Mushers race past at the start of the Kobuk 440 - Anchorage, AK, USA 
Rookies bookend Kobuk 440 sled dog race
Sharing a name and their rookie status, mushers Jessie Holmes and Jesse Salyer bookended this year's Kobuk 440 race.
Holmes clocked with a total run time of 41 hours, 7 minutes and 20 hours, 4 minutes of rest time, finishing nearly a half hour ahead of his nearest challenger, last year's winner, Nick Petit.
"To win this race as a rookie is no small feat and that just says to me the kind of dog team I'm driving," said Holmes. "It's exciting because they just turned three years old in the Kusko and to see what they're going to do as they become fully mature at four. They've had a great year two and a great year three. Next year will be year four and I just expect to keep seeing amazing things if I keep treating them the same way."
One of the highlights for the winner was getting to travel through the Kobuk Valley villages and meet people along the way, he said.