Musher Details

2019 Iditarod » Mushers » Shaynee Traska

Shaynee Traska

Bib Number: 7
Hometown: Gladwin, MI
Website:
Meet the Dog Team: http://Facebook.com/howlingRK%20


Biography

Growing up in mid-Michigan, I didn’t know about dogsledding until my aunt and uncle met Joe
Redington. At nine years old, they told me about the Iditarod and I immediately announced to my parents that I would race it someday. My fifth grade speech was that I would be a professional musher in the Iditarod. I dreamed of racing with a team I had raised and trained myself. At the age of fourteen, with the help of Ken and Lori Chezik, I started my very own kennel. When I was nineteen, I developed my own breeding program and many of these same dogs are still with me today. I raced in Michigan until moving by myself to Alaska in the spring of 2012 along with my 25 dogs. I have since gotten married to Jeremy, who loves the dogs and lifestyle as much as I do. Together, we have raised from birth nearly all of the 41 dogs in our kennel. In the summers we guide dogsledding tours on the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, in the winter we also guide and train our race team without the help of handlers. It is a labor of love for us. Through the Lord’s strength, the team and I completed our rookie Iditarod in 2018. I am excited to be back on the trail with my “kids” in 2021 and greatly look forward to the southern route again. I thank the Lord for allowing us to be a part of this life-changing race, the wonderful people of the villages we travel through and their land they share with us, and the opportunity to truly “live” and to draw closer to Him while on this amazing journey across Alaska.
God answered a little girl’s prayers and I hope our race brings glory to Him!

Sponsors

Toni and Scott Seipke,MI
Master Electric, MI
Alaska Icefield Expeditions
Wysong Natural Pet Food, MI
The Selich Family, MI
Zero DC, Czech Republic
The Traska Family, ID

Peggy and Jon Valentine, MI
Wheel Dog Veterinary Services-Dawn Brown
Boundary Fur Sewing
Wagner's Pizza Bus
Golden Link Microbial Supplements, OH
And all of our friends and family who have supported us over the years to make our dream come true!


2019 Standings

Checkpoint Time In Dogs In Time Out Dogs Out Rest Time Previous Layover Status Distance
Enroute Time Speed (mph) 8hr 24hr
Willow 3/03 14:10:00 14
Yentna 3/03 21:48:00 14 3/03 21:53:00 14 0h 5m 7h 38m 5.50 42
Skwentna 3/04 01:26:00 14 3/04 05:20:00 14 3h 54m 3h 33m 8.45 30
Finger Lake 3/04 10:22:00 14 3/04 15:18:00 12 4h 56m 5h 2m 7.95 40
Rainy Pass 3/04 19:06:00 12 3/05 00:27:00 12 5h 21m 3h 48m 7.89 30
Rohn 3/05 04:55:00 12 3/05 10:30:00 10 5h 35m 4h 28m 7.84 35
Nikolai 3/06 01:44:00 10 15h 14m 4.92 Scratched 75