20 — Mike Fields from Circle, Alaska.
Age 41.
Mike began mushing and racing at a very young age and has been involved in sprint racing ever since. He’s a US Army combat veteran, and also a retired Laborers’ Local 942 worker. He works as a carpenter and heavy equipment operator for Operating Engineers Union 302. Mike is also a part-time musician in a country rock band. “My main goal in Stage Stop is to get a solid finish with a happy and healthy team.” Afterwards, he plans to take the team to the Fur Rondy World Championship in Anchorage, Alaska.

19 — Stéphane Roy from Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, Canada.
Age 34.
Born and raised in Sainte-Anne-de-Madawaska, Stéphane started dog sledding at the age of five, and it became a daily activity. In the last three years he’s competed in the Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race, La Chic-Chocs 40 (first place, 2024), Defi Lotbiniere Nahak (second place, 2024), and Cross Lake Trappers Festival Race (fourth place, 2024). “I’ve dreamed of running the Pedigree Stage Stop Race for a long time and am glad I made it this year”.

18 — Sean Hildreth, Bend, Oregon.
Age 30.
Sean began mushing in 2018 with Alpine Adventure Dog Sledding (Austin Forney’s kennel in Leadville, Colorado). “The first day of training I fell in love with the dogs, and the musher life,” he says. In 2022, Sean began working for Rachael and Jerry Scdoris at the Oregon Trail of Dreams where he worked with, and raced, their dog team. “Oregon and the kennel are my home, and the dogs are my family,” he says.

17 — Łukasz Paczynski — Swieradow-Zdroj, Poland.
Age 45.

Łukasz began sprint racing in 2007 in the Siberian husky class, and took third place World Championship. Then he took on middle distance racing in Europe. Last year he competed in the Norway Trail race (International mid-distance), IFSS third place World Championship, and later the 2024 La Grande Odyssée where he took fifth place overall and was awarded Rookie of the Year. This is Łukasz’ first time running the Stage Stop so let’s give him a warm Wyoming welcome.

16 — Dave Hochman, Carlowrie, Manitoba, Canada.
Age 59.
Dave saw his first sled dog races at the Festival Du Voyager in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1979. Afterwards, he convinced his mom to allow him three dogs, and that launched his mushing career. During the summer months, Dave is a provincial park maintenance worker. When not training sled dogs or working, he enjoys singing and playing in a band. Dave has two grown kids, Justin and Julie, and a wonderful partner, Janice, who is also his dog handler.

15 — Leonie Tetzner, Burg Germany.
Age 14 and 10 months at race time.
“I race and train dogs, mostly open teams since I can stay on runners,” says Leonie, an enthusiastic, first time Stage Stop competitor. Leonie started running dogs when she was 4 years old. In Europe, she’s a bit of a media star, featured in radio, television and sports magazines. In 2023, she received the Susan’s Hope Award for Dog Care at the Fur Rondy. Leonie loves dogs — training, racing, and winning, and has 14 track record titles. “I like all the mushers and helpers from the Stage Stop!”

14 — JR Anderson from Buyck, Minnesota.
Age 45.
JR is a native of Minnesotan who has dedicated over 20 years to the sport of endurance canines. He and wife, Anna ‘Chapman’ Anderson, own the River Rock Kennel in Buyck, Minnesota. When not racing dogs, JR can be found playing with his daughter Sara and son Eli. Through research, extensive training, and competitive racing, he’s developed a keen knowledge of the canine’s ability to perform at accelerated levels.

13 — Bruce Magnusson from Newberry, Michigan.

Age 61.
Bruce has run the Stage Stop Race more times than any other competitor in our 30-year history. The first time he ever got on a sled was a race in 2002, where he placed second; his dad took first. Bruce was hooked! Now in his 22nd year of mushing, he lives and trains in Newberry, in the upper peninsula of Michigan where he has a kennel. “The Stage Stop is always the primary focus of our race season, and I can’t imagine not being a part of this race and the Stage Stop family.”

12 —Alix Crittenden, Bondurant Wyoming.

Age 37.
Alix has been a professional musher for Jackson Hole Iditarod Sled Dog Kennel for many years. With her husband Sam’s support, she’s battled a brain tumor which was diagnosed about two weeks before last year’s race. Undaunted, every day she cheered her handler, Jess Moore, who finished third. Alix is excited to be back on the roster and wants to be on the top of that podium. “A battle with cancer makes everything physically harder but, somehow, at the same time makes it all feel easier mentally. I’m glad I’ve had dog mushing in my life to make me tougher and I’m ready for the race.”

11 — Anny Malo from St-Zenon, Quebec, Canada.
Age 54.
“I started racing dogs in 1996 after I met my husband, Marco. In 1999 we got some precious teaching out of Joe and Pam Redington. From there, we raced western Canadian mid-distance events with mass starts and met so many good mushers. It became a family affair with our two boys following us on the road for at least a month every winter.
 I won the Pedigree Stage Stop as a rookie in 2019, then five Pedigree Stage Stop Races in a row. It is sure a format we love!!!!”

10 — Cathy Rivest from St-Paul-de-Joliette, Quebec, Canada.
Age 49.
“I began dogsledding around 12 years old, and we ran a tourist business with our sled dogs. That quickly became competition. One winter as a handler in Alaska, I saw famous races and mushers, and found my passion. I moved closer to town, my kennel shrank, and I began to race 4 and 6 dogs sprint class. My favorite race is Laconia, New Hampshire. I’m so thankful to race the Pedigree Stage Stop Race with my brother’s team. This stage race is a ‘must do’ of a lifetime.”

9 — Al Borak from Newberry, Michigan.
Age 65.

Al is a detail guy who’s learned to read dogs, and how to take care of them. His special power is preparing young dogs to be world class racers which is exactly what he plans to do with a talented group of youngsters from Bruce and Laura Magnusson’s kennel. He says that at age 65 his list of hobbies is getting shorter and he’s spending more time planting trees on his family’s property and growing raspberries. “The Stage Stop is absolutely my favorite race.”

8 — Tim Thiessen from Leadville, Colorado. 

Age 41.
Tim has run the Stage Stop every year since 2019. His passion for dog sledding began in 2003 when he began working for a Breckenridge, Colorado sled dog tour company. He soon began competing in the local Colorado race circuit with his own team. Tim and his partner, Natalie, share their high-altitude homestead in Colorado with dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, and some geese. “Every year presents new challenges, and I’m excited to, once again, compete in this esteemed event!”

7 — Sarah Tarlton from Mountain, Wisconsin.

Age 45.
Sarah started racing in 2019, only four years after she began handling dogs. She and her partner in crime, Ryan Beaber, his daughters, and their dogs live in northern Wisconsin. She’s completed the Cross Lake, CopperDog, The Pas, Tahquamenon Country and Northern Pines sled dog races, however the Stage Stop is one of her favorites. “It’s the kids! And getting to make a school presentation. The kids cheering us on is heartwarming and really gets my dogs pumped up to run!”

6 — Liam Conner from Loon Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada.
Age 15.

Liam has been racing sled dogs since he was three years old. Like his Dad, he grew up racing the Ma Mow We Tak sprint circuit in Northern Canada. Two years ago, Liam ran the Klondike Dog Derby, finishing a respectable eighth out of 40 teams. His favorite sport is baseball, but he’s active in cross country running, track, basketball, and volleyball. Liam is excited to represent his family kennel and race against top competitors. “I can’t wait for the adventure to start!” says an enthusiastic first time Stage Stop musher.

5— Mike Bestgen from St. Cloud, Minnesota.
Age 66.
Mike has been running dogs since 1999, mostly in the Midwest, and in marathon and mid distance races. He’s a three-time winner of the WolfTrack Classic Sled Dog Race in Ely, Minnesota, two-time Midnight Run champ, and runner up at the Klondike Sled Dog Derby. ” A lot of my training is done on farmland, so very flat. I came out to do the Pedigree Stage Stop two years ago and fell in love with the people, trails and the race.”

4 — Dennis LaBoda from Hovland, Minnesota.

Age 66.
Dennis grew up in Minnesota surrounded by sled dog activities. His older brother, Dale, started mushing as a teenager, and raced the IPSSSDR in the early years of our event. Following his brother’s footsteps, Dennis started mushing as a teenager. In 1973, he won the Minnesota State Championship 5-dog class with dogs supplied by Chuck Gould. Dennis has won many races in North and South America and has been a race official in Europe. He and his son, Charlie, train, and race Nighttrain Racing Sled Dogs.

3 — Chris Adkins from Canyon Creek, Montana.
Age 56.
Chris grew up running dogs and ran his first distance race, the Race To The Sky 500, at the age of 21. He entered the Stage Stop in 2010 as a training run for the Iditarod and fell in love with the trails of Wyoming. Chris and his wife Shannon, with the help of the kids, operate Mo Betta Sled Dog Racing, a 50-plus dog kennel in Sand Coulee, Montana. This will be Chris’ eleventh Stage Stop. “Apparently, I just can’t get enough of it!”

2 — Austin Forney from Leadville, Colorado.
Age 43.
A 9-time Pedigree Stage Stop Race finisher, Austin comes from a sixth-generation line of cattle ranchers in the Sandhills of western Nebraska. He lives and trains in Leadville, Colorado elevation 10,152 ft. Austin says he and his handlers are “excited to spend another year in Wyoming with all of the amazing people and dogs of the Pedigree Stage Stop Race” and thanks his family and friends for their continued love and support. “See you in Jackson!!!”

1 — Michael Tetzner from Burg, Germany.
Age 58.

Michael’s homebase is a farm in Burg, Schleswig-Holstein in northern Germany where he has a 60-dog kennel. He began mushing in 1987 after watching a sled dog race in Germany, then started running Siberian Huskies and he’s been racing dogs all over the world since. Michael placed third overall in the 2023 Fur Rondy Open World Championships and got an award for the best dog care. His daughter Leonie will be competing in her first Stage Stop this year.