The Kobuk 440 is like no other mid distance race as it travels along the Western Coast of Alaska – north of the Arctic Circle. The team had to travel nearly 3,000 miles – trucks, airplanes and even forklifts – just to compete. What seemed like months of logistics and planning ended with smiles at the finish line.
Bridgett and the dogs are now settled at home and have begun to unwind. The dogs are back at their SP Kennel houses where it appears more like summer than spring – we have very little snow and surprisingly, not much mud.
The extremely warm temperatures in Alaska during this mushing season have continued thru early spring and were persistent throughout this race. Constant sunshine and warmth are always a challenge for Alaskan Husky sled dogs, and the 440 had many warm days.
Bridgett has had many post race thoughts and has spent the last week thinking about every mile. Here are her words for the final miles:
“The last sunset was something out of a book; we ran west and toward it knowing what lay in its setting. We passed the shelter cabin, climbed the hills, which on the way back seemed much bigger than on the way out. Then the lights of Kotzebue appeared and were such a welcoming sight. I stopped, petted each dog and showed them, look guys, we did it, there are the lights. They seem to know exactly what I was saying. We motored downhill. Before we knew it we were on the pack ice and rounding town. Junior and Chipper knew exactly where to go. Around 1am we passed the finish line, all smiles and a bit of relief! It was a tough one. It was fun, then it was hard, but ultimately rewarding.”
The Team:
Junior-The brains of the whole operation
Chipper-Smart, fast and determined
Champ-Happy, big shoulders and ego
Five-big boy, strong, leader attitude at heart, tough
Clyde-Clinch hitter, closer, dependable, my go to man
Cayenne-team dog, likes to be up front and use her brain
Jefe-Silly, silly, silly, and extremely talented
Felix-consistent, steady, reliable
Decaf-Cheerleader, spirit leader, best attitude
Perky-Gave it his all, sassy and gets excited with Decaf
Driver-big silly boy, will do anything you ask of him
Kodiak-Wants to be the man in charge
Wow! Beautiful “mushing into the sunset” pic! Thanks for sharing that and even more interesting the post-race wrap up. Bridgett, it sounds like some special bonding occurred over the course of the 440. Glad you had such a talented line-up of athletes with you and that they got one more chance to compete this season. Maybe Kodiak decided if you weren’t gonna put him in lead he’d just as soon hang back and soak up the sun! Congrats SPK Team!!
Thanks so much for this review – it was exciting to follow and so very proud of the 2 and 4 legged R&B Team!!!
WOOF WOOF WOOF
P.S. Now that is what I call a sunset!!!
The logistics to get to this race are mind blowing…but it looks like it was worth the effort…well done Bridgett and dogs! Thanks for the wrap up….bet everyone is enjoying mud season with less mud for once! Seems odd…wonder what the summer will bring?
Wow! How did you guys slip this in and I didn’t notice we had another race? How, how, how did that happen?
But – great to catch up on the race. 440 seems a big leap from 300, doesn’t it?
Congratulations, Bridgett on getting the job done with those doggies.
Brief wrap up – but I enjoyed the direct and to the point write up on each of the team members.
Smart girl Junior! Love the different descriptions of each of them. Such diverse personalities that work together to make it happen. Love the sunset picture. Beautiful. You all see some beautiful landscape while mushing. Thanks for sharing!
Great wrap up Bridgett! Congrats on the race and those SP Dogs! Great Bunch! Good Perky!!