This year’s field for the Kuskokwim 300 Sled dog race is the biggest in recent history with over 30 competitors already signed up. One of the racers is 25-year-old Rohn Buser from Big Lake. Buser is preparing for his sixth appearance at K300, Alaska’s premier mid-distance sled dog race.
This year, Buser said he hopes to finish on a better note than last year.
“The first goal is, make it to the finish line and after that we’ll see how well we can do. But if there’s a good trail, you know, I’ll work a little bit harder to stay exactly on the marked trail,” said Buser.
Buser technically finished second last year after being penalized 10 minutes for veering off the trail towards the end of the race.
He placed first in the K300 in 2012 and 2014, and he has never placed below sixth. Already an accomplished musher, he won the 2007 Junior Iditarod race, the Knik 200 in 2014, and the Denali Doubles with his dad Martin Buser the same year. He also raced the Iditarod in 2008 and 2012.
Buser races for his family’s Happy Trails Kennel. He said he’s bringing along veteran racing dogs, plus a few rookies.
“Some of them haven’t really raced competitively so it’ll be exciting to see how they do.”
The 36th annual Kuskokwim 300 race is scheduled to start Friday, Jan. 15, at 6:30 p.m. KYUK 640AM will have live start and finish line coverage of this year’s race.
Charles Enoch is a reporter at KYUK in Bethel.
