2024 Season Updates
We aren’t at Kobuk 440 sadly, because two of my main leaders are not yet healed from shoulder injuries sustained in a previous race, along with unseasonably very warm weather (60 degrees most days) I haven’t been able to keep up the training as I have wanted to.
Lacking my two best experienced lead dogs has been a tough one. With a fishing ban on the Yukon River salmon which is an important food source for both us and our dogs team, we are trying to keep our kennel small in numbers however that poses issues as we don’t have many dogs to replace our race team when one is injured.
Mushing season is pretty much over here in Eagle, so puppy training and morning walks free running dogs has been our focus right now. At least we can enjoy that with our “kids.”
We are looking forward to next race season and hopefully finish all required qualifiers for Iditarod 2026 and gain valuable experience in the process. Happy Spring everyone! Best of luck and safety to everyone racing the Kobuk 440!
The Kobuk 440 Racing Association is a Kotzebue-based non-profit run by volunteers all across the Northwest Arctic region. The association hosts the Kobuk 440 mid-distance sled dog race annually. For the Iñupiat, dog mushing has always been a part of life and a part of the region's history. Mid-distance races provide an opportunity for dog mushers to garner experience that can lead them to longer races like the Iditarod. During the race, checkpoint communities come together to celebrate the Iñupiaq way of life, respect for nature, community wellness, and heritage. For more information click the Kobuk 440 logo.
The toughest race above the Arctic Circle!
The premier event, the T-Dog 200, will host 28 dog mushing teams with 8-10 dogs each! We are so excited to see everyone out on the beautiful trails of the Tanana valley.
We made the decision not to race in the Tdog 200 starting today due to concerns about the warm weather and dogs overheating. We couldn't make it into Fairbanks for the race (mushing up Polly Summit 3,600 feet in 30-50 degree temps we are dealing with in Eagle.) We are bummed to miss the race, it looks like the Tdog races (50, 110 yesterday and the 200 today) were and will be a lot of fun. Best of luck, health and safety to everyone running today and tomorrow! We'll be home doing short early morning runs with our puppy teams, our kennel future!
Congratulations to Jody, Jamey and the Ravens Clan Kennel for placing 7th in the Two Rivers 200. (an Iditarod qualifier)
Jody also was awarded the Sportsmanship Award !
Team #16 in the GPS tracker video below.
Mahsi’choo to my amazing, supportive family: especially my parents keeping our house warm and watching over my puppies, and my patient and kind husband/dog handler! A special shout out to our fav: Moose Soup Lady aka Jennie McLean for graciously hosting us in Fairbanks this whole time! There are so many people to thank, friends and supporters, race volunteers, vets, trail breakers…. So many people.
This photo was taken by @emelex this past weekend down in Denali where we took the team to train. We met up with friends and had an epic, fun, adventurous weekend! Mahsi to Emily and Sam for inviting to train from your cabin in Cantwell! So much fun!
Yukon Quest 200, 2024 epic adventure! My dog team and I learned a lot. Outcome wasn’t what we had hoped, but we are thankful for the experience: Two summits, overflow, -50 weather and all! I am so proud of my dogs, they just tore up those mountains and we gained so much together! Raven Clan Kennels will be back for another try! Mahsi’choo to our family, friends, supporters and everyone who helped along the way!
To watch a recap on the race, click below for the scoop on my wild Yukon Quest run...
At the top of the world in the heart of Interior Alaska a one of a kind sports event takes place every February. During the depths of winter, YQA is a unique test of a mushers abilities and the bond between mushers and their dog teams.
