2024 Kobuk 440 musher roster

As South Central and Interior Alaska becomes a mushy, muddy mess, the Arctic is hanging onto winter and teams are eager to have one final hurrah before Spring truly sets in. The finale of the mid-distance season is upon us and there's a healthy roster on its way to the starting line. The roster is heavy on the mushers from outside the Kotzebue area, with many of the teams being the "new veterans" of dog mushing. 

Also on the roster are two of the three mushers who ended their Iditarod prematurely due to dog deaths - choosing to use the Kobuk as a sort of healing with their team of dogs who deserve to continue running. There are rookies working on finishing their Iditarod qualifiers, and others just wanting to wet their feet (hopefully not literally) in racing.

 Like all of these rosters on the blog, the kennels are represented along with the links of the musher's website and socials. The roster is currently organized alphabetically and will be edited with Bib numbers once they are announced.

Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link
Bailey Vitello	Team Bailey	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Eddie Burke, Jr.	Off the Rails Racing	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Emily Ford	Shameless Huskies	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Hunter Keefe	Redington's Mush Alaska	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Isaac Teaford	Dallas Seavey Racing	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Jessi Downey	Aimaagvik Kennel		Facebook	Instagram
Jessie Holmes	Can't Stop Racing Kennel	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Jim Bourquin	Orion Kennel		Facebook	Instagram
Kevin Hansen	Hansen Kennel		Facebook	Instagram
Tony Browning	Wildstyle Racing		Facebook	Instagram

Who do you hope to see take home the top prize? Who are you cheering for? Comment below with your thoughts!

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).

Jessie Holmes wins the 2023 Kobuk 440

Jessie Holmes and team at the restart of Iditarod 51.
March 5, 2023. Willow, Alaska.

Jessie Holmes finished the Kobuk 440 at 8:38am Sunday morning, two hours ahead of the next team making him this year's champion. The musher from Interior Alaska started fast and stayed close to the front throughout the race. The team came into the finish line in Kotzebue in a strong trot with tails wagging as they came to a stop. Weather reports from boots on the ground claimed the team finished with windchill bringing the temps down to -45F! The frosty musher pulled snacks out of his iced up sled bag and quickly fed the dogs before signing off the trail. With very little fanfare the team turned around and ran back down the trail about 100 yards to their host home.

Second place may have been a little more exciting as Richie Diehl and team raced most of Saturday taking down the teams in front of him. Diehl ran down Hugh Neff to gain third place last night, and in the wee hours of the morning overtook Michelle Phillips. The musher from Aniak closes strong in the Kobuk often and is making it a habit to come in second in a highly competitive field. Back home, Richie's young son kept up with the race and his mom shared the most adorable pic of the babe during tummy time following the tracker on facebook. 

Diehl came in at 11:33 Sunday morning, just over an hour ahead of third place Michelle Phillips. Hugh Neff came in at 12:54pm with rookie Bailey Vitello rounding out the top five. Jeff Deeter has also finished. There are six teams still on the trail, with two currently on their way into the finish. The back of the pack are all in he final checkpoint of Selawik. Windchill is still keeping temps at very cold levels, and the other race happening this weekend (The Arctic Championship Series) had their third and final leg canceled today due to the winds (sprint races need warmer temps). Lots of frosty pictures of race judges all over social media today.

Typically the Kobuk is plagued by storms, so this year's cold temps and wind are a nice reprieve from the ground storms that seemingly come out of nowhere. With the negative temps along the way, the trail set up nicely for a fast race. The final six will continue to run throughout the night and the race should wrap up nicely early Monday - well ahead of the musher banquet Monday night.

Who do you have coming in as the red lantern? Did you pick this year's winner? Comment with your thoughts about the race below! 

Mushing Radio Kobuk 440 race preview

Join hosts Robert Forto and Toni Reitter as they are back on
the air to preview the Kobuk 440!

LISTEN HERE

2023 Kobuk 440 musher roster & race preview

Did you think the mushing season was over because Ryan Redington won the Iditarod (and then my blog unplanned just "went dark")? Well, you were wrong. The Iditarod kept Iditarod-ing, and now we have the final "big race" of the season with the Kobuk 440 taking place this weekend on the Northwest Coast of Alaska! As the snow is quickly melting in South-Central Alaska, they still have plenty further North, and we'll no doubt see another fantastic race.

