Iditarod champion and hometown hero John Baker of Kotzebue took the early lead in the Kobuk 440 sled dog race on Wednesday night, arriving at the race's second checkpoint, Kiana, at around 8 p.m.
Baker, who was born in Kotzebue, won the 2011 Iditarod. The veteran distance musher was one of 12 mushers to leave the start-finish line in Kotzebue during a mass start on Wednesday afternoon. By the evening, he'd covered roughly 76 miles to Kiana, leading second-place Tony Browning into the village by just a few minutes.
The 440-mile race runs from Kotzebue through Noorvik, Kiana, Ambler and Shungnak before reaching a turnaround point in Kobuk, then doubling back through Shungnak and Ambler. After reaching Ambler for the second time, teams will head south through Selawik before returning to Noorvik and then onto the finish line in Kotzebue.
Tim Pappas was the third musher to arrive in Kiana on Wednesday night, followed closely by Jeff King and Cim Smyth. All five of the top mushers arrived within a half hour of each other.
The race is the final distance event of the Alaska sled dog racing season and features a $35,000 purse, of which $11,000 will go to the winner. The first team is expected to return to Kotzebue sometime on Sunday.
For more information, visit kobuk440.com.