About 50 people are gathered at the Kobuk 440 finish line on Sunday, plus others honking horns from the comfort of their cars.
It’s late evening, and about zero degrees, but the spring sun is up and reflecting off the ice. Spectators are barely recognizable, in dark sunglasses, seal and beaver skin hats, full snowmachine bibs, traditional parkas and balaclavas.
As musher Kevin Hansen approaches, he spots his son waving among a group of children who rush out to meet him. He scoops him up and crosses the finish line with him in the sled.
Hansen’s parents, who have both been involved with the Kobuk 440 race since he was a child, beam with joy as their son and grandson reach the finish line together. Kevin’s mother, Margaret Hansen is dressed in a homemade fur-lined parky. She drapes artificial flower necklaces over the lead dogs, Fiddler, Caveman and Rambo.
“I felt like I won the race, even though I was just second place,” said Hansen. “I'm proud to be dog mushing and having the community still really involved with it, and coming out and supporting us. It's good for dogmushing.”
Hansen, who has completed the challenging 400-mile-race several times, said this year was his team's strongest performance so far. Next year, he hopes to race in his first Iditarod.
Hansen finished about two hours behind the winner, Cantwell-based musher Jessie Holmes. For his win, Holmes will take home about $13,000 and a commemorative plaque carved from jade mined near the race route. It was Holmes’ third consecutive 440 win, and fourth win overall. Holmes also won this year's Iditarod and Copper Basin 300 races.
Holmes crossed the finish line in Kotzebue with nine dogs, guided by lead dogs Zeus and Titan. Holmes said as a whole, this year’s trail was slow and long. There were sudden heavy wind ground storms, whiteouts, subzero temperatures, and challenging snow consistencies ranging from sugar to mashed potatoes. Veteran mushers said it was one of the most challenging years.
“In the middle of these runs, I think, ‘Why did I come out here? Why am I doing this? This is crazy,’” Holmes said. “Then I get to the next checkpoint, and I get so full of everybody's positivity and loving vibes that every time I leave a checkpoint, I say, ‘I'll see you next year.’”
Holmes and Hansen praised their dogs’ ability to adapt to the difficult conditions. Holmes said in many ways he believes the Kobuk 440 – even though it’s half as long – is a harder race than the Iditarod.
“Do this race, you can do the Iditarod, no problem,” Holmes said. “This requires so much mental fortitude, so much toughness, and so much good listening to your dogs and reading your dogs and managing your dog team.”
Many of the mushers arrived in Kotzebue with red, sun- and wind-burned faces after four to five days on the trail. Some said they felt too sleep deprived to talk about the race.
Kotzebue musher Jim Bourquin said on Sunday morning, he got caught in a sudden snow storm and lost sight of the trail. He was just two miles from a shelter cabin, but had to sleep outside along the trail in subzero temperatures.
Bourquin was one the last mushers to finish, arriving Monday afternoon just before the start of the musher’s banquet. Mushers who arrive after the banquet are disqualified.
Two of the 13 starting mushers did scratch: Adam Lindenmuth and Quince Mountain.
The race seemed to have a profound effect on Mountain.
“I think that it comes through the rich history of the people here,” said Mountain, beginning to cry. “People have been doing this here for 1,000s of years. You don't get that everywhere.”
Mountain scratched in Ambler, after getting stuck in weather.
At the awards ceremony and banquet, mushers received additional awards, like handmade gifts from village checkpoints.
Big Lake-based musher Rohn Buser received a piece of framed Alaska Native art as this year’s rookie of the year. Buser finished third.
The race veterinarian awarded the fifth place finisher, Fairbanks-based musher Lauro Ecklund, this year's humanitarian award for exceptional care and treatment of his dogs.
This year for the first time, race organizers awarded the Louis Nelson Sr. sportsmanship award named after a late musher and 440 race volunteer. Trail veterinarian Nikki Preston received the award.
