Freddie’s Midnight Run returns after seven years

By Bjørn Olson

Freddie’s Midnight Run is a dog mushing race through the Caribou Hills consisting of two 30-mile heats. Both heats begin and end at Freddie’s Roadhouse off the Oil Well Road east of Ninilchick, Alaska. The on-again, off-again race is organized by Iditarod veterans Tim Osmar and Monica Zappa. This year marks the first Midnight Run since 2019.

Six teams competed in this year’s race, which started at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 28. Mushers began the race zipped into their sleeping bags. When the whistle blew, competitors sprinted from their bags, stuffed them and the rest of the mandatory gear into their sled bags and, with the help of their handlers, harnessed their teams in a mass and chaotic frenzy known as “the sourdough start.” Each musher was limited to 10 dogs.

After the first 30-mile loop, the racers returned to the roadhouse to socialize around a bonfire. Many mushers and spectators slumber partied inside the roadhouse while some retreated to a rental cabin for a few hours of shuteye. At 7 a.m., the mushers returned to the trail for another 30-mile heat, leaving in the order they returned the previous evening. A banquet and award ceremony followed at 10 a.m. Sunday morning.

Organizers added two competitions this year – a 3-mile skijoring race (skiing while assisted by a harnessed sled dog) and a 6-mile fat-bike race. Both kicked off Saturday evening after the dog teams left for their first heat.

During the evening heat, one of the mushers missed an orange survey stake and became lost in the maze of trails. Organizers, handlers, neighbors and spectators searched for the missing musher on snowmachines throughout the night to no avail. Early in the morning, the missing musher eventually was spotted by air. With the help of the trail crew, the musher was guided back to the marked course. He returned to the roadhouse without incident or injury.

Freddie’s Midnight Run, a delightful, family and spectator-friendly event, straddles the line between festivity and competition. Race organizers, Tim and Monica and Freddie’s Roadhouse, are keeping the spirit of the trail alive and well here on the Southern Kenai.

Dog mushing race results: