Photo courtesy of Dempsey Woods, Sr.

Dempsey Woods, Sr. has enjoyed a long and storied career as a musher, having become involved with the lifestyle at a young age. Originally from the village of Shungnak, he has been running dogs along the Kobuk river most of his life, as the tradition was passed down by his family. He now maintains a kennel in Kotzebue and is a seasoned competitor in the Kobuk 440, with eleven races under his belt. He ran his first Kobuk 440 in 1997, and claimed sixth place in 2021, along with three championship titles in the local Taaqpak 120 race (2015, 2020, 2021). Known locally as a community-minded competitor, he was honored with both the race veterinarian-selected Humanitarian award for exceptional dog care and the peer-nominated Sportsmanship award in 2019. Dempsey looks forward to running alongside a good field of mushers, and hopes for a safe race for all competing teams, crews, and spectators. He would like to thank everyone in the NANA region.

Kennel: Miss Haley Kennels Age: 54 Mushing Since: 1978 Location: Kotzebue, AK Number of Dogs: 12 Key Dogs: Sandy, Cagney Sponsors: Mark Keller and June’s boys Previous Races: Taaqpak 120, Kobuk 440 (11x) Awards: Humanitarian Award, Sportsmanship Award, Taaqpak 120 Champion (2015, 2020, 2021)