a fourth-place finish.

Olson’s official finish came at 10 a.m.. The husband and wife duo of Moore and Zirkle finished four minutes apart, following Olson at 10:24 and 10:28 a.m. respectively.

Nicholas Petit, of Girdwood, was fifth, finishing at 11:25 a.m.

Hall, also a veteran of the Yukon Quest, improved six spots in the Copper Basin standings from a year ago. Last year, Hall was seventh. Olson also improved, moving up from third place in 2015 to second this year.

The annual mid-distance race started last Saturday, with a tweak to the course. The starting chute was moved 20 miles up the highway from its traditional home of Glennallen to Gakona Lodge.

The remainder of the course stayed the same with mushers traveling a counterclockwise loop from Gakona Lodge to the finish in Glennallen.

After departing Gakona Lodge, teams head north 40 miles to Red Eagle Lodge, east 73 miles to Meiers Lake, South 43 miles to Sourdough Creek, west 85 miles through the Lake Louise area to Menndeltina Creek Lodge, and a final 59 miles back to Glennallen.

Teams are expected to continue to arrive at the finish line in Glennallen through Tuesday.