BETHEL RUNS MAMMOTH RACE
80 Mushers, 800 Dogs Participate
In Largest Dog Race Ever Held
By Elaine Clement
Bethel Correspondent
Eighty dog teams participated in
the largest dog team race ever to
take place in Alaska. It was run at
Bethel on February 9 and 10.
In fact, dog mushing authorities
say it may be the largest dog race,
entry-wise, ever to have taken
place anywhere in the world.
Dog mushers from hundreds of
miles away converged on Bethel to
participate in the race.
This is the third consecutive year
for tlie event which has become
more popular and drawn more con
testants each year.
Paul John of Nightmute whisked
across glare ice on the 32-mile
course to win the first-place cham
pionship in the two-day event by
• posting the shortest total elapsed
time.
Seventeen villages, from far and
near, were represented: Akiak.
Akiacliuk. Bethel, Fortuna Ledge.
Karigluk, Kwethluk. Marshall.
Mountain Village. Napakiak. Night
mute, Nunapitchuk. Pilot Station,
St. Mary's. Tuluksak. and Tuntulu
liak.
The teams from the Lower Yukon
and Nelson Island started coming
for Bethel a week prior to the race
because the races were planned to
be held earlier. Because of spring
weather and the ensuing thaws, the
date for the race was postponed.
Obstacles
Those men mushing their teams
across the tundra from the Yukon
and Kelson Island, some of them on
the trail for 4 and 5 days, fought a
tremendous obstacle course before
they ever started to race.
The weather was warm. The trails
were snowless. And there was much
open water to go around rather
than across.
Some of the drivers, not to lose
time taking a trail around, cut
three in order to bridge some of
the open water.
Some of the men from the Yukon
set beaver snares along the way
hopina to find them full of beavers
on their way home.
Saturday and Sunday found all
of Bethel on the banks of the Kus
kokwim River watching the teams
start and come in.
Glare Ice
The mushers’ obstacles did not
end on arrival in Bethel for both
days found them racing on glare
ice. The 32-mile course, which took
only two hours last year on snow,
took five hours this year on glare
ice.
There were approximately 800
logs in the race. The eighty teams
had nine to eleven dogs each.
The Veterans of Foreign Wars
and Bethel businessmen went all
out for the event. Prizes of cash
and merchandise were valued at
$3,500 but a value couldn't be
placed on the many Bethel citizens
who generously gave their time
and effort to the event.
Great Following
The awards were made at a din
ner. given Saturday night, in the
mushers’ honor by the VFW and
held in their fine new building.
Though there is ample space for
most festivities there, not so for the
dog mushers’ dinner. The races
have created quite a following here
in Bethel.
Friday night, the 8th, there was
a drawing for positions. Native
dances had been planned with Nap
akiak. Nightmute. and Pilot Station
competing. All things were planned,
weather permitting, and unfortun
ately it didn’t permit!
Fine Dancers
The far away villages were
weathered in. which was a disap
pointment to Bethel as well as to
them. The Napakiak dancers, near
enough to come by team, “carried
on” and beautiful dancers they are.
St. Mary's dancers, headed by Billy
Beans, were able to get in by plane
I on Monday and so their show was
Monday night and beautiful dancers
they are too.
Winners
The winners on Saturday were:
Paul Andrew from Tuntutuliak.
first prize of $100: Mike Chase, from
Nunapitchuk. second prize of $75,
and Paul John, from Nightmute.
third prize of $50. Sunday's winners
were: Paul John, first place, Mike
Chase, second prize, and Paul An
drew, third.
The awards were presented by
“Sompy” Eliot, VFW Post Com
mander.
Paul John from Nightmute was
awarded first prize of $200 for over
all elapsed time and a trip to An
chorage to compete in the races at
the Fur Rendezvous, sponsored by
Northern Consolidated Airlines and
co-sponsored by VFW.
Second place winner, Mike Chase,
from Nunapitchuk, won $100 and
the same trip to the Rendezvous,
sponsored by the National Guard.
(Mike came in 14th last year). Third
olace winner. Paul Andrew, from
Tuntutaliak, won a transistor radio.
Prizes
The prizes were varied and many
shotguns, with rounds of ammuni
tio.n, rifles, a tent, a sleeping bag.
gallons and gallons of gas and fuel
oil, a stove, 100 lbs. of sugar, 100
lbs. of good feed, several gallons of
paint with brushers and rollers.
A set of flat silver, jackets, hip
boots, charter time with the bush
pilots, a case of bread, cases of milk,
and a case of coffee to Paul Greg
ory of Bethel, who came in last!
Oldster Awarded
Special prizes were awarded too,
to Philip Foxie, from Alakanuk.
who mushed from the most distant
point with his team. David Jackson,
from Akiak. for the best groomed
team, and to the oldest old timer,
Paul Nicholai. from Kwethluk, who
is 67—and still in there—mushing!
Undaunting Spirits
The dogteam racing in bethel is
not quite like the racing at the Fur
Rendezvous. I. for one, wouldn't
trade the undaunting spirit of the
Eskimo mushers, and the local col
or, and the “all for fun and fun
for all,” for the “big time.”
It's like Harper's Magazine wrote
about the Tundra Times—"though
it was not quite so professional as
the New York Times, it has a lot
more charm!" Though the Bethel
race may not have the professional
quality of the Anchorage and Fair
banks bod races, I'm sure it had a
lot more charm.
I
WAITING FOR MUSHERS—Hundreds of people lined the frozen
Kuskokwim River for the arrival back at Bethel of eighty mushers
participating in the largest dog race ever held in Alaska. Dancing
and other festivities, including a big dinner in honor of the dog
mushers, was held in conjunction with the gala affair.—Tundra
Times Photo by Elaine Clement.
I PLENTY OF ACTIVITY—Bethel, the hub village of the Lower Yukon and Kuskokwim areas, is a beehive of activity as the largest dog race
ever run gets set to begin. The dog races at Bethel were started three years ago and have swelled in popularity. This year seventeen widely
separated villages were represented. Some of the contestants had to journey hundreds of miles in order to participate.
—Times Photo by Elaine Clement.
ON THE TRAIL—Dogmusher No. 14 hits the glare ice of the 32-mile
race course. Last year mushers averaged about 2 hours to complete
the course over light snow. This year because of the ice, they av
eraged about five hours.—Tundra Times Photo by Elaine Clement.
FINISH LINE—Prizes of more than $3,500 in cash and merchandise
awaited the dog mushers who whisked across the finish line at
Bethel, posting, the best times, in the largest dog race ever held in
Alaska. Special prize s were given racer who mushed from the most
distant point to participate, the best groomed team, and the oldest
“old timer.”—Times Photo by Elaine' Clement.
FIRST PLACE WINNER — Paul
John, of Nightmute, Alaska, re
ceived first place in the two-day
race for posting the best total
elapsed time. Tundra Times Photo
by Pete Abraham.
SECOND PLACE WINNER—Mike
Chase, of Nunapitchuk, Alaska,
received second prize in the big
Bethel dog race for posting the
best time. Tundra Times Photo by
Pete Abraham.
THIRD PLACE WINNER —Paul
Andrew, of Tuntutuliak, received
the third place prize for posting
the third best time in the two-day
dog race at Bethel, Feb. 9 and 10.
Tundra Times Photo by Pete
Abraham.