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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 »

3 — Austin Forney from Leadville, Colorado. Age 40. Austin was born and raised on a cattle ranch in western Nebraska, and now lives and trains at 10,152 feet in Leadville, Colorado. Fourteen years ago, he switched from cattle and horses to sled dogs, and has been chasing his mushing dreams ever since. He, Rich… Read more »

2 — Tim Thiessen from Leadville, Colorado. Age 38. Tim’s passion for dog sledding began in 2003 when he worked for a Breckenridge, Colorado dog sled tour company. He soon put together his own team and began competing in the local race circuit. Then he caught the “Stage Race Bug” in 2018. This will be… Read more »

1 —Bruce Magnusson from Newberry, Michigan. Age 58. This will be Bruce’s seventeenth consecutive Stage Stop — more than any other competitor in the 27-year history of our event — and his 19th year of mushing. He now lives and trains in Newberry in the upper peninsula of Michigan. “The Stage Stop is always the primary focus… Read more »

24  — Ben Barrett from Middlebury, Vermont. Age 22. In a normal year Ben would be attending his college graduation in February, but instead he’s coming back to Wyoming to compete in his second Pedigree Stage Stop Race. Ben learned to mush straight out of high school when he was 18, and has been working… Read more »

23 — Ryan Beaber from Lily, Wisconsin. Age 47. Ryan is a custom home builder who started running dogs as a hobby, and then turned to competitive racing in 2016. It was a good way to build strong bonds with his children who have travelled to races in Tahquamenon Falls, Apostle Islands, Bear Grease, Gunflint, Midnight… Read more »

22— Guy Girard from Saint-Thomas de Joliette, Canada P.Quebec. Age 67. Guy is retired, and since 1977 has followed this sport to compete in many states. He lives on the south shore in Quebec, near Montreal where the weather is too warm, and the lack of trails make it difficult to train his dogs. For… Read more »

21 — Érick Laforce from Lanoraie, Quebec, Canada. Age 54. Érick is a Montreal firefighter who grew up in a small town at the edge of the country. He spent his teenage years in Montreal where a husky he later named Max came to him in the school yard one day. He says that the… Read more »

20 — Doug Butler from Middlebury, Vermont. Age 66. One of the most notorious mushers on the Northeast circuit, Doug Butler is back for the 2021 Stage Stop Race! Doug has a well-earned reputation over his 45 years of mushing for his ability to party both on and off the race course. A former dairy… Read more »