Anchorage Daily News

Frigid water thigh deep pounded Allen Moore's body in an open river just east of Paxson Lake on a foggy Sunday afternoon.

The sound of rushing water frightened his 12-dog team and they started to retreat.

But Moore, of Two Rivers, had faith in his young Alaskan huskies and his own strength. On the verge of winning his first Copper Basin 300 sled dog race, Moore ignored the cold and walked through the water toward his lead dog.

He pulled the team safely to the river bank and mushed on, despite ice blocks clinging to his waterproof, insulated overboots.

"It didn't bother me," Moore said by phone from the Copper Basin race headquarters in Glennallen. "I guess I'm just a little crazy."

The insanity Moore encountered was worth it. The 47-year-old husband of 2000 Yukon Quest champ Aliy Zirkle arrived in Glennallen around 2:40 p.m. Monday afternoon, to win in 52 hours, 32 minutes.

Matt Hayashida of Willow crossed second at 3:58 p.m., while Ray Redington Jr., grandson of Joe Redington Sr., came in third, nearly an hour later.

Fourteen mushers were still on the trail as of 8 p.m. Monday, including rookie Lynton McLean of South Africa, who was running 14th.

McLean, 59, appearing in his first sled dog race after traveling more than 10,500 air miles in an effort to qualify for the Iditarod, helped give this year's Copper Basin an international look.

Moore earned about $3,000 for the victory, but more importantly he gained self-respect by enduring the difficult 300-mile course that caused half the mushers to scratch and left four trail-blazing snowmachines sunken into the bottom of Paxson Lake.

"This was definitely a different kind of race," Ray Redington Jr. said.

Mushers knew Copper Basin featured plenty of obstacles, including steep mountain climbs, bitter temperatures, punchy trails and open waters.

And many mushers called it quits Sunday just before reaching a cracked Paxson Lake and experiencing rough trail conditions.

Martin Buser, a four-time Iditarod winner from Big Lake, was one of the 21 mushers who withdrew. It was the first time Buser scratched in two decades of racing.

Five years ago, Buser took home $10,000 for winning the Copper Basin. But this year's reduced purse wasn't much incentive to push on.

"It wasn't worth the trip," Buser said by phone from his home in Big Lake. "It wasn't even worth entering my dogs."

Last year's Copper Basin champion, William Kleedehn, of Carcross, Yukon Territory, was on the list to race but didn't enter his dogs. He drove to Glennallen, planning to defend his title, Buser said, but Kleedehn took one look at the $18,000 purse and the choppy trail from Chistochina to Glennallen and decided not to race.

Kleedehn was one of the 11 Canadian mushers who scratched. Overall, 13 Canadians entered.

"The Canadians were most upset," Buser said. "They e-mailed race officials inquiring about good trail and didn't get a response."

Copper Basin board member Ryan Hannan said snowmachines had to blaze the trail from Glennallen to Paxson up to seven times because of the deep snow.

On Sunday, four snowmachiners got soaked and chilled after their sleds fell into Paxson Lake. Their mishap required mushers to stay at the Paxson checkpoint for eight hours until a replacement crew of trail breakers could be rounded up.

That crew eventually put in a smooth trail from Paxson to Glennallen. Trail conditions, to Hannan's understanding, shouldn't have given mushers much concern.

"It was a fairly hard trail from Glennallen to Paxson," Hannan said. "But as it turned out, the trail proved to be perfect from Paxson on south."

He said Sunday that the high number of scratches probably had to do with mushers running young teams.

Moore was racing mostly 3-to-5 year olds, but not Buser. He was running his oldest dogs, most of which he plans to race in this year's Iditarod.

"Judging by the (musher's) times, the trail must have gotten better (after Paxson Lake), he said. "But grown men were up to their waist in water, and I chose not to go there.

"I didn't want to see dogs swimming in slush."

Buser said most mushers withdrew in Paxson while taking eight of the 22 hours of layover they are required to use at some point during the 300-mile race.

The 22-hour layover rule wound up being the turning point in Moore's victory.

He blew through Wolverine and Tolsona, the final two checkpoints. Most other mushers took a rest at one of the checkpoints, he said.

Moore mushed for 120-straight miles, dropping one inexperienced dog at Tolsona, and never looked back.

"When Aliy and I say we're going to do the race," he said, "we're going to finish the race."

Daily News reporter Kevin Klott can be reached at kklott@adn.com or 257-4335.

Copper Basin 300

Standings as of 8 p.m. Monday

Finishers -- Allen Moore, 2:40 p.m.; Matt Hayashida, 3:58 p.m.; Ray Redington Jr., 4:49 p.m.; Zack Steer, 5:50 p.m.; Lance Mackey, 5:55 p.m.

Out of Tolsona -- David Dalton, 4:41 p.m.; Sebastian Schnuelle, 5:11 p.m.; Robert Bundtzen, 5:19 p.m.; Roland Waldispuehl, 5:38 p.m.; Hugh Neff, 6:14 p.m.

Out of Wolverine -- Jason Young, 3:56 p.m.

Into Wolverine -- Robert McAlpin, 2:29 p.m.; Thomas Knolmayer, 3:24 p.m.; Saul Turner, 6:05 p.m.

Out of Sourdough -- Micah Stossmeister, 11:25 a.m.; Phil Morgan, 12:14 p.m.; Debbie Moderow, 12:26 p.m.; Sandy McKee, 12:57 p.m.; Lynton McLean, 1:55 p.m.

Scratched -- Sonny Lindner; Clinton Warnke; Aaron Peck; Martin Buser; Hans Gatt; Thomas Tetz; Peter Ledwidge; William Hanes; Ed Hopkins; Michelle Phillips; Gerry Willomitzer; Eric Butcher; Rick Wilson; John Hessert; Paul Geoffrion; Wayne Hall; Karen Ramstead; Martin Jahr; Catherine Pinard; Tyrell Seavey; Rod Boyce.