The Kobuk 440 is set to begin on the ice in front of Kotzebue on Thursday. Thirteen mushers and their teams are signed up for the mid-distance race, which runs along the Kobuk River.
The race began in 1988, and has taken place every year except 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Kobuk 440 Racing Association hosts the race along with the Taaqpak 120 and shorter mushing races for youth in the community. The race, according to organizers, aims to celebrate the Iñupiaq tradition of dogmushing as well as community wellness and respect for nature.
The race route
The 440-mile course changes slightly for even or odd years. This year, the race begins in Kotzebue, then travels to Noorvik and Kiana. Then it makes a loop through the three upper-Kobuk villages of Ambler, Shungnak and Kobuk and continues to Selawik before starting the home stretch back to Kotzebue. It usually takes mushers three-to-four days.
How are the conditions?
The Northwest Arctic has seen solid snow cover this winter, unlike other areas of the state. The Iditarod started in Fairbanks this year, due to a lack of snow.
“Southcentral has had a tough winter,” said Hannah Atkinson, the social media director for the Kobuk 440 Racing Association. “I've heard from some mushers that they've been running their teams with a truck a lot.”
Kotzebue got a fresh blanket of snow over the weekend, and there’s more snow in the forecast over the next few days. Atkinson said that could mean slower travel than in previous years.
“Fresh fallen snow does present challenges, or has meant a slower race, as opposed to years where the trail is more set up,” Atkinson said. “If it's pretty icy, the dogs tend to run really fast on those trails.”
Who’s racing this year?
The Kobuk 440 race has a cap of 20 teams. Initially 16 mushers signed up, but three have dropped out.
This year's roster is a nearly even mix — of veterans and rookies, and of women and men. Many of the mushers are younger, with a few in their early twenties. For some, the Kobuk 440 is used as a qualifying race for longer races.
“It's always nice when rookies can come up for the Kobuk 440 and have the goal of qualifying for the Iditarod,” Atkinson said, speaking of Kobuk 440 rookies Sam Paperman and Sadie Lindquist.
Besides the race’s seven rookies, there are some higher profile mushers, like previous Kobuk 440 champion Jesse Holmes. Holmes has won the last two 440 races and was the winner of this year’s Iditarod.
It's natural to be excited about the returning champion, Atkinson said, but every musher has a story — from Kobuk 440 rookie Jody Potts-Joseph, a star of the reality TV show “Life Below Zero: First Alaskans” to Fairbanks musher Lauro Eklund.
Eklund took a different route to get to the race’s starting line. Many mushers fly their dog teams into Kotzebue on cargo planes. But Eklund, who finished the Iditarod in mid-March, traveled with his team from Nome to Kotzebue.
“A couple mushers in the past have done that,” Atkinson said. “I always find that to be such a great journey that the dogs have been on, they've seen a lot of terrain.”
Atkinson, who grew up in Kotzebue, looks forward to the race every year. She says it’s special because of the efforts of longtime volunteers and the generosity of the seven villages along the race route.
“When you look back at the history of the race, it's all about how great it is to come into the communities and meet people that are excited about mushing, excited about sharing their home and hosting the mushers,” Atkinson said.
When does the race start and how can I follow the mushers?
The 440 starts on the ice on Front Street in Kotzebue at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Mushers typically begin returning to Kotzebue early Sunday morning.
KOTZ radio station will provide live updates periodically. The mushers have GPS trackers. You can follow their progress on the Kobuk 440’s live map.
Race organizers plan to hold a potluck and awards dinner on Monday, at 6p.m. the Kotzebue High School cafeteria.
A full slate of events are planned in Kotzebue into the weekend, including the Archie Ferguson/Willie Goodwin Sr. Memorial Snowmachine Race, shorter mushing races, icefishing sponsored by Maniilaq Heath Center, ice carving, dessert contests and a community hotcake feed.
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