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11 —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…. Read more »

10 — 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… Read more »

9 — 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… Read more »

8 — 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… Read more »

7 — 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… Read more »

6 — 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,… Read more »

5 — 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… Read more »

4— 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. ”… Read more »

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…. Read more »

  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… Read more »

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… Read more »

15 — JR Anderson from Buyck, Minnesota.   Age 44. A native of Minnesota, JR Anderson 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… Read more »

14— Charlie Conner from Loon Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada. Age 42. Charlie is a member of the Peter Ballantine Cree Nation, and a multi-generational mushing family. In fact, “Conner” is Scottish family name that means dog lover. He was raised on the Ma-Mow-We-Tak circuit and is passionate about sharing dog mushing with his family and others. When he’s not… Read more »

  13— Mike Bestgen from St. Cloud, Minnesota. Age 65. “My wife, Vicki and I have four adult children, and ten grandchildren. I’ve been racing long and middle distances the last 25 years, and hope to continue doing it for a while yet,” Mike says. He’s a three time winner of the WolfTrack Classic Sled… Read more »

  12 — Rachel Courtney from Caliento, Manitoba, Canada. Age 31. Rachel Courtney is a dog trainer who began mushing in 2002 with her pet Siberian Husky, Cindy. In 2010, she traveled to Canada to learn more about mushing and fell in love with the sport and lifestyle, then started her own kennel three years… Read more »

11 — Cathy Rivest from St-Paul-de-Joliette, Quebec, Canada. Age 46. Cathy began sledding as a twelve-year-old helping to run the family sled dog tour business. Business quickly turned into competition — competitive sled dog racing. Cathy has raced sprint class, 4-dog and 6-dogs, and dryland. She’s been an active part of Quebec’s Provincial Federation the… Read more »

  10 — Sarah Tarlton from Mountain, Wisconsin. Age 44. Sarah Tarlton is a jack of all trades but a master of none. She started handling dogs in 2015 with Ryan Beaber and his daughters, then started racing in 2019. She loves learning everything she can about taking care of her dogs and giving them… Read more »

  9 — Anny Malo from St-Zenon, Quebec, Canada. Age 53. Anny started mushing in 1995 when she met Marco. It was clear from the start that the woman of his life would have to share his passion. And she did!!! Quickly, they decided to get into the sport seriously. In 1998 they handled at… Read more »

  8 — Jess Moore from Jackson, Wyoming Born and raised in Jackson, Wyoming, Jess began working for JHI as a tour guide in 2018. In 2019, she began working as a handler for the JHI race team and has been hooked ever since. Jess has put in her time as a handler at the… Read more »

  7 — Laura Bontrager from Newberry, Michigan. Age 30.  Laura started running dogs 24 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… Read more »