Yes, Jessie Holmes still races dogs in Alaska. He won Kobuk 440 sled dog race coming among 11 other participants in 2023.
If you have watched the documentary show on National Geographic called Life Below Zero, then you would be familiar with Jessie Holmes.
The show shows the lifestyle of the people living in Alaska, including their daily life and seasonal activities of hunters and gathers living in the arid cold region of the Northern Hemisphere of the United States.
Jessie Holmes is one of the participants who is self-sufficient with his ability to fish, hunt, and carpet.
Other than that, he is also one of the well-known sled dog racers and is quite well-known for his races.
The expert sled dog racer was born on February 20, 1982, in Odenville, Alabama. But later, when he was older, he moved to Alaska to fulfill his pioneer desire.
The reality star has more than 40 dogs in his house for the sled races.
Does Jessie Holmes Still Race Dogs?
Yes, Jesse Holmes has been in the sled dog race for more than a decade. Holmes won’t be leaving the race any time soon.
The reality star was a native of Odenville, Alabama, United States, when he was younger. He always wanted to be a pioneer to find new lands and discover new things.
After moving out of his house, he worked and apprenticed as a carpenter for three years, which gave him enough experience to make items from wood that were available to him.
After collecting enough money working in carpentry for three years, he moved to Alaska with his dog Freedom. After he started to live in Alaska, he began to build boats, sleds, and cabins and began to hunt and started fishing.
As he always wanted to participate in the Alaskan sled dog race, he started to take care of dogs for some time.
When he became a cast member of the National Geographic show, he had more than 40 dogs in training.
During this time, he had also been participating in the sled dog races such as Old Mail Trail 200, where he won second place.
He won the 2016 Yukon 300 in second place, coming an hour late. Other than that, he has also participated in Kuskokwim 300 race with impressive finishes.
For Kobuk 440 sled dog races, the star has been in the races since 2017, where he was the winner of that year.
Other than not participating in 2020 due to covid and 2021 due to health issues, he has had his presence in the race each year.
Jessie Holmes also started his participation in the Iditarod race in 2018. In his first year of the competition, he came out in the top 10, with him holding to 7th position.
This was quite a shocking result for a newcomer. So, he was declared as the rookie of the year for the year. Since then, he has continued to race each year without missing the competition.
Is Jessie Holmes In The 2023 Iditarod?
Yes, the star has participated in the 2023 Iditarod competition. The star even came out in fifth place for this year’s race.
The race of thousand miles had a total of 23 checkpoints for the dogs and the riders to rest during the competition.
Though Holmes started the competition with 14 dogs, four dogs could not continue. So, he had to leave them at the checkpoints to let them rest.
The rider won fifth place in the competition. He took a total of 9 days and 5 hours to complete the round, winning his fifth place. Though he came in fifth place, which was not better than the previous year, he used that motivation to win Kobuk 400.
But this was not his second time or third time in the race. According to Iditarod, the star had been participating in this race since 2018.
During his first year, he won seventh place, winning him the Rookie of the Year title which earned him more than $25,000 prize money.
In later years, his races were subpar. Only in 2022 he placed his rank in 3rd place.
While he was not able to win the competition in 2022, he won the prize money of more than $40,000.
Even then, Jessie still tries his best to win the race. So, the star always takes care of his sled dogs in his home. Nevertheless, the star has not left the hope of winning the race as it is his one dream to win the competition.
Jessie Holmes Net Worth and Prize Money
Jessie Holmes has a net worth of $500 thousand.
In the reality show Life Below Zero, each cast member is paid $4,500 per episode. This has been one of the major attributes of his worth.
Other than that, he has also been participating in major sled dog races in different miles. Though he has not won every competition, he is in the top 10.
According to Alaska’s News Source, the star won the competition of Kobuk 440 this year. Though his prize money is not revealed to date, the previous winner of the same race Hugh Neff got his prize money of $72,000.
So, as this year’s winner, Holmes would have a similar or more than previous years’ prize.
The other major race he has participated in is Iditarod. He has been participating in the competition since 2018. From 2018 to 2022, the star has earned the prize amount of more than $100,000.
This year, he won the fifth position, and he has won the prize amount of $33,450. All this prize money from different competitions have further cemented his worth.