Jessica grew up mushing in Bethel with her younger siblings (Jenny, Jeremiah, Jesse, Josh, Joan and Jordan). Her love for dogs started with – a Bethel rescue dog named Jed. At 8 she started mushing three dogs from her father’s rec team, going out with her siblings. She listened to stories and received advice from local long-distance mushers Myron Angstman, Tomas Israelsson, Ron Kaiser and Bev Hoffman and she remembers Jeff King presenting to her 6th grade class. Her first long-distance race was the K-300 Race Committee’s 100-mile camp out race when she was 12 years old. She realized the strongest bond formed with a dog is when you and the dog are out together for days at a time.

In high school, she won the Jr. Iditarod. Jessica obtained her BS degree from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, allowing her to continue mushing during breaks, and dog sitting for local teams. She worked her summers on a Glacier for Alaska-Helimush owned by Iditarod Musher Linwood Fiedler and got to take her dog team with her.

Jessica attended Washington State University’s Vet School and she owns Knik Veterinary clinic serving the communities of Bethel, Naknek and Kotzebue. When she’s not mushing her favorite hobbies are anything animal related and flying around Alaska with her husband and pilot Sam.

SPONSORS:

Knik Veterinary Clinic
Klejka family
Brewer family
Jenny Klejka and Alex Weissburg
Walther Dental
Mike and Cathy Lucus
Nick Weeks and Dr. Brooke Wilson