The Tustumena 200 Sled Dog Race is a

dog sled race Sled dog racing (sometimes termed dog sled racing) is a winter dog sport most popular in the Arctic regions of the United States, Canada, Russia, Greenland and some European countries. It involves the timed competition of teams of sled dogs t ...

on the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan tribe ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

covering 200 miles. Established in 1983, the race is run each year on the last weekend in January, and has grown in reputation to draw competitive distance

musher Mushing is a sport or transport method powered by dogs. It includes carting, pulka, dog scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled, most commonly ...

s from Alaska, the

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, and international location

The Tustumena 200 (known locally as the T200) boasts one of the highest purses for a dog sled race in its class. The minimum guaranteed purse is $25,000 and has been as high as $30,000. The Bogus Creek 150, a companion event to the Kuskokwim 300, based in Bethel, Alaska, has a guaranteed annual purse of $60,000. "Anderson wins $7,500 for Tustumena 200 title", Anchorage Daily News Jan 29, 2007

History

Before mushers can compete in the 1,150 mile

Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, more commonly known as The Iditarod, is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March. It travels from Anchorage to Nome, entirely within the US state of Alaska. Mushers and a team of between 12 ...

, they must first finish qualifying events such as the Tustumena 200. The T-200 is sanctioned by the Iditarod Trail Committee as the only official qualifying event on the Kenai Peninsula. A ceremonial start is held on the Saturday morning of the race weekend in Kenai. Children recommended by the

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and

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ride with mushers entered in the race. The official start of the race is on the Sterling Highway in Kasilof. Mushers leave the starting line with between 12 and 14 dogs on Saturday afternoon. They travel 100 miles through the Caribou Hills to the official halfway point in Clam Gulch. There, they take a mandatory 6 hour layover to rest their teams and allow veterinarians to check over all the dogs. Then they head back over the same trail to return to the starting point in Kasilof. There are 4 checkpoints on the trail, two of which are designated dog-drops. All mushers must adhere to the rules of the race. Each driver must carry mandatory gear, including a cooker, cooking gear, sleeping bag, hand axe, snowshoes, enough booties for each dog, dog food, and people food. They cannot start the race with fewer than 12 dogs, and cannot finish with fewer than 5. Tired and injured dogs are left with volunteers, to be transported by truck back to the finish line. There are many rules ensuring safe and fair conduct by the mushers. Some of the activities of race weekend include a vet check, to make sure all dogs are fit to run a 200-mile race; a musher’s meeting, to inform mushers of rules and hazards on the trail; and a pre-race banquet, where mushers pick their bib numbers and meet members of the public. Children who will ride in the ceremonial start are honored at the pre-race banquet along with the mushers

The culmination of the weekend is the Awards Banquet on Monday night. No race was held in 2014–16, and since 2020.

References

External links

* {{Official website 1984 establishments in Alaska Annual events in Alaska Dog sledding races January sporting events Recurring sporting events established in 1984 Sports competitions in Alaska Tourist attractions in Kenai Peninsula Borough, Alaska