When the 1,000-mile Iditarod sled dog race begins on Sunday, thirteen mushers will be tackling the race for the first time. Only one of those rookies hails from Western Alaska — Kevin Hansen of Kotzebue.
“I was pretty much born into being around sled dogs,” Hansen said. “Back in the days, everyone had dogs and lived off of them and required them for survival.”
Some of Hansen’s first memories were riding in the sled with his parents, Margaret and Paul Hansen, who had a dog kennel. Later, he stood in front of them on the sled's runners.
“I was on the sled at elementary school,” Hansen said. “I kind of got into it young, working with my dad, and I helped him a lot.”
Hansen said that by third grade, he’d started sprint racing, starting with one dog and eventually working up to three-dog teams. Growing up in Kotzebue, Hansen followed local mushers John Baker and Ed Iten during their Iditarod runs.
Hansen’s father also ran the Iditarod in 2017, so Hansen knows a little bit about what to expect.
“I was the kid that woke up early before school to check the results on the website and follow the race,” he said.
Now the 35-year-old Hansen has a lot of experience in mid-distance races — he’s finished the Kobuk 440 six times.
“That's a really challenging race in itself,” he said. “I've heard from a lot of Iditarod veterans, how much that can prepare you for Iditarod versus any other type of qualifying races.”
Hansen took second in the Kobuk 440 last year, behind Jessie Holmes. Holmes had just won the Iditarod a few weeks before.
Hansen plans to start his Iditarod run with a 16-dog team. He said he has a strong team this year, including leaders Rambo and Caveman, but he's starting to feel nervous about a race that can take mushers up to two weeks to complete.
“It's kind of the unknown, I don't know what to expect,” Hansen said. “I haven't gone more than the 440, which is what, three, four days on the trail.”
There are logistical challenges. The Iditarod has 18 checkpoints unlike the Kobuk 440, which has five. Hansen says he’s worked weeks in advance, working out the drops along with other aspects of race planning.
It’s an expensive endeavor, especially for top tier mushers who live off the road system.
“As I become more competitive, you need a higher quality gear and food and proper nutrition for the team,” Hansen said. “Basically, everything we get is freighted in, and the freight expenses are just continuing to increase.”
Hansen declined to comment about specific prices. Another Kotzebue musher said a pallet of straw can cost several thousand dollars. Freight costs can add about a dollar per pound to the price of dog food.
Some of the costs are covered by sponsors, including Maniilaq Association, where Hansen works full time as a physical therapist. Hansen said he’s thankful he’s been able to get some extra time off work this year.
Despite the challenges, Hansen is looking forward to his first Iditarod.
“I love being out in the country. You keep that part of our culture — being out there and feeling that connection to the land," he said. “That's part of who I am as an Iñupiaq, and you really feel it out there, when it's just you, your dogs and the land and dealing with the elements and challenges.”
And, he said, it's really cool to travel by dog team.
Hansen said he was thankful for his parents, family, handler Isabelle Rice and individual sponsors for support.
