The Iditarod welcomed 3 new competitors to the 2023 Iditarod field over this last week, adding to a great field of competitors. 

Rookie Iditarod Musher, Bailey Vitello, from Milan, New Hampshire is the 23rd musher to sign up for the 2023 Race.   Vitello is a second generation musher and has competed across the United States, including the 2012 Jr. Iditarod when he was just 14 years old.  We are looking forward to welcoming Bailey back to Alaska for the 2023 Iditarod.

The 24th musher to sign up is Veteran Lars Monsen, from Skiptvet, Norway.   Monsen competed in and finished the Iditarod in 2016, 2017 and 2018.   Lars has been a full-time adventurer for 30 years embracing the motto, “Anything is possible!”   We are excited to have Lars back for the 51st running of The Last Great Race on Earth®.

Rookie Iditarod Musher, Jennifer LaBar, is the 25th Musher to sign up for Iditarod 2023.  LaBar was born and raised in East Tennessee and came to Alaska in 2007 where she was introduced to sled dogs and long-distance racing. LaBar finished the Yukon Quest in 5th place in 2020. Welcome to Iditarod 2023, Jennifer!

The Iditarod Trail Committee looks forward to welcoming more veterans and rookies to compete in the 51st version of The Last Great Race on Earth®.  All mushers that apply to compete in the Iditarod must first go through the qualifiying review board before their entry is offically accepted for the Race.  Stay tuned as our competitive field continues to grow until the close of registration on November 30, 2022.   CLICK HERE for the full lineup for the 2023 Iditarod.