Dear Friends,

Throughout the history of the Iditarod, there have been family connections between mushers.  In 2017, Dallas Seavey and his dad ended up finishing second and first, with Dallas coming into Nome about 2 1/2 hours after his father, Mitch.  Brothers have raced together; husbands and wives have been competitors.  This year, for the first time in many years, you may have noticed that identical twins, Anna and Kristy Berington, are not running together.  

Signing autographs in 2018 [photo credit – Sloan]

Kristy’s first Iditarod was in 2010.  Two races later, she encouraged her twin sister, Anna, to run with her.  From then on, the two athletes stayed together on Iditarod races.  They are always favorites for school children to follow because of their braids, look-alike photos, and great attitudes.  In 2018, Kristy and her husband, Andy Pohl, ran together with Anna for his rookie race.  Andy was no stranger to the Iditarod Trail, however, having biked it!  In 2019, the sisters continued running their sled dog teams in tandem.  

Anna comes into Unalakleet in 2018 with a dog who was fine, just resting [photo credit – Sloan]

In this 2024 Iditarod, Anna is running alone with a team of dogs trained by her and her sister.  Kristy is cheering her on, excited to see the photos, GPS tracker, and any news.  We will join her in rooting for Anna to keep strong on this ultra challenging race across Alaska!

Until next time,

Gypsy