Nicolas Petit Claims Decisive Win in 2018 Kobuk 440
There was still pale orange light in the western sky as the French-born Girdwood musher rode into Kotzebue at 12:08 Sunday morning. He had seven energetic dogs in harness.
Browning, King Race for Second as Petit Pushes On
Veteran Tony Browning is the musher with the most Kobuk 440s under his belt, while relative newbie Ellen King is only racing her second.
Petit Extends Lead; Jessie Holmes Scratches
Petit checked in to Ambler for the second time after completing the turnaround leg to Kobuk and back in a swift 7 hours. Holmes says he “way too hard, way too fast” at the beginning.
Nic Petit First to Ambler
The sun was just creeping over Bornite Mountain when Nicolas Petit rode into Ambler in first position. It’s the third checkpoint in the Kobuk 440 and where mushers tend to take longer rests.
16 Teams Depart Kobuk 440 Start in Kotzebue
Sixteen dog teams took off from Kotzebue this afternoon at the start of the 2018 Kobuk 440. Leading the pack across the sea ice was this year’s Iditarod Rookie of the Year, Jessie Holmes. Absent was Kotzebue musher Katherine Keith, although some of her kennel’s dogs will be on the trail.
17 Mushers Registered for 2018 Kobuk 440 (Updated)
Out of the 17 teams currently registered to race the 2018 Kobuk 440 — from Kotzebue to Kobuk and back, starting April 12 — about half are women. With fewer than 20 mushers on the roster, the funds remaining after the champion’s prize will be doled out among the total number of finishers at the end of the race.
For Many Rookies, Just Finishing Iditarod Is Prize Enough
“Rookie of the Year would be nice,” Jessie Holmes says, “but really, my focus is to run this dog team to the level of their capabilities.” Among Holmes’ challenges will be competing rookie Matt Hall, 2017 Yukon Quest champ.
Musher Swap In Kusko 300 Lineup As Race Start Approaches
According to race manager Madelene Reichard, Mike Williams, Sr., has selected his alternate Thomas Carl to race in his place for the 39th running of the K300. Besides this registration swap, the newest musher to add their name to the list was Jessie Holmes. The 2018 Kuskokwim 300 begins at 6:30pm next Friday, January 19th.