Will Rhodes at finish
Will Rhodes dethroned four-time defending champion Nic Petit by a mere seven minutes on Wednesday after coming from behind to pass him at the Willow 300.
“Saw us, caught us, left us. Congrats Will!” Petit summarized on Facebook.
According to live tracking at Trackleaders.com, Rhodes finished in 1 day, 22 hours and 32 minutes.
Rhodes operates Mackey’s Alaskan Distance Dogs with wife Brenda Mackey in Two Rivers and while he’s won the Two Rivers 200 the Willow 300 victory may be the most significant of his career.
Riley Dyche placed third and Alaska Sports Hall of Fame inductee Jeff King was fourth almost two hours back.
In addition to the tight finish, race drama included the top four mushers being delayed and bunching up after encountering a moose with calf on Tuesday night near the Forks Roadhouse Checkpoint. At that point, King led the race, followed closely by Rhodes and Petit with Dyche a few miles farther back.
A Willow 300 musher with Denali in background. Photo by Mountain Glory Photography
Additionally, Hugh Neff — mushing with Jim Lanier’s “Northern Whites” team, reportedly mushed an extra 30 miles due to a wrong turn before ultimately finishing 10th.
In the accompanying Willow 150, Jake Witkop prevailed with Joanna Jagow second.
At the prestigious John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon in Northern Minnesota, Wade Marrs of Stump Jumpin Kennel finished a close second to Minnesota’s Ryan Anderson. Marrs completed the 286-mile race in 2 days, 7 hours and 31 minutes, just over an hour behind Anderson.
Marrs was listed on the race website as coming from Knik, Alaska, but said on his personal website that he’s moved his kennel to Wisconsin.
Marrs was signed up for this year’s 50th Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race this season, a race he’s finished among the Top 10 in four times since 2015. However, Marrs withdrew because of the Iditarod’s requirement that all mushers be vaccinated against COVID-19, he announced in November.
Wade Marrs being interviewed at John Beargrease finish line
Alaska’s Ryan Redington was an early leader but ended up scratching. In January, Redington’s team was struck by a snowmachiner while training in northern Wisconsin, and at least two dogs were injured. Redington is still signed up for this year’s Iditarod.
Meanwhile, the Alaska portion of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race is starting Saturday after its course and distance was revised for the second time.
Due to the pandemic and the difficult of crossing an international border, the Quest this year set up separate races in Alaska and Canada instead of its typical 1000-mile route between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon.
The shorter Alaska race, the YQ 200, will now start at 11 a.m. Saturday in downtown Fairbanks and travel to Central. Eleven mushers are currently entered.
The longer Alaska race, initially planned to be 550 miles from Tok to Fairbanks, will now only go 350 miles from Fairbanks to Central and back. Seven mushers are entered, including past Quest 1000-mile Quest champions Matt Hall and Brent Sass.
“Nobody wanted it and nobody likes it, but we’re going to roll with it,” race marshall Doug Grilliot told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner about the late changes.
The Canadian races of 300 and 100 miles are slated to begin Feb. 19 and currently have a combined 15 mushers entered.