Iditarod Musher Profile

Jim Lanier, 69, was born in Washington, D.C. He was raised in Fargo, ND, where his family moved when he was six years old. He studied medicine/pathology at Washington University in St. Louis and the Mayo Clinic. After receiving his medical degree, he moved to Alaska in 1967 to serve at the Native hospital in Anchorage with the United States Public Health Service. A pathologist for 33 years, Jim is now retired from his work as a pathologist and says his current occupations are musher (since 1977), singer (all his life) and papa (41 years). He began mushing in 1977. He says he got the bug from Iditarod mushers Ron Gould, Dinah Knight and Gerry Riley. He completed his first Iditarod in 1979. He has now entered and completed thirteen Iditarods, including at least one in all four decades the race has been in existence. His goal is to make it five decades and in a competitive fashion. "After that, who knows?" He says, "health aside, it's a matter of continued enjoyment - of the dreaming, the planning, the training, the support of family, friends, and sponsors, and of going head-to-head with people half his age. Jim is married to Anna and is the father of four, Margaret, 41, Kim, 40, Willy, 31 and Jimmy, 12. His hobbies include music, commercial fishing, hunting, hiking, reading, baseball and kids.