Teams flew out earlier this week and have taken some training runs out of Kotzebue. The race will start and end in the Western Alaska Hub and will visit the villages of Noorvik, Selawik, Ambler, Shungnak, Kobuk, and Kiana. The purse this year is $60,000.00 to be divided up for the top teams (but the race hasn't given a breakdown). There is mandatory total of 20 hours rest for this race to be taken in the checkpoints. With the start being a mass start (as in all teams leave at the same time) there is no need to do a time differential.
There are fourteen teams ready to hit the trail, so let's take a few minutes and preview those that should challenge for first, and then look at ways to follow the race. And, as always, if you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).
Jeff King - King is running a hybrid team of dogs from his Husky Homestead and Nic Petit's team. Jeff was apparently very taken with the speed and athleticsm of Nic's dogs that he asked to take a few on the Kobuk and Nic agreed. It's unclear if Jeff is just going to have fun or if he's running to be competitive. Time will tell, but, if the race has good weather and nicely set trails I expect Jeff to push his team to be as competitive as possible.
Jessie Holmes - Holmes just finished the Iditarod in third place behind Brent Sass and Dallas Seavey, it may be time to consider him a real contender in the sport. Holmes likes to start and finish fast, and that really works well in mid-distance races. It will be interesting to see what his team has left in it from last month's Iditarod, but expect Jessie to stick right up near the front.
Richie Diehl - The 6th place finisher of Iditarod 50 is also the 2020 Kusko Champion. Don't expect Richie to sit back and relax in this race. He is a musher from the West Coast of Alaska (though, further south in Aniak) and so his team should be able to handle the winds, ground storms, and all that the Alaskan coast likes to throw at these teams in the spring.
Ryan Redington - Redington is the 2021 Kobuk champion and is looking to repeat. Last year an insane storm made for an interesting finish with differentials and restarts and lots of mushing math. This year the musher is no doubt hoping for a more straightforward end to his race. And hopefully he will for sure be the first to cross the finishline.
Dark Horse: Hugh Neff - Neff's Iditarod was cut short and I won't rehash that all now. Needless to say it will be interesting to see how Hugh plays this one out. Don't be surprised if he pushes hard and fast the whole way. That's a little safer for mid-distance races than it is for a 900+ mile race. Neff will once again be running dogs out of Jim Lanier's Northern Whites Kennel. I'm guessing he'll want to make a top placement to win money for his kennel rebuild.
There are nine other capable teams running the Kobuk and as we all know, anything is possible in this race. It'll be a fun one this weekend!
How to Watch
Unlike what we just had with Iditarod (if you paid for Insider), the Kobuk like most of the mid-distance races relies more on social media posts and radio updates than they do video. Depending on weather and internet connection there may be live video of the start and finish, but with temps hitting below zero plus windchill bringing temps even lower we could see a frozen feed (pun not truly intended). Still, there are ways to keep up with the race happenings, so let's make sure we have all of the links you need.
Official Website - You can find the rules, links to all ways of following the race, and the history of the Kobuk 440 here. Musher bios are also available. The official website may have links to live feeds, so also keep a look out for that. Click here for the link.
GPS Tracker - We're all attached to this bit of technology. If you wonder where the term "tracky boi" came from, you can thank the Kobuk 440. Their social media team were the first to coin the phrase... the phrase that sets some fans' teeth on edge, but it's becoming more endearing each year. Once again, you can follow the race thanks to TrackLeaders (link is not yet live). Beep-boop-beep.
Radio Broadcast - Race updates throughout the weekend will be broadcast over on KOTZ-AM. They have a livestream. They may broadcast the start, but it's unclear. Click here to listen in.
Social Media - This is where it's at. The most entertaining race has to be the Kobuk 440 for their amazing social media team. The volunteers know how to get and keep your attention. You can follow them on Facebook and Twitter where they are most active as well as Instagram. KOTZ-AM also has a Facebook page that should share some race info throughout the weekend.
Schedule of Events
Thursday, April 7
12:30pm - Race Start
Monday, April 11
5pm - Musher Meeting
6pm - Awards Ceremony
Got any predictions? Who are you cheering for? Comment below!
*Edit April 7, 2022 - map link went live this morning. Added link.
