Allen Moore of Two Rivers will try to defend his title when the Copper Basin 300 gets under way at noon, Saturday at the Hub at the intersection of the Glenn and Richardson highways in Glennallen.
As of Thursday afternoon, there were 22 mushers entered in the event that follows a circular route to Paxson Lodge and back to Glennallen. A winner is expected to reach the finish line on Monday afternoon.
Moore, a two-time winner of the event, figures to face some pretty stiff competition from the likes of his wife and former Yukon Quest champion Aliy Zirkle and three-time defending Yukon Quest and defending Iditarod champion Lance Mackey of Fairbanks.
Other Interior mushers in the field are Zoya DeNure of Paxson, Phil Joy of Fairbanks, Darren Lee of Chistochina, Mike Mayer of Fairbanks, Bruce Milne of Two Rivers, Braxton Peterson of Fairbanks, and Brent Sass of Eureka.
There have been some changes in the course from previous years as the Meier’s Lake checkpoint has been eliminated.
Upon leaving Glennallen, mushers go 58 miles to Chistochina, 70 miles to Paxson, 58 miles to Sourdough Creek, 57 miles to Wolverine Lodge, 26 miles to the Tolsana Lake Resort and 20 miles to the finish line at the Copper Valley Community Library at Mile 186 of the Glenn Highway.
Race officials noted that there will be safety checkpoints at Gakona Lodge and Crosswinds Lake.
Mushers are competing for a $10,000 purse to be split among the top seven finishers. The winner will take home a $3,500 paycheck. Race officials said the purse could continue to grow by the time the race was over.
For more information go to www.cb300.com.
Source: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
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