While the cap for the race was 20 teams, they didn't quite make that number. Twelve solid teams will be leaving in the mass start on Thursday, so let's get right to it and meet the teams. As always I've compiled the list via the race's official list on their website. The list will be in alphabetical order until the Bib Draw is announced Wednesday (hopefully). So let's meet the mushers! I have their kennel names listed as well as links for their websites/socials.

Musher Roster

1 Jessi Downey (Aimaagvik Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
2 Richie Diehl (Real Diehl Racing) - Facebook
3 Michelle Phillips (Tagish Lake Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
4 Bailey Vitello (Team Baily) - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram 
5 Hugh Neff (Northern Whites Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram 
6 Jeff Deeter (Black Spruce Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
7 Jessie Holmes (Team Can't Stop) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
8 Jim Bourquin (Orion Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram
9 Kevin Hansen (Hansen Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram
10 Lauro Eklund (Skookum Expeditions) - Website / Facebook / Facebook 2 / Instagram / Instagram 2
11 Martin Early (Husky Homestead Kennel) - Facebook / Kennel Facebook / Instagram
12 Dempsey Woods (Miss Haley Kennels) - Facebook 

This is a great field of competitive teams and up and comers. It will be interesting to see how Holmes, Diehl, Phillips, Deeter, and Neff do. Neff, of course, is the reigning champ with a chip on his shoulder as more races decline his entry so look for him to push hard the whole way. Deeter's wife took the A-team to Nome and said that they would have placed much higher than 16th if Jeff had been driving. That may have been Katti not giving herself enough credit, but unless Jeff's bringing a puppy team to the Kobuk he should be right in the mix. Of course Michelle Phillips is the reigning Yukon Quest 450 champion and she sat out Iditarod so her team should be more than ready to go. Richie Diehl came third in Iditarod and barely lost the Kobuk last year, he should be a force here.

Weather conditions for the start (Thursday afternoon) will be in the negative temps (what else is new, right?) that will continue to drop as the race progresses throughout the weekend. The Kobuk is known for its storms that pop out seemingly out of nowhere. Forecasts are calling for cold and a typical wind, but so far no big storms are on the horizon.

The race starts in a mass start, no two minute intervals, which means there's no time differential to make up. There is a mandatory 20 hours of rest each team must take, and they can break that up however they see fit in the different checkpoints. 

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 wind chill 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

Wednesday, April 5
10:00am - Radio interviews
6:30pm - Musher Meeting/Bib Draw

Thursday, April 6
12:30pm - Race Start

Monday, April 11
5pm - Musher Meeting
6pm - Awards Ceremony

Got any predictions? Who are you cheering for? Comment below!

*Edited April 6, 2023 to include links and bib number.

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).

Just one team remains on the trail of the Kobuk 440

It will be several hours before the red lantern finishes in the 2022 Kobuk 440 (close to five hours to go unless they pick up the pace), but Kotzebue are excited to cheer the musher in. Jim Bourquin should finish around 6:30pm Alaska Time tonight, which means he will most likely be late to the Awards dinner (and miss the musher meeting). 

Bourdin is a transplant from Washington State, when he moved up in 2009 to work with Iditarod musher John Baker. He ran his first Kobuk 440 in 2010. 

This will conclude the major mid and long distance mushing season in Alaska. Teams are already prepping for some dryland races scheduled to take place later this year, while many are gearing up for a Summer Tourist season on glaciers. It's been a fantastic season, comment below with your favorite moments!

Neff wins Kobuk 440 two minutes ahead of Diehl

 In a near photo finish, Hugh Neff driving the Northern White Kennel dogs, came into the finish in Kotzebue just two minutes ahead of Richie Diehl this morning. Neff's win comes after a "forced scratch" in the 2022 Iditarod when officials and veterinarians grew concerned that the pace he set for his team was not conducive for the team's wellbeing. Neff came to the Kobuk with something to prove, and it looks like he has. 

Richie Diehl nearly took the win after starting last night with a one hour deficit to make up against the former Yukon Quest champion. Diehl ate up miles and time throughout the night to come within two minutes of placing ahead of Neff. Diehl told the Kobuk 440 volunteers at the finish that he was "Tired. Long night chasing down Hugh. Almost, but not quite." 

Neff's team definitely slowed as he made the last leg into the finish, which is to be expected when the team took the lead day one and held it throughout the entire race. Breaking trail, keeping a top speed, it all takes it out of the team - even the best prepared ones. Diehl held back early in the race before picking his way and managing a solid top three. Diehl made his move overnight to try and take the championship, and it nearly paid off. While Neff's team looked like they were ready to be done, Diehl's team came charging into the finish all pulling hard and tails up and wagging. Diehl should be very proud of what he accomplished.

Teams will continue coming into Kotzebue for the next 24 hours or so. Next in line should be Eddie Burke, Jr. who is about six miles from the finish so in under the next hour. He'll be followed by Ryan Redington.

Diehl trying to chase down Neff

While most of us were sleeping, Richie Diehl made his move over night and has pretty much negated the one hour lead Hugh Neff had on the team from Aniak. Only two to three miles separate the two teams with about 5 miles until the finish. It's unlikely that Neff loses this one, but it's always a possibility that when a team is driven hard from start to finish they don't quite make it to the finish. Still with only five miles to go the musher and his team of all white, all female, Alaskan Huskies should be able to keep the Real Diehl team at bay.

Now is a good time to get over the Kobuk 440 Facebook page as they will most likely go live as the teams approach Kotzebue. 

Holmes, Early scratch - trackers to remain active

Holmes scratches from Kobuk 440

Fans were buzzing early this morning when they noticed one of the front runners, Jessie Holmes, was still in Ambler while the rest of the race had seemed to continue on without him. Speculation went in a miriad of directions until about 11am Alaska time when the race posted a simple statement on their social media accounts. Holmes had scratched. Team was safe in Ambler. No more information at this time.

Holmes was running well up until the time of his stop in Ambler making a case for his team to possibly take the top prize if he could stick with Neff and keep Redington behind. With few reports coming from the race above the Arctic Circle we can really only go by what we saw on the GPS. Speeds were pretty steady, however we all know speed is a fine line in dog mushing. Push too hard too long, even in shorter races, and some teams just can't hack it. According to Nic Petit - who is following the race from home and commenting on his own social media page - Jessie's team was showing signs of stiffness (possibly due to the cold temps and hard trail). Petit reports that Holmes' team will be making its own way back to Kotzebue.

There are still thirteen teams on the trail as of Saturday morning. 

2022 Kobuk 440 Race Preview

The season hasn't ended yet, folks! We still have one final mid-distance race here in Alaska and it's a fun one! The Kobuk 440 kicks off Thursday at 12:30pm and boasts a roster of Western Alaskan teams as well as some very familiar faces from the Iditarod and Quest Circuits. This year's race is sure to cap a dramatic season in the perfect ways. Last year we saw teams get stuck in horrible Western Alaska winds that blew very similarly to what we saw in the Iditarod this year - it will be interesting to see what the Coast throws at all of the teams this year (watch it be completely calm and smooth the whole weekend).

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.

2022 Kobuk 440 Musher Roster

Haven't had enough of mushing? We're in luck! We have one more premiere mid-distance race kicking off next week in Alaska. The Kobuk 440 is always a fun time for fans to follow along - especially since they have a killer crew of social media volunteers keeping us all entertained and informed. This year's roster looks full of exciting teams and it's a not want to miss event for any type of mushing fan. I'll have an actual preview post up later this week, but figured now is a good time to get the musher roster linked up for all of you! As always, the teams are in alphabetical order. I've added kennel names where I know them. Don't forget to comment below with any thoughts about the roster, or any corrections. 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).

Mushers:

Cim Smyth (Perserverance Springs Farm) - Facebook
D.J. Starr (Dakli Flats Kennel) - Facebook 
Deke Naaktgeboren (Nautique Sky Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Dempsey Woods Sr. (Miss Haley Kennels) - Facebook 
Ebbe Winstrup Pedersen (Sivo Racing Kennel) - Facebook
Eddie Burke Jr. (Alaskan Wildstyle Racing) - Facebook / Instagram
Hugh Neff (Northern Whites Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram 
Jeff King (Husky Homestead Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
Jessie Holmes (Team Can't Stop) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Jim Bourquin (Orion Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram
Kevin Hansen (Hansen Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram
Martin Early (Husky Homestead Kennel) - Kennel Facebook / Instagram
Miriam Osredkar (Racing Beringia Kennel?) - Facebook
Richie Diehl (Real Diehl Racing) - Facebook 
Ryan Redington (Redington Mushing) - Website / Facebook / Instagram

*Cim Smyth has withdrawn from the Kobuk (April 5, 2022).

Who are you cheering for? Predictions for who will cross the finish line first? Comment below!

Kobuk 440 starts at a "pleasant" thirty-five below

The Kobuk 440 is a windy one today as teams took off out of Kotzebue this afternoon. The blizzard like conditions have teams running in wind that brings the temperature to a balmy -35F. Teams are running into the wind and as luck would have it the wind will shift just as teams hit the turn around point and so they will run into the wind on the return trip. The race should have started Thursday, but weather kept many of the teams from getting into Kotzebue and for race officials to get out on the trail. Mushers and their support crews are concerned about getting back out of Kotzebue after the race finishes.

The Kobuk 440 is one of the few races that starts with a Mass Start. Due to weather and Covid concerns there were no official live feeds, but Ryan Redington went Live at the start and during the first few miles of his race via his facebook page. View that below (the wind is crazy, well worth the watch). 

You can follow the teams via the trackleader "trackybois" (a term of endearment first brought by the Kobuk 440 two years ago). 

2021 Kobuk 440 Musher Roster

Iditarod may be over (still not okay with that) but that doesn't mean the mushing season has ended! This Friday (starting time was moved back a day due to weather keeping planes grounded meaning many teams were unable to get into Kotzebue until Wednesday) a little after noon 12 teams will charge down the trail from Kotzebue to Kobuk and back. The Kobuk 440 boasts they are "the toughest race to take place above the arctic circle." The roster this year is small but competitive. Due to covid-19 mitigation, only 10 teams were allowed to come from outside the region. 

As I've done with many of the races this season, here's the roster with the links to all of the ways you can interact with the teams online (that I've found). You can view the musher bios on the Meet the Mushers link on the race's website.

2021 Musher Roster

Reese Madden - Facebook / Instagram
Nic Petit - Website / Facebook / Twitter
Gunnar Johnson - Website / Facebook / Twitter 
Philip Hanke - Facebook 
Hugh Neff - Facebook / Instagram
Ryan Redington - Website / Facebook
Tony Browning - Facebook
Dereck Starr - Facebook 
Jeff King - Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter
Sam Brewer - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Dempsey Woods - Facebook 
Kevin Hansen - Facebook

I am unsure if bib numbers will be in the order of registration. The Kobuk 440 is one of the few races that begin with a mass start. Who are you cheering for? Leave a comment below with your thoughts, hopes, and predictions!

Weekly Mushing News Round Up (Oct 29)

Not going to lie, this week I'm kinda copping out. It's been a rough week. I wasn't really paying attention to social media for mushing tidbits like I wanted. Just didn't have it in me... but here are a few things I caught.




















Q&A: After five years in Alaska, Sweet Briar grad Alison Lifka gets ready for Iditarod

Dates and links for the 2015-2016 Mushing Season

Dallas Seavey's team during Iditarod 43's ceremonial start in Anchorage, AK.

I've chosen to just link up to the "main races" in Alaska... I feel like I've missed one or two, so if you catch one I've missed please comment below and I will fix that problem!

Solstice 50
December 19, 2015
Website / Facebook

Knik 200
January 2, 2016
Website / Twitter / Facebook
 
Copper Basin 300
January 9, 2016
Website / Twitter / Facebook
 
Kuskokwim 300
January 15, 2016
Website / Twitter / Facebook
 
Gin Gin 200
January 22, 2016
Website / Facebook
 
Tustumena 200
January 30, 2016
Website / Twitter / Facebook

Denali Doubles
February 4, 2016
Website / Facebook
 
Yukon Quest
February 6, 2016
Website / Twitter / Facebook
 
Yukon 300
February 6, 2016
Website / Twitter / Facebook
 
Iditarod 44
March 5, 2016
Website / Twitter / Facebook
 
Kobuk 440
April 7, 2016
Website / Facebook

I don't know if I will have time to blog about the races this year or not, hope to. Iditarod, at least, will get my attention. Also the T200 - should the snow we have now grows/stays... no more cancellations! We need a real race season!