Kent Kaltenbacher, 57,was born on in Alaska while his father was serving in the Air Forcer here. Kent says, "I am a husband, a father and a grandfather. We raised our son in the Colorado Rockies and the Bush communities of Bethel and Dillingham, Alaska. I've worked with special needs children for my entire professional career, first as a youth counselor in Colorado, as Director for the Bethel Group Home, then as a juvenile probation officer in Dillingham and finally as a special ed teacher in Anchorage. I am now retired and simply a dog musher. My wife, Susie, and I began mushing because we needed to find a spot where we could throw lots of money into and never see an adequate return. We have been mushing mostly recreationally, with a large kennel for 24 years. In 1986, we bought a good number of racing and breeding stock from Gareth Wright's Aurora Husky line and have been breeding, raising and training this wonderful line of sled dogs ever since. We train out of our small home and land near the Iditarod Trail. At present we have 46 dogs from 1 year old to 15 years. After ten's of thousands of miles on the trail behind a dog team, through this amazing place called Alaska, I think I finally have enough experience to run the Iditarod, and we still have a few bucks to throw into the mushing money pit. Besides that, I'm almost 56, one of the "old" guys and I'd like to run this race while I can still see, before my knees fold under, my back collapses or I forget to "duck"! Finally, I know that the Iditarod is the only way to prove my virility. Therefore, I have no choice but to run this race!! Kent and Susie have one son, Kris, 35. He says he enjoys hunting, fishing, golf and kayaking.