The Latest News

2024 Taaqpak 120 Scheduled for March 2

2/24/2024

The Taaqpak 120 is a 120-mile sled dog race from Kotzebue to Noatak and back. This annual race, which features mostly local mushers, is named in honor of dog musher Elmer Taaqpak Howarth, Sr. and acknowledges the volunteer work of the Howarth family. The Howarths have partnered with the Kobuk 440 Racing Association to host the Taaqpak 120 race receive mushers at the turnaround checkpoint in Noatak for many years. Members of the Howarth family have volunteered on the trail crew, served as timekeepers, run the hospitality room, and encouraged other community members to join in helping operate the race.

The 2024 race will be held Saturday, March 2nd at 10:00am, starting and finishing on Front Street in Kotzebue. There will be an $8500 purse. There will be a pre-race meeting, and bib drawing Friday, March 1st at 6:00pm, and a post-racing meeting and award ceremony March 3rd at 6:00pm. The latest information will be posted on our Facebook page. Questions? Email [email protected].

2023 Annual Report Presentation

10/30/2023

2023 Junior Kobuk 440 Recap and Results!

4/25/2023

Left to Right: Steven Downey-Kameroff of Kotzebue, Bristol Huffman of Kotzebue, Herbert Thomas of Buckland, Dezzi Stewart of Shungnak, James Bourquin of Kotzebue. Not Pictured: Ben Marcus of Kotzebue. Photo by Viva Teal.

The Junior 440 took place Saturday, April 22nd, 2023! The start of the race was at 1:00pm in Kotzebue, on the ice in front of Nullaġvik Hotel. Youth mushers took off on a 50-mile journey via a tandem sled set-up with up to 10 dogs per two youth mushers. After their day one run, they overnighted at a camp northeast of Kotzebue and came back to the finish the next day. The Kobuk 440 Board held an awards ceremony following the finishes at the Northwest Arctic Borough assembly chambers in Kotzebue.

Awesome weather, fast trail, great hospitality and food at the checkpoint. Thank you to Ed and Ruth Iten for hosting us at camp! Wonderful people, good company, enjoyed telling stories and being around the campfire. We hope to have more kids from the villages, and whole region in the future.

- Paul Hansen, Kobuk 440 President

Bristol Huffman, left, and Steven Downey-Kameroff, right. 2023 Junior 440 Winners. Photo by Viva Teal.

2023 Junior Kobuk 440 Results

First Place
Mushers: Bristol Huffman, Kotzebue / Steven Downey-Kameroff, Kotzebue
Team: Hansen Kennel dogs Prize Money: $500
Time Day One / 2hr 33min Day Two / 2hr 10 min Total / 4hr 43min

Second Place
Mushers: Ben Marcus, Kotzebue / Herbert Thomas, Buckland
Team: Combination of Marcus & Iten dogs Prize Money: $400
Time: Day One / 2hr 41min Day Two / 2hr 10min Total / 4hr 51min

Third Place
Mushers: James Bourquin, Kotzebue & Dezzi Stewart, Shungnak
Team: Jim Bourquin's dogs Prize Money: $150
Time: Day One / 2hr 43 min Day Two / 2hr 20 min Total / 5hr 3min

Steven Downey-Kameroff, Ben Marcus and Herbert Thomas on the Front Street ice in Kotzebue

Bristol Huffman and Steven Downey-Kameroff on tandem sled with Hansen Kennel dogs

Thank you to all participants, volunteers, and spectators for a great race! Thank you to our sponsors for supporting young mushers in the Northwest Arctic Region, including Teck, Ambler Metals, ConocoPhillips, Alaska Airlines and more!

The Arctic Sounder covers Ryan Redington's visit to schools in the Northwest Arctic Borough

4/20/2023

[...] The main message he had for the children was to believe in themselves, never give up on their dreams and work toward their goals. He shared how this year he ran in his 16th Iditarod. In some of the years before, he had tough times, scratched from the race and needed to reach out to his Elders for advice. Then he would change up his training and keep with it.
"I didn't give up and this year, we won the Iditarod, and I fulfilled my dream of winning the race," he said.

Read the full story by Alena Naiden here.

Ryan Redington speaks to students at June Nelson Elementary School on April 5, 2023. Photo provided by Ryan Redington via The Arctic Sounder

Ryan Redington talks about mushing to Ambler youth on April 6, 2023. Photo provided by Ryan Redington via The Arctic Sounder

The Junior Kobuk 440 is this Saturday!

4/20/2023

The Junior 440 will take place this Saturday, April 22nd, 2023! The start of the race will be at 1:00pm in Kotzebue, on the ice in front of Nullaġvik Hotel.

Youth mushers will take off on a 50-mile journey via a tandem sled set-up with up to 10 dogs per two mushers. After their day one run, they will overnight at a camp northeast of Kotzebue and come back to the finish the next day.

Please join us in cheering on our junior racers from the Northwest Arctic! Pictures and videos of the race will be posted as available. If you'd like to share yours, please message us.

2023 Kobuk 440 Results

4/13/2023

2023 Champion: Jessie Holmes
Rookie of the Year: Bailey Vitello
Sportsmanship Award: Michelle Phillips
Alaska Airlines Humanitarian Award: Jeff Deeter

1 Jessie Holmes - 8:38am 2 Richie Diehl - 11:33am 3 Michelle Phillips - 12:34pm
4 Hugh Neff - 12:55pm 5 Bailey Vitello - 1:54pm 6 Jeff Deeter - 3:53pm
7 Martin Early - 11:10pm 8 Kevin Hansen - 12:18am 9 Jessi Downey - 1:28pm
10 Dempsey Woods - 2:18pm 11 Jim Bourquin - 3:12pm 12 Lauro Eklund - 4:10pm

The Arctic Sounder covers Jessie Holmes' 2023 Win

4/9/2023

"From the outside, it's looking like a race but what it is is an awesome network of communities, people getting together and celebrating life in the Arctic, the culture of these villages, and the cultures of dog teams traveling through them," Holmes said. "It is so rewarding to come here for connection with these people in this region that are just extremely generous and kind and caring and passionate — and like just about the same things that I do.
"That's what the race is really about, you know. That's why it keeps going."

Read the full story here.

2023 Bib Numbers are Drawn!

4/5/2023

2023 Kobuk 440 Bib Numbers:
1. Jessi Downey 2. Richie Diehl 3. Michelle Phillips 4. Bailey Vitello 5. Hugh Neff 6. Jeff Deeter 7. Jessie Holmes 8. Jim Bourquin 9. Kevin Hansen 10. Lauro Eklund 11. Martin Early 12. Dempsey Woods

The race starts tomorrow at 12:30pm on the ice in front of Nullaġvik Hotel!

2023 Tentative Race Week Schedule is released!

3/22/2023

Tentative Race Week Schedule

2023 Kobuk 440 Schedule
Subject to Change

Sunday, April 2 Drop bags due to Bering Air by end of day Monday, April 3 Race Prep (volunteers on deck) Tuesday, April 4 Musher Arrival (if out-of-town) Wednesday, April 5 10:00am 'Meet the Mushers' Radio Show on KOTZ Radio 720 AM 5:00pm Musher Meeting 6:00pm Bib Drawing Thursday, April 6 Mass Start, 12:30pm, Ice in front of Nullagvik Hotel on Front Street Friday, April 7 Teams in Noorvik, Kiana and Ambler Saturday, April 8 Teams in Shungnak, Kobuk and Ambler Sunday, April 9 Teams in Selawik and Noorvik, Finishes (Sunday-Monday) Monday, April 10 5pm Musher Meeting, 6pm Awards Banquet Tuesday, April 11 Musher departures begin, race finalizing

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Keep the tradition alive.
Support the kobuk 440!

We accept individual donations via Paypal
or through our Buy-a-Mile program!

Kobuk 440 Racing Association
PO Box 410 Kotzebue, Alaska 99752
K440 Office: 333 Shore Ave Rm 221
Race Week Headquarters: 306 Shore Ave

Contact us!
Web Contact Form
[email protected]
907-442-4440