For the southern Seward Peninsula, race season is wrapping up—but further north, the four-legged competition is just getting started with the Kobuk 440 Sled Dog Race, which began Thursday.
KNOM’s Francesca Fenzi has the story from the trail:
In Kotzebue, mushers gather on the sea ice at the start of the Kobuk 440—a nearly 500-mile loop from Kotzebue to Kobuk and back along the Kobuk river.
In the wake of its 1000-mile counterpart, the Kobuk 440’s relaxed atmosphere seems a pleasant reprieve for Iditarod mushers. Familiar faces dot the crowd, as mushers mingle with friends and family on the ice, preparing their teams for a mid-day start.
Sporting his signature cap and mustache, Kotzebue musher Chuck Schaeffer shepherds dogs between former Iditarod champions Jeff King and John Baker.
But the 60-year-old musher insists he’s now “retired.” Schaeffer says, for this race, he’ll be on the sidelines—handling for his friend and fellow musher Cym Smith.
“And that’s all I’m going to be doing!” Schaeffer laughs.
The light-hearted mood appears to have affected race rookie Kristin Bacon, as well. While a cumulative $35,000 in race prizes certainly seems tempting, Bacon says her goal is just to have a good time.
“I just want to do well. I want the dogs to finish and be happy. In terms of expectations, I just want to get through it and have fun,” said Bacon.
Bacon, who’s team comes largely from Jeff King’s Husky Homestead kennel, mushed a series of mid-distance races earlier in the year—including the Kuskoskim 300 and Northern Lights 300—in an effort to qualify for next year’s Iditarod.
But this, she says, will be her longest race so far.
As for King—the race’s two-time defending champion—he says the Kobuk 440 always ends his season on a high note.
“It’s great trails, good sunshine, friendly people—generally a purse that can take the sting out of the expense to get here,” said King. “It makes for a great way to end the race season.”
But that doesn’t mean King takes defending his title lightly. Or that the shorter distance translates to a shift in strategy.
“Four hundred and forty miles on a dog sled is always a challenge. I mean, you have to know what you’re doing—know how to care for the dogs, keep them happy and healthy and energetic. But it’s something I’ve done for a long time, so I know how to do it,” said King.
