Also camped at McGrath for a 24-hour rest is Sarah Stokey.  Sarah is engaged to Travis Beals.  Together they run Turning Heads Kennel in Seward.  It’s a tour business where their dogs are the heart and soul of what they do.   The Turning Heads mushing team has be recognized by the Tustumena 200 and Copper Basin 300 races for excellence in dog care.

Thunder, Sarah’s cheerleader and song partner

This is Sarah’s first Iditarod.  She’s done well on the required qualifiers and is ready for the challenges of the long race as well as the technical portions of the trail.  that was my first question for her – how were the Steps, how was the Gorge?

In her usual style, Sarah smiled broadly and replied, “Piece of Cake!”  Travis happened to be nearby, to assure her that it was a much easier trail this year than usual.  That revelation didn’t phase Sarah one bit, she’d handled those portions of trail with style.

Stokey was also quick to brag up her team.  All her dogs, youngsters and veterans, were doing fantastic.  She cited two especially that were having a really positive impact on her spirits and the performance of the team.  One was Zema, her leading lady and the other was a wheel dog, Thunder.  Thunder likes to sing while running as does Sarah.  Not sure if it’s in two part harmony or unison.  Thunder is a cheer leader for the whole team.  

Sarah was born and raised in Massachusetts.  She holds a degree in Sociology.  Sarah has wanted to run Iditarod ever since she saw the movie, Iron Will at the age of six.  She came to Seward in 2010 to pursue that dream.  In 2011 she met Travis and they began running dogs together.  Now in 2016, they are engaged and both running to Nome in Iditarod XLIV.