Ken Chezik started Day One of the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous World Championship Sled Dog Race in second position on Friday and finished in first -- by a significant time.
The veteran musher from Fife Lake, Mich., ran the 25-mile course in 88 minutes and 46 seconds. That's almost five minutes faster than his first-day time last year, when he finished in third place at the end of the three day race.
Second place went to Kevin Cook of Preeceville, Saskatchewan, competing in the Rondy race for the first time. Cook's time of 90:26 edged out that of Egil Ellis, last year's winner, who finished in 90:46.
Teams will start the second day of racing in reverse order, the slowest team leaving first. The race starts at noon at 4th Avenue and D Street.
Here are the first-day times, in order of finish.
1. Ken Chezik, 88:46
2. Kevin Cook (r), 90:26
3. Egil Ellis, 90:46
4. Arleigh Reynolds, 91:22
5. Bill Kornmuller, 94:07
6. Greg Taylor, 94:14
7. Jeff Conn, 94:45
8. Greg Selletin (r), 94:54
9. Jack Berry, 95:31
10. Michael Tetzner, 96:23
11. Guy Girard (r), 96:30
12. Don Cousins, 96:53
13. Nathan Sterling, 97:13
14. John Erhart, 97:28
15. Marie-Anick Alie (r), 98:00
16. Brent Beck, 98:11
17. Will Kornmuller, 98:54
18. Marvin Kokrine, 99:00
19. Rob Peebles, 100:41
20. Ron Wordon (r), 107:39
21. Randy DeKuiper, 112:26
22. Danny Beck (r), 112:39
23. Mari Wood, 114:32
24. Jon Bunderson (r), 122:23
Reach Mike Dunham at mdunham@adn.com or 257-4332.
By MIKE DUNHAM
Anchorage Daily News
Alaska Dispatch Publishing