Part II of the Rookie Review introduces the mushers who’ve listed Fairbanks and Two Rivers as home. They may have all had front row seats for the alternating start and finish of the Yukon Quest as well as the Iditarod Fairbanks starts of 2003, 2015 and 2017. Many of them have participated in 100 and …
Two Rookies, Dakota Schlosser and Will Troshynski, in Iditarod XLIX are Jr. Iditarod veterans. Will ran the Jr. Iditarod for three successive years beginning in 2001. In 2003, he had a unique Jr. Iditarod experience as the race was moved out to Glennallen due to insufficient snow cover along the traditional trail. Dakota ran the …
From the time the Jr. Iditarod mushers departed Yentna Station this morning well before sunrise, the lead never changed. It looked at times like second place Kristal Hanson might over take Morgan Martens and his Ryan Redington speedsters or that third place Anna Coke might over take Kristal or both Kristal and Morgan but Morgan …
The mushers spent the night camped in the woods along the Yentna River at the Yentna Station Roadhouse. For years now, the checkpoint has been hosted by the Gabryszak Family. As the teams arrive, their arrival time is recorded, mandatory equipment is checked, dogs are checked and then they park on the wooded trails along …
Due to COVID-19 mitigation protocols, the Iditarod has set the starting order for the 49th running of the Last Great Race on Earth using a digital order generator to randomly select names for the official start order, taking into account the two separate draw batches based on when mushers signed up for the race. “This …
It was a busy morning on Knik Lake! Parents and ten teens, each with ten dogs arrived well before the 10:00 am start time of Jr. Iditarod XLIV. The dog trucks and trailers parked in a semi-circle around the start banner. The dogs were brought out for water and a pre-race meal then the mushers …
The Jr. Iditarod Board of Directors has named Gary and Carolee Johannes as the Honorary Musher for the 44th running of the race. The Jr. Iditarod mushers will sign bib #1 and present it to Gary and Carolee in recognition of their service over the past thirteen years. Trail boss Richard Plack says, “Both Gary …
Two rookie mushers competing in the 2021 Jr. Iditarod have family ties going back, way back, in both the Jr. Iditarod and the Iditarod. It’s extremely exciting to see this younger generation of mushers take to the trail in Jr. Iditarod. These two young women carry on the sled dog legacy of families that were …
Kids come to mushing through many different circumstances. Sometimes, it’s purely coincidental and other times it’s a family affair. Some get into the sport after being introduced by neighbors or friends while others follow older brothers and sisters down the trail. Whatever brought them to dogs, these are dedicated young mushers who have worked hard …
While so many things have changed over the past year, there are a few that thankfully keep us anchored in time. The 44th Jr. Iditarod is set to begin as always on the last Saturday of February. That’s the traditional day for the Jr. Iditarod, a week ahead of the Iditarod. The start time of …
