This is the happy family of Ray Redington, Jr., his wife, Julia, and their children, Ellen and Isaac.  The photo was taken about an hour before the restart of the 39^th Iditarod.  This is one mushing family.  Julia raced in the Jr. Iditarod as a teenager.  Her father, Steve Flodin, is a veteran of the Iditarod.  Ray grew up on a dog sled.  He ran the Jr. Iditarod several times.  In 2000, Ray restarted his racing career.  His father, Raymie Redington, is also an Iditarod veteran.  Ray and Raymie have even run the trail together during the Iditarod.  If you are following this family tree, then you know that Ray is the grandson of Joe Redington, Sr. the co-founder of the Iditarod.

The family was sharing some time together before the race.  The children were caught up in the excitement of the day. And as children, they were more interested in playing than having their picture taken.  From the look on Ray’s face, you can see that his thoughts are already on the trail. He has trained hard and long for this day.  He is ready and so are his dogs.  Here’s hoping that Team Redington has a strong and safe run to Nome.

By Joy Davis, Target® Iditarod Teacher on the Trail™ Finalist