Not far behind some of the biggest names in sled dog racing, 21-year-old Pete Kaiser of Bethel delivered a surprising fifth place finish in the Kuskokwim 300 that had local fans cheering Tuesday.
"It went good, a little better than expected," Kaiser said by phone after the race. "The whole team was unproven for this length of race. It was amazing how the dogs kept their speed until the end."
Left behind were such top veteran mushers as DeeDee Jonrowe of Willow, a 12-time top-10 Iditarod finisher who was 11th; Ed Iten of Kotzebue, who has six top-10s in his last seven Iditarods and finished seventh here; and Aaron Burmeister of Nenana, who owns five top-20 Iditarod finishes and wound up 14th in the Kusko.
Kaiser's finish, which earned him $6,000, was the best by a hometown musher in the Bethel race since Mike Williams placed fifth in 2002.
And Kaiser wasn't the only bright spot for area mushing fans. Three Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta locals made the top 10, with Mike Williams Jr., 23, of Akiak, eighth and Jackie Larson, 39, of Napaskiak ninth.
"It's not by default," said Myron Angstman, the Kusko race chairman. "Things are developing out here."
Angstman said Kaiser raced conservatively, giving his team an extra three-hour rest in Kalskag while other mushers raced through.
Kaiser might have moved up one or two spots had he pushed harder, Angstman said. Fifth-place John Baker of Kotzebue was just 24 minutes ahead.
"That was a real good race," Angstman said. "It was heartening to see."
This year's icy Kusko trail may have favored local dog drivers, Angstman speculated.
"Rural mushers out here in Bethel have one advantage," he said. "We get a lot of practice on real hard, icy trails -- a lot of practice."
Before Kaiser can move up to big distance races like the Iditarod, he may need more dogs in his kennel. Kaiser started the Kusko with 14 animals, more than half his 27-dog kennel that includes "a couple of retirees and some puppies.
"I've got a lot of 2-year-olds and yearlings, so they definitely surprised me, especially late in the race."
Reporter Mike Campbell can be reached at mcampbell@adn.com or at 257-4329.
By MIKE CAMPBELL
mcampbell@adn.comBy xxx
Anchorage Daily News