Musher Details

2011 Iditarod » Mushers » Justin Savidis

Justin Savidis

Bib Number: 63
Hometown: Willow, Alaska
Website:


Biography

In 2004, Justin (AJ), 41, and his wife, Rebecca, packed their worldly belongings into a truck and a trailer, complete with a rocking chair strapped to the top, and moved to Willow, Alaska to follow a job offer, and more importantly, to chase down a dream of running dogs. It was a quick journey from having a couple of dogs and handling for other mushers to establishing a kennel of their own, and then setting the goal to prepare for and race in the Iditarod. Today, they operate Snowhook Kennel comprised of 40+ dogs—some are rescues, some procured from other mushers, and others are a result of the Snowhook Kennel recipe. Growing up in Southeast Idaho, Justin has always sought out adventure including mountaineering and whitewater kayaking. Mushing and the Iditarod are a natural fit for Justin’s sense of and need for adventure—he and the dogs live for pulling the snow hook! Justin’s racing career includes the Rich Allen ‘For Love of Dogs’ award for exceptional dog care and a 5th place finish in the 2013 Northern Lights 300, a 1st place finish in the 2012 Don Bowers Memorial Sled Dog Race, and a 1st place finish and receiving the Humanitarian Award in the 2011 Don Bowers Memorial Sled Dog Race—the awards for dog care are by far the bigger honors. Justin earned his degree in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism with an emphasis on experiential education from the University of Utah in 2002. Driven to help others, his career path has been focused on working with youth at risk. In addition to running dogs, Justin enjoys kayaking, climbing, languages and reading.

Sponsors

Ron/Bev Hann, UT
Frank/Karen Washington
Alaska Executive Search
Wallace Insurance Group
Jay Bould & Family
Jiacalone Family
Mike Saunders
Matt Keartge

Nora Conner
Cindy Bilbo
Geoffrey/Beth Athey
Dan/Jen White, TX
Kelly Olson, ID
Sunrise Grille & Pancake House
Mark Atkins


2011 Standings

Checkpoint Time In Dogs In Time Out Dogs Out Rest Time Previous Layover Status Distance
Enroute Time Speed (mph) 8hr 24hr
Anchorage 3/05 12:14:00 12
Willow 3/06 16:02:00 16
Yentna Station 3/06 19:40:00 16 3/06 19:43:00 16 0h 3m 3h 38m 12.39 45
Skwentna 3/06 22:38:00 16 3/07 03:41:00 16 5h 3m 2h 55m 11.66 34
Finger Lake 3/07 08:33:00 16 3/07 12:14:00 15 3h 41m 4h 52m 9.25 45
Rainy Pass 3/07 16:22:00 15 3/07 19:50:00 15 3h 28m 4h 8m 7.26 30
Rohn 3/08 00:14:00 15 3/08 06:33:00 15 6h 19m 4h 24m 10.91 48
Nikolai 3/08 16:28:00 15 3/08 23:53:00 15 7h 25m 9h 55m 7.56 75
McGrath 3/09 06:32:00 15 3/09 06:54:00 15 0h 22m 6h 39m 8.12 54
Takotna 3/09 09:34:00 15 3/10 09:35:00 15 24h 1m 2h 40m 6.75 ✔ 18
Ophir 3/10 12:04:00 15 3/10 12:10:00 13 0h 6m 2h 29m 10.07 ✔ 25
Iditarod 3/11 08:00:00 13 3/11 16:46:00 12 8h 46m 19h 50m 4.54 ✔ 90
Shageluk 3/12 03:24:00 12 3/12 16:15:00 11 12h 51m 10h 38m 6.11 ✔ ✔ 65
Anvik 3/12 20:06:00 11 3/12 20:22:00 11 0h 16m 3h 51m 6.49 ✔ ✔ 25
Grayling 3/12 23:42:00 11 3/13 08:11:00 10 7h 29m 3h 20m 5.40 ✔ ✔ 18
Eagle Island 3/13 16:39:00 10 3/14 00:50:00 10 8h 11m 8h 28m 7.09 ✔ ✔ 60
Kaltag 3/14 13:18:00 10 3/14 22:00:00 10 8h 42m 12h 28m 5.61 ✔ ✔ 70
Unalakleet 3/15 13:16:00 10 3/16 00:08:00 9 10h 52m 15h 16m 5.90 ✔ ✔ 90
Shaktoolik 3/16 07:05:00 9 3/16 09:30:00 9 2h 25m 6h 57m 6.04 ✔ ✔ 42
Koyuk 3/16 16:19:00 9 3/17 00:57:00 9 8h 38m 6h 49m 7.04 ✔ ✔ 48
Elim 3/17 08:13:00 9 3/17 13:28:00 9 5h 15m 7h 16m 6.61 ✔ ✔ 48
White Mountain 3/17 21:25:00 9 3/18 05:37:00 9 8h 12m 7h 57m 5.79 ✔ ✔ 46
Safety 3/18 13:55:00 9 3/18 14:15:00 9 0h 20m 8h 18m 6.63 ✔ ✔ 55
Nome 3/18 21:08:03 9 6h 53m 3.20 ✔ ✔ 22