Husky News

Dogged by financial problems the last several months, the Kuskokwim 300 appears to have maneuvered through tough sledding in advance of its 30th running in January.

The annual mid-distance race from Bethel to Aniak and back, an Iditarod qualifier, is scheduled to begin Jan. 16, and race officials believe the event has recovered from a difficult offseason.

Casie Stockdale, the K300’s new assistant race manager, said three local mushers and legendary musher DeeDee Jonrowe have already indicated they will participate.

According to a statement from race chairman and Bethel attorney Myron Angstman, the amount of the purse for the K300 will be announced in mid-December. It was $100,000 last year, making it mushing’s third-largest purse, behind only the Iditarod and Yukon Quest sled dog races.

Months after Sterling’s Mitch Seavey won the 29th edition of the K300, the race committee fired then-race manager Staci Gillilan. In May, Gillilan was arrested and charged with stealing money from the race. According to Angstman and court documents, Gillian was to enter a plea this week to a felony count of theft. The race hopes she will pay back some of the missing funds as part of a plea settlement.

“We believe that we can show without any question that more than $10,000 (is owed to the race),” Angstman told the Anchorage Daily News. “We believe we can show fairly clearly another $3,000 to $5,000.”

Regardless of the outcome of the Gillilan case, the K300 has forged ahead.

“Even in difficult economic times, the public has stood by us,” Angstman said.

Stockdale’s arrival on the race scene is another example of the K300 turning the page on the past.

Originally from New Jersey, Stockdale spent the last six years in Fairbanks. She has worked for well-known mushers Linwood Fiedler and Sonny Lidner. She’s now in Bethel working for both the race and Angstman.

“Honestly, I did not know the whole extent (of the past),” said Stockdale, 28.

“There are definitely some hurt feelings and some issues within the organization that we’re still cleaning up. People have been upset about what happened, but most of them seem dedicated to the K300. They’ve expressed they still want to help (the race).”

Stockdale said sponsorship support remains strong, and race officials have taken other steps to try to raise or maintain revenue for the purse.

The race sold its company truck, canceled its race insurance and turned over many of the administrative duties to volunteers. Race enthusiasts have also “bought” 71 miles at $100 each to help support the K300 as part of the “buy a mile” program.

“When we started selling the miles, people started calling us asking for them,” Stockdale said. “Our sponsors have been reliable and a radio station is doing a documentary about 30 years of the race.

“It’s all really kept me going and helped me see how big a deal the race is.”

Besides the K300, the committee will also stage the Bogus Creek 150 and the Akiak Dash race. The committee said the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corp. donated money to pay local mushers’ entry fees for all three races. The K300 is $800, the Bogus Creek 150 is $350 and the Akiak Dash is $200.

The K300 committee is seeking volunteers for the race. New K300 merchandise is available at the pull-tab store inside the Bethel AC, or at various upcoming craft sales in Bethel.

Source: The Seward Phoenix LOG