Tomorrow, Saturday, December 23rd, we will hold the second race of the K300 racing season, the Holiday Classic. There are currently 17 teams registered for the race of approximately 50 miles which will begin on the Charles Family Lake at 11:00 AM.
After leaving Charles Family Lake teams will travel overland to the north of Bethel towards the river. They will descend on to the river trail above Schwalbe Island and continue on the trail to Akiachak. Between Akiachak and Akiak they will come to a turnaround and return to Bethel on the same trail.
Once again, racers will compete for a purse of $25,000 paid out to the top 15 finishers. Please see the list of registered mushers as well as current Delta Championship Series Standings below. We do expect that there may be a few last minute registrations and will update the list tomorrow morning if needed.
Race Rules:
1. The race will begin with a mass start at 11am on Charles Family Lake.
2. Eight dog limit.
3. No dropped dogs.
4. General passing rules apply. When any team approaches to within 50 feet of another team, the team behind has the immediate right of way upon demand. The racer ahead must stop their dogs and hold them to the best of their ability for a maximum of one minute or until the other team has passed, whichever occurs first. The passed team must remain behind at least 15 minutes before demanding the trail. The race officials may penalize a team if this rule is violated. “No Man’s Land” will be marked by two K300 stakes about 2 miles from the finish.
5. No pacing by snow machine. There may be an official snow machine pacing the field in the early part of the trail to show all teams the proper trail, and also perhaps at other points on the trail as needed.
6. Mushers must be a current member of the K300 to participate in this race. Membership may be purchased for $100.
7. Every sled must be equipped with a sled bag that can adequately and safely contain any dog who needs to be carried during the race. Anyone who races without a sled bag will receive an automatic penalty of $200
Photo by Katie Basile
Delta Championship Standings:
Holiday Classic Mushers:
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