Brushkana-based musher Jessie Holmes won the Copper Basin 300 Monday, crossing the finish line in Glennallen after a little less than two days and seven hours on the trail. He beat runner-up Cody Strathe by about 15 minutes, according to race results.
The former “Life Below Zero” star is the defending Iditarod champion. Holmes also won last year’s Kobuk 440 and Copper Basin 300. In an interview with KCAM radio after the race on Monday, he said he wants to defend each of those titles this year.
“The dogs are up to it. I’m up to it. Just got to keep trying to do everything right every day,” he told KCAM.
The 2026 Copper Basin 300 began Saturday in Glennallen and featured a 33-musher field, which is up slightly from last year’s turnout of 31.
The final musher to officially finish the race, Virag Racz, took home the red lantern after reaching Glennallen Tuesday. Among those who didn’t finish was Erika Loebrich, who voluntarily withdrew Monday after two of her dogs tested positive for canine parvovirus.
The highly contagious disease attacks a dog’s white blood cells and gastrointestinal tract and can lead to death, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
In a statement posted to Facebook, race organizers said they were in the process of notifying local veterinary clinics, the dog mushing community and the community of Glennallen.
The statement also said Loebrich was in full compliance with all biosecurity and vaccination requirements, including “submission of current canine parvovirus vaccination records for every dog on the team.”