Photo by Whitney McLaren

Lauro Eklund first became interested in dog mushing while spending his childhood on the Yukon River. His father, Neil, used dogs for transportation and animal trapping, outside of training for the Iditarod which he ran twice, in the 1980s. His father’s stories of camping and traveling in the Northwest Arctic, and the 'old timers' he encountered, piqued Lauro's interest in entering the Kobuk 440 someday. He received his first dog from Lester Erhart in Tanana, and has since developed a kennel. He and his father run tours and train at Skookum Expeditions in Two Rivers, outside of Fairbanks. He recently received the Sportsmanship award at the 2023 Yukon Quest 550, along with a "Funniest Finish" award at the Copper Basin 300 (because snow from the finish sign fell on his head). He was a finisher in the 2024 Iditarod. Lauro’s goals for the 2025 Kobuk 440 are “Like everyone finishing with a strong team, improve from my last finish and get my yearlings that will be in the team some great trail experience.” He’s excited for the race because “Sled dogs are cool and looking forward to seeing some of the prettiest country in Alaska and most welcoming people /checkpoints. No race like the Kobuk.” 

Kennel: Skookum Expeditions Handler(s): Virginia Ely Age: 28 Location: Fairbanks, AK Started Mushing: 2014 Number of Dogs: 31 Key Dogs: Borromirr, Yukon, Alder, and Concho Sponsors: Alaskan Ice Field and friends/family Other Races: Kobuk 440, Yukon Quest 300, Summit 300, Yukon Quest 200, Two Rivers 200, and Copper Basin 300​