Isaac Teaford Draws Bib #15  (Photo: Erin Montgomery)

Mushers drew from the mukluk held by Race Director, Mark Nordman, at the banquet to determine start order on Thursday evening at the musher banquet held at the Dena’ina Center in downtown Anchorage.   Anna Berington reached into the mukluk and pulled number 2.  She’ll lead the way for all into Iditarod 52.  Wally Robinson from Nenana, who introduced himself as Jr. mushing’s phenom Emily Robinson’s father, drew number 39 and will close out the race.  Bib numbers for all mushers can be found at Iditarod.com.  Wally is a substitute driver for Josh McNeal who is sidelined with a shoulder injury.  The stage is set for the Saturday Ceremonial start  and the Willow restart on Sunday.  But now, please meet the final four rookie mushers in the class of 2024.  

Jeff Reid has served two deployments in Afghanistan as a Navy Seal.  Now he lives in Two Rivers, Alaska and together with his wife and children, they operate Frozen Trident Kennel.  Jeff lost a beloved canine, Frank, that he rescued from Afghanistan.  His heart was broken and he was certain he’d never find another dog to bond with in the same way as Frank.  Jeff enjoyed Gary Paulson’s Winterdance which sparked an idea – perhaps he could create that special bond with a team of working dogs – sled dogs.  Reid and his wife moved to Alaska and Jeff took a job working for a kennel that ran both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest – SP kennel.  It was an unbelievable opportunity for Jeff to work with Allen Moore and Aliy Zirkle.  He started out with the small chores of scooping poop and cleaning the kennel then over a couple of years advanced to short runs, longer runs and then he was training the SP main race team.  To establish Frozen Trident, the Reids purchased dogs from SP Kennel and Sebastian Schnuelle.  After completing his qualifiers, Jeff is now ready for the goal that brought them him to Alaska – run the Iditarod.

Joshua Robbins, a veteran of multiple tours as an infantryman in Iraq and Afghanistan now calls Willow, Alaska home.  He established Outreach22 in 2021 as a way to bring hope and emotional support to veterans with mental health struggles.  His goal is to use his dog team to uplift veterans in need of comfort.  Joshua understands the challenges of transitioning from was to civilian life.  He sought help, although he says seeking help was one of the hardest decisions he’s ever made. Robbins urges other veterans to take advantage of the resources that are available.  At Outreach22, people can learn about mushing and experience the sled dogs in action, witnessing their sweet and hardworking demeanor.   Joshua has run dogs for 4 years saying that he’s grown and appreciates the bond between himself and the dogs and enjoys exploring with his dog team.  He’ll wear a patriotic parka to represent the veteran community and honor those who fought for the country.  As a rookie he says, “My goal is to complete the race and inspire others to try new things and not be afraid of failure.”

Isaac Teaford was born in Washington state but grew up around Salt Lake City, Utah.  Isaac saw mush of the world with the Navy, serving two deployments overseas.  His next stop was Alaska working as a guide – flyout Pack rafting, backpacking, ice climbing and back country skiing.  He he no stranger to harsh conditions.  His love for dog mushing brought him to Dallas Seavey’s kennel in Talkeetna.  He participated in several mid-distance races and then set his sights on the 2023 Yukon Quest 300 where he finished second to Matt Hall.  Teaford has trained with Seavey for 5 years, raising the dogs he’ll take on the Iditarod Trail from puppies.  He appreciates everything he’s learned from the mushers he’s spent time with on the trail.  Teaford looks forward to the Alaska Range and the Dalzell Gorge along with the Bering Sea Coast as those segments of the trail will be different than he’s experienced around Talkeetna and previous races.

Josi Thyr has been racing sled dogs since the age of 11.  When she was younger, she wanted a pony instead she got a Siberian Husky.  She and her brother figured out a harness system and soon they were roller blading behind the dog.  Winter arrived and they built a sled.  Eventually, Thyr acquired more dogs and began sprint racing.  It wasn’t a far stretch to mid-distance racing – acquire a few more dogs and train differently.  A natural progression if one wants to spend more time with their best friends – canine athletes.  At the age of 17, Thyr went to Alaska to handle for Aaron Burmeister.  She returned home and began working toward qualifying for Iditarod.  Thyr is a celebrated veteran of lower 48 races, the Eagle Cap Extreme and the Idaho Sled Dog Challenge where she claimed gold in 2022.   Thyr has also handled for Iditarod veteran Jessie Royer.  In 2023, Josie moved to Fairbanks.  Most recently she has run the 2024 Copper Basin 300 placing seventh and the 2024 Quest 300 placing third behind Brent Sass and Eddie Burke, Jr.

Belt Buckle Awarded to All Rookie Finishers of the Iditarod (Photo: Terrie Hanke)

All of the sixteen rookies have goals in mind – maybe to finish in a certain time, finish with a happy healthy dog team or finish in the top so many mushers.  You notice the common word – FINISH.  There is one common goal – FINISH, make the burled arch in Nome.  When they do they become part of the Iditarod Official Finisher’s Club and receive the coveted belt buckle as a symbol of this long dreamed of accomplishment.  At the Teacher’s Conference yesterday, two presenters – Angie Taggert and KattiJo Deeter, both Iditarod finishers proudly wore belts with those buckles.  God speed to all the rookies!