Shortly after 13:00 the first musher, Laura Allaway of the Women’s quartet reached the burled arch in Nome.  Laura was followed closely by Monica Zappa.  As they left the chute to bed their dogs down, Heidi Sutter climbed onto Front Street and about the time she made the burled arch, Lisbet Norris brought her team onto the street and soon she joined Heidi under the arch.  Looking for an excellent role model for girls around the world?  Pick any one of these strong women and you couldn’t go wrong.

Zappa and Norris are the veterans of the group.  They both completed their rookie year over the snow starved trail of 2014.  Like I said, these are strong women.  Zappa hails from Cumberland, Wisconsin.  Norris was born in Willow, Alaska.  These two came to the burled arch just ahead of the Red Lantern position in 2014.  Both Zappa and Norris have grown up with sled dogs and the sport of mushing.  

Monica’s parents participated in and also officiated the John Beargrease sled dog Marathon in northern Minnesota.  Monica has a degree in meterology and geography.  Upon arriving in Alaska, Monica began working with Tim Osmar and has been breeding, raising , training and racing sled dogs ever since.  In the summer, Monica and Tim fish commercially.

Lisbet grew up in a family that bred and raised siberian huskies.  Their family kennel is the oldest Siberian kennel in the world.  Norris has a degree in Northern Studies.  She’s lived and worked as a musher and expedition guide in Norway and on Baffin Island.  Lisbet returned to Alaska and the family kennel convinced of two things: 1) Alaska was home and 2) dog life and long distance mushing was the life for her.  Lisbet is one of the few mushers to run Iditarod with a team of AKC registered Siberian Huskies.

Allaway and Sutter are the rookies of the quartet.  Neither experienced the snow starved Iditarod trail of 2014 but the 2015 race presented its own challenges that these strong women met and conquered.  Temperatures were frigid for days and nights on end.  Winds howled and drifted the trails over with fine sugar snow.  Winds up to forty miles an hour created storms along the coast.  Allaway and Sutter stood under the burled arch with radiant smiles, proud of their personal accomplishment and delighted with the performance of their best friends, the sled dogs who brought them to Nome.

Laura grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.  She began working with dogs at the local Humane Society.  A few years ago she worked in Alaska as a summer horseback tour guide.  that’s when she first saw a team of sled dogs working together.  Her life was forever changed by that experience.  Laura went to work for David Monson at Trail Breaker Kennel guiding summer tours and training and racing Trail Breaker dogs during the winter.  Trail Breaker was established by the late Susan Butcher and her husband, David Monson.  The dogs Laura ran to Nome are descendants of the legendary Granite.  Laura says she’s met a whole lot of inspiration al people and without their help, Laura believes she’d not be where she is today.

Heidi Sutter is a special education teacher who works with children diagnosed with sever behavioral issues and autism.  Sutter and her family maintain a kennel of 19 huskies.  She focused on the Iditarod this year to prepare for the Yukon Quest next year.  Clearly her passion includes sled dogs and long distance racing.

Allaway of the Women’s Quartet made Nome in 46th place.  Her run time from Safety to Nome was 2 hours and 24 minutes.  Zappa finished the race in 47th place, making the last twenty-two miles in 2 hours 39 minutes.  Sutter earned 48th place and made the distance from Safety to Nome in 2 hours 40 minutes.  The final member of the Quartet to cross the finish line was Norris claiming 49th place and making the Safety to Nome run in 3 hours 8 minutes.