Iditarod 54 rookie class

As with every Iditarod, there is a class of musher that can be the most exciting and inspirational. The Rookie Class is filled with teams of all different goals and backgrounds. Some are looking to start on the professional mushing journey, others want to fulfill that childhood dream, there are some that just want to make it to Nome. All carry with them the well wishes of those watching who earnestly hope they all reach the finish and receive the coveted finisher's buckle.

This year the race technically has thirteen rookies headed down the trail, but one of those rookies is the musher in the inaugural Expedition Class of the race and so for our purposes we'll focus on the other twelve who had to qualify for the race as well as have to stay competitive in order to finish. No easy task as we've seen in recent years as the race grows increasingly faster and the gaps widen considerably. 

Of the twelve racing rookies, three are returning rookies - meaning they will not be eligible for the Rookie of the Year award. (Though at this point getting that buckle may be what they care about more.) Four of the rookies are women. All in all a healthy roster of rookies.

With that in mind, let's get to the task of familiarizing ourselves with the new crop and make sure we know how we can follow them to learn more.

Idita-Class of 2026

Adam Lindenmuth - Adam began mushing in 2017 learning from other mushers before creating his own kennel in 2021. He ran races prior to his opening his own kennel, and spent the last two years qualifying for the Iditarod using his own dogs. Adam has seen success in the races he's run, winning several along the way. Adam said in his bio that "the pups are old enough so here we are!" ahead of the Iditarod. It will be interesting to see if he tries for Rookie of the Year.You can learn more about Adam and follow his journey from his Iditarod Bio, Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Brenda Mackey - They say third time's the charm, and that's what Brenda is hoping for. Brenda comes from one of those "legacy" mushing families and is incredibly capable - it's just the last two tries she's ended up with sick dogs that called the race for her. Her true rookie run was in 2021 on the "Gold Loop Trail", the modified trail during Covid. Mackey, like many teams that year, ended up scratching due to dogs getting a very bad bug. Brenda returned last year feeling good about her chances, but after an emergency situation and confusion with the SOS button early on in the race Brenda was out again. Both times she did right by her dogs and that's all one can hope a musher does. Brenda says this year she's looking forward to seeing more than the first 300 miles of the Iditarod. Learn more about the musher from her Iditarod Bio, Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Jaye Foucher - Jaye is finally going to be on the trail! After having her dreams dashed well before the race in 2022 after a training run turned into a nightmare when on a road crossing a car didn't see Jaye's team and hit the team. Foucher was emotionally and physically not ready to run the race after that and chose to withdraw and head back home to the Lower 48. Jaye will be the only team to have a mix of Siberians and Alaskan Huskies. It will no doubt be an emotional moment to see her take off from the start line. You can learn more about Jaye from her Iditarod Bio, Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Jesse Terry - Jesse is coming off of a win at the Canadian Challenge just last week and is on the road (probably already made it by the time this is posted) to Alaska. Terry is a member of the Lac Seul First Nation and has run dogs most of his life. He began racing in 2012 and boasts an impressive record of top placements and Vet and Sportsmanship awards. He also recently took over Hans Gatt's sled building business, proving he is exceptionally good at what he does. If we were playing the Oregon Trail, he'd be the one that cost the post to choose as your player - he's got all the skills. You can learn more about the musher by going to his Iditarod Bio, Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Jody Potts-Joseph - Jody is Han Gwich’in from Eagle Village, Alaska and a citizen of the Native Village of Eagle and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation in Dawson City, Canada. She raises her family and her kennel "on the land of her ancestors". Mushing is not just something to do, it is a part of her. Jody wrote recently, "For me, the Iditarod is more than a race. It continues the way my ancestors traveled the land, cared for their dogs, and sustained life along the Yukon River. In the race’s 50-year history, only a small number of Alaska Native women have stood on this trail." Just last year we watched this woman wade through several miles of overflow getting her team down the trail of the Yukon Quest. She's no doubt got the heart and strength for Iditarod. Learn more about this amazing woman and musher from her Iditarod Bio, Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Joseph Sabin - From sled dog tour guide to kennel owner. Joseph has learned from some of the leading kennels how to train dogs and now it's his turn to go down the trail. Originally from the Lower 48 he would travel to Alaska during tourist season to run tour operations for other mushers. That wasn't enough for Sabin and around 2020 he decided he needed to start his own team. He still manages tours in the summer for another kennel, but he's taking a team of dogs he bred, raised, trained and raced to the start of the Iditarod. He moved to Alaska about three years ago and settled in Fairbanks where he and his partner Willoe Maynard run and train their dogs. You can learn more about Joseph from his Iditarod Bio, Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Kevin Hansen - Another rookie who embodies Joe Redington Sr.'s original vision for the Iditarod, Hansen hails from the West Coast of Alaska in Kotzebue. The Physical Therapist by trade, but musher at heart has been training and racing dogs for much of his life with the dream of Iditarod always in the back of his mind. Fans may recognize him most from the Kobuk 440 a springtime race run out of Kotzebue each year as Hansen has in most recent years stuck with the top teams having consistent top placements. Just getting to the starting line makes him a winner with the added expenses (to an already insanely huge expense just to run the race) with living in remote Alaska off the road system so he has to fly his dogs to Anchorage so that he can mush them back to the West Coast. You can learn more about Kevin from his Iditarod Bio, Facebook, and Instagram.

Richie Beattie - Okay. So. This one's tricky. Not the musher's fault. It's a technicality really. Many fans may remember Beattie has run the Iditarod before and he did make it all the way to Nome. Richie technically completed the race in 2019 but the Iditarod still lists him as a Rookie. This has thrown a lot of people, but a quick look at his race history shows a "WD" designation next to his Nome "checkpoint". This was due to them having to envoke that year's Rule 42. (It needs to be said that Iditarod's necropsy and investigation never lead to any wrong doing from Beattie and he was not sanctioned.) So technically he's finished, but he's also technically a rookie. Clear as... mud? You can learn more about Richie and his team of Wildthingz from his Iditarod Bio, Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sadie Lindquist - She'll be running Mitch Seavey's puppy team, so don't expect her to break any records. Her job - as with all Seavey puppy teams - is to get the young pups to Nome in the most fun way possible. No stress, just fun! And that's kinda how Sadie is in general. Guests to the Seavey Kennel in Seward will likely recognize her as she's one of the familiar faces giving demonstrations, talks, and tours of the Ididaride Kennel. She's a life long Alaskan who has been connected with these dogs pretty much their entire lives. Expect her to make it to Nome beaming that Sadie smile the whole way. You can learn more about Sadie by going to her Iditarod Bio, Website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sam Martin - Ten years ago there was this kid straight outta high school looking for adventure and found it on the Panhandle of Alaska. Like many, his start was giving tours on a glacier for hundreds of cruise ship passengers wanting to experience Alaska. Sam says one summer was all it took, he was hooked and soon found his way to Matt Failor's kennel where he has helped run and train dogs. Martin has run his qualifiers at a conservative "finish with everyone happy and ready for more" type pace and it may be how he takes on the much larger beast known as Iditarod. You can learn more about Martin from his Iditarod Bio, GoFundMe, and Facebook.

Sam Paperman - Sam's one job is to get the Turning Heads Kennel puppy team to Nome. With, you know, happy dogs ready to do it again. Paperman has been with THK since he was 14 years old working his way up from kennel hand to dog trainer and now racer. He's also a volunteer EMT for their local emergency services (fans may remember he helped save a man's life when a boulder fell on him while hiking). When Sam is racing his dad is often keeping folks updated on how it's going for the young musher (the proud dad posts are fantastic and informative). Don't expect Sam to take away any top prizes, but it's a good bet this guy will get them to Nome. You can learn more about the musher by going to his Iditarod Bio, Facebook, and Instagram.

Sydnie Bahl - Sydnie is another one of the rookies returning for a second try at this finishing thing. Bahl ran last year and was one of the heartbreaking scratches/withdrawals from the race. Sydnie was having quite a good run up to when her race ended and many felt she should have continued on. That's water under the bridge as of now, though, because she's on her way to try number two. The trail is the normal one, there are no extra miles, no back and forths, no millions of miles of river (well except for the normal amount). Bahl runs a team out of Vern Halter's kennel and he does his best to create a schedule that sets his musher/team up for success. To learn more about Sydnie you can visit her Iditarod Bio, Website, and Facebook.

The Iditarod kicks off Saturday, March 7 with the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage, Alaska. 

What do you think of this year's rookie class? Who do you have for Rookie of the Year? Comment below with your thoughts and predictions!

This blog has always been a hobby and will continue to be - and this list is more for myself than anything - if you can spare a few dollars to help keep this blog running I wouldn't say no. Please do not feel obligated, but know that all support (in every form, not just financial) is greatly appreciated! Click here to "buy me a coffee".

Iditarod 54 top ten

We are in the new era of Iditarod mushing. The roster has slowly grown in the last couple of years and while still not the numbers from the twenty-aughts and twenty-teens we no longer wonder if there will be much of a roster at all. With nearly forty teams set to head towards Nome in just under two weeks from now, a strong group of "new" potential champions are poised to take their team to the next level.

Sure, their names have been in the "waiting in the wings" status. The "potential to win" status. The "future champion" status. But there were still those teams that just had that much more experience to get the job done again and again. This year's roster is full of those teams that have been "waiting in the wings". They've won the other races. They've been in the top ten for years. They all have the experience and the ability to run a race that is a winning race.

But there are a lot of them. This roster is stacked with talented dogs and mushers. Of the four returning champions, three will be gunning for that top position. 2020 Champ Thomas Waerner is the only musher not focused on winning - his job this year will be to guide the inaugural "expedition class" musher to the finish line. Our three remaining return champs are the exciting trio of Holmes, Kaiser, and Redington. 

So as you prepare to choose your Fantasy Mushing Iditarod 54 team, let's take a look at the highest potential teams in this year's race (that will probably be the higher priced teams in FM.)

Jessie Holmes - The reining Iditarod Champion. The Team Can't Stop musher was all smiles and positive energy at race sign-ups this past June. Holmes entered the Iditarod in his rookie year with the full intent of immediately being competitive. And, he was. Winning Rookie of the Year, Holmes went on to continually contend for a top placement. And, then, in 2025 it happened. Holmes took a very similar approach this season as last. He was very choosey of which races his team would enter, deciding on the Copper Basin and... that's it until after Iditarod. It worked last year, let's see how it plays out this year.

Jessie Royer - One of the top female mushers for well over two decades now, Royer is no stranger to the top ten of Iditarod. Unfortunately for Royer her schedule was a little different this season as her stomping grounds in the Lower 48 saw a winter similar to what Alaska faced in 2025. Several mid-distance races were canceled, including Montana's Race to the Sky a race that Team J dominates. This should not in any way make this year's Iditarod more challenging. Royer spends a lot of time in the winter in Alaska and in any situation extremely adaptable. She's a sure bet to get you those fantasy points.

Josi Shelley - This may be a risky choice for top ten, but the 2024 Rookie of the Year just had a hell of a race on the Yukon Quest Alaska 750. She didn't just win that race, she dominated having a Libby Riddles like run where she lead by hours staying ahead of the bulk of the massive winter storm that hit during the race. She could absolutely make waves in the top ten this year if she plays her cards right and her team is bounced back from their historic win last week. We've seen other teams run both races back to back (and, yeah, the Quest is shorter now) and it's only seen one team win both in the same year. Could Josi repeat that feat?

Matt Hall - Is Matt going to be the next musher to ride the "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" roller coaster? We've seen him come in second now a couple of times. In the last two years he's come in second. Last year he changed up his training program by doing more human training year round as well as focusing on just running Iditarod and not running many if any races in the months before. He said he was taking a page out of Dallas Seavey's book. Marathons for Hall in the summer, training dogs in the winter with the prize a long adventure on the Iditarod trail. He's nearly there, will it happen for him in 2026? That's what we're all watching.

Michelle Phillips - She was fourth last year. Her first in the top ten. She's consistently in the top twenty when she runs the race. She just won the Two Rivers 200 race, another dominate win by one of the mushers on this list. She's won the Canadian Quest several times in their different long lengths. She'd no doubt have been in this year's race had they been able to put one on. Last year's race was the longest and for many the hardest in modern Iