Josi (Thyr) Shelly claimed 16th place with 9 dogs in harness on March 19th. Her northern route run time was 10 days, 17 hours and 0 minutes. Shelly finished the Yukon Quest Alaska 750 as champion in the first week of February. As has been the case for the Fairbanks area this year the Quest journey was extremely cold and plagued by blizzards. The original track was going to be 850 miles but was shortened to 750 miles due to extreme weather conditions. This was the first year of what organizers hope to be an annual event in the future. Congrats Josi on her win. At the finish line Josi praised a two year old leader. She said she’s wanted to comeback to Iditarod ever since running in 2024. Her training in the Fairbanks area this year has been cold with lots of snow. On the northern route in 2024, Josi placed 16th in 10 days, 6 hours and 43 minutes. She earned Rookie of the Year Honors.
Bailey Vitello claimed 17th place with 8 dogs in harness, covering the trail in 10 days, 17 hours and 13 minutes. Having completed his 4th Iditarod, he has a perfect record of starts and finishes. He has one top 5 finish which came in 2025 on the Idita-River Iditarod. In his previous northern route race in 2024, Bailey finished in 17th place with a time of 10 days, 10 hours and 2 minutes. He was hoping for a stronger finish this year but his team experienced a virus which requires more rest and more frequent feedings. He altered his race plan to meet the needs of his dogs. With a young team his major goal was to show them the trail and let them have fun. He says he ran his first Iditarod on a whim and gut feeling. It’s turned out to be the best decision he could have made. Since 2023, Bailey his developed a lineage of dogs working with Iditarod veteran Aaron Burmeister. Bailey is a second generation musher. As a child he rode in the sled when his parents did training runs. He did his first race when he was barely 2 years old. Bailey is a Jr. Iditarod veteran and has run the Copper Basin 300, Knik 200, Kobuk 440 and Kusko 300.
Gabe Dunham claimed 18th place with 11 dogs in harness, making the journey in 10 days, 18 hours and 25 minutes. Dunham’s Iditarod career began in 2020 but ended before Nome with a scratch. She was a re-rookie in 2024 and earned her Finisher’s belt buckle on the Northern route, finishing in 18th place with a time of 10 days, 13 hours and 49 minutes. She scratched on the Idita-River Iditarod so is 2/4 in races completed. Gabe started on the runners at the age of 16, doing her first race at the age of 18. She is the first woman to complete the Rocky Mountain Triple Crown, placing second. Gabe carried her father’s ashes with her on this run to Nome. Many folks asked where she spread his ashes but the truth is her dad wanted to ride along for the adventure but didn’t want to be left on the trail. Gabe described a very special moment along the trail near Ruby. One of his favorite songs came up on her play list. At the same time the northern lights came from out of nowhere, dancing across the entire sky. When asked about managing highs and lows while on the trail, Gabe said that as a musher matures, he or she realizes there will be highs and lows but they’ll manage. Gabe was extremely proud of her whole team. She’s bread and trained them all.
Rohn Buser claimed 19th place with 12 dogs in harness coming into Nome in 10 days, 20 hours and 33 minutes. Rohn’s Iditarod career began in 2008 as a recent high school graduate. His credits were such that he completed his senior year in December and was able to run Iditarod in March. He claimed 37th place as a rookie. In 2012 he and Martin did a father son run. Finishing in 18th place on the northern route in 10 days 18 hours and 10 minutes. Martin followed Rohn to the finish line one second later. After his last race in 2015, Rohn went outside where he met Alyssa who dreamed of building a home where sled dogs could thrive. They returned to Alaska and established Susitna Sled Dog Adventures in Talkeetna. They strive to offer tourists a unique experience with sled dogs year round. The Busers have two children and Rohn hopes to pass on the knowledge that he gained about sled dogs from his father, Martin, to his own children. Perhaps Grandpa will contribute some pearls of sled dog wisdom too. Rohn said he’s been busy raising kids and raising dogs but is happy to return to the Iditarod and looks forward to more racing.
Chad Stoddard claimed 20th place with 11 dogs in harness in 10 days, 20 hours and 42 minutes. Stoddard was born in Alaska, grew up in Washington State and after graduating from college took a job with Alaska Icefield Expeditions. He worked in commercial fishing for a while before taking a job at Comeback Kennel with Lance Mackey. His first Iditarod in 2021, the Gold Trail Loop, was with a young Mackey team. He earned Rookie of the Year with 23rd place. In 2022 Chad took a Dallas Seavey team on the northern route and finished in 7th place in 9 days, 8 hour and 28 minutes. The improvement of 16 places earned him the Most Improved Musher award for 2022. As an all-state high school basketball player, Chad knows a few things about teamwork. He considers mushing to be the ULTIMATE team sport. Chad now works for and trains dogs at Buser’s Happy Trails Kennel. His team of 16 dogs this year included 5 dogs with race experience and 11 first time racers. Eight of the dogs were just under two years old. The first 300 miles provided his team the opportunity to gel. After that he was amazed watching the young dogs mature during each run.
With 34 competitive mushers starting the race back in Willow on March 8th, four have scratched and 20 have finished. There are 10 teams in the back of the pack, nine are in White Mountain taking a long rest and Adam Lindenmuth is just three miles short of White Mountain. Looks like Front Street in Nome will be a very busy place once those teams begin moving.
