Monthly Archives: October 2021

24 — Grant Beck from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Age 71. Grant has been mushing dogs since age seven, when his first job was delivering groceries by dog team in the remote village of Fort Resolution, NWT. By age twelve, Grant was travelling by himself in the bush with his dog team, learning to live… Read more »

23 — Fernando Ramirez from Peoa, Utah. Age 36. Fernando ran the Pedigree Stage Stop Race in 2019 and in 2020. He and his wife, Dana, own and operate Rancho Luna Lobos in Peoa, Utah. They offer educational sled dog tours, kids’ summer /winter camps and have a dog rescue and rehabilitation program on their… Read more »

22 — Jerry Scdoris from Bend, Oregon. Age 74. Jerry: “I am a Vietnam era Veteran and a very serious University of Oregon Duck; a retired high school teacher, counselor, and football and track coach. My dogs have run in eight Stage Stop races, one with my daughter Rachael Scdoris when she was 15, two… Read more »

21 — Hans Gatt from Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. Age 63.  Hans is a dogsled builder with his partner Susie Rogan in Whitehorse, Yukon. He began racing sled dogs in the European Spring circuit in 1987 and moved to Canada in 1990 to pursue stage and distance racing. After winning the Stage Stop four times,… Read more »

20 — Rachel Courtney from Vita, Manitoba, Canada. Age 29. Born in Mainburg, Germany, Rachel started mushing at age 10 with her pet Siberian Husky and was “immediately hooked on mushing.” At age 14 she began bikejoring (riding a bike with a dog pulling) and four years later came to Canada to handle for Chris… Read more »

19— Geneva Lyon from Brightwood, Oregon. Age 46. Geneva became interested in mushing at the age of four and says that she’s “always loved dogs and all animals.” Born and raised on a small farm in rural southern Oregon, she grew up snowboarding, then got into skijoring and fell in love with driving a dog… Read more »

18— Dennis LaBoda from Grand Marais, Minnesota. Age 63. Dennis is a self-employed contractor. Sled dogs were a neighborhood activity for him when he was growing up in Minnesota. His older brother, Dale, started mushing as a teenager and raced IPSSSDR in the early years of our event. Following in his brother’s “footsteps in the… Read more »

17 — Cathy Rivest from St-Paul-de-Joliette, Quebec, Canada. Age 46. Cathy is a prosthetist and has worked with amputees for 25 years. She began dogsledding at age 12 helping to run the family sled dog tour business for tourists. That business quickly turned to competitive sled dog racing. Cathy has raced sprint class, 4-dog and… Read more »

16 — Christina Gibson from Carlton, Washington. Age 20. Christina decided she wanted to run and win the Iditarod after seeing the animated movie “Balto,”. She ran a dog for the first time at the age of twelve and started building her own team a year later. Christina now owns Whiteout Racing Kennel, a professional race… Read more »

15 — Laura Bontrager from Newberry, Michigan. Age 27. Laura started running dogs 22 years ago with a 4H group started by Jan & Bob Shaw, and their kennel Arctic Wind Racing Sled Dogs. Jan and Bob became like grandparents, and she was fortunate to train and race at Arctic Wind competitively throughout high school… Read more »

14 — Lina Streeper from Fort Nelson, British Columbia, Canada. Age 36. Lina grew up in a small community in northern Sweden and became fascinated with sled dogs at a young age. After moving to Canada in 2007, she focused on professional sled dog racing, and has become an integral part of Streeper Kennels. She… Read more »

12 — Jake Robinson from Bemidji, Minnesota. Age 30. Robinson Racing Sled Dogs is a 36-dog kennel in Bemidji, Minnesota. Jake has been actively racing for over 15 years, as far east as Quebec, west to British Columbia, north to the Arctic Circle, and everywhere in between. Jake and the Robinson Racing crew focus on… Read more »

11 — Diane Marquis from St Medard, Québec, Canada. Age 67. Diane is retired from a long career of cattle farming. She enjoys fishing, hunting, and anything which lets her be outside, and that’s one of the main reasons she started dog sledding 20 years ago. Her first team was Siberian Huskies, but it wasn’t long… Read more »

10 — Anny Malo from St-Zenon, Quebec, Canada. Age 51. 2021 Pedigree Stage Stop Race winner. She’s a biologist who owns her company with husband Marco. “I began mushing in 1995 when I met Marco. He was just 18 years old, and already had his own kennel and was competing in the mid-distance circuit in… Read more »

9 — Érick Laforce from Lanoraie, Quebec, Canada. Age 55. Érick is a retired firefighter who has always been in the dog world starting as a Labrador dog trainer. He began mushing in 1992, raced and won all over America, Canada, the Northwest Territories, and Alaska. His love for the dogs is what makes him such a great… Read more »

8 — Alix Crittenden from Bondurant, Wyoming. Age 34.  2021 Stage Stop 6th place. Alix began mushing in 2009 as a guide for Frank Teasley’s JHI Sled Dog Tours. Her addiction to the dogs quickly grew, and for the last six years she has managed JHI’s racing program. Alix has raced in many of the… Read more »

7 — Chris Adkins from Sand Coulee, Montana. Age 53. Chris’ dad, Terry Adkins, was the only veterinarian on the first Iditarod, and raced it the following year. “I grew up running dogs. Ran my first distance race, the Race To The Sky 500, at 21. If memory serves, I came in fifth, and was… Read more »

  6 — Ryan Beaber from Lily, Wisconsin. Age 48. 2021 Stage Stop finisher Rookie year. Ryan began running dogs 20 years ago as a hobby which turned into racing when his daughters started competing. “As we started racing, we decided stage racing is our favorite style. We love traveling with the dogs, and the… Read more »

5 — Gwenn Bogart from Boulder, Wyoming. Age 64. Gwenn began mushing in October 2012 working with various Iditarod mushers in her home of Wasilla/Willow, Alaska. Her only previous animal handling experience had been training horses and competing in three-day event and dressage. Gwenn’s desire to do the Iditarod consumed her fall and winter days,… Read more »

4 — Thad McCracken from Mosier, Oregon. Age 48. Thad is a software engineer in Portland who had no plans to get into mushing until his wife Colleen bought a rescue dog, Berny, who had excellent pulling abilities. Their first race, a skijor, resulted in a last place finish but totally hooked Thad and Colleen… Read more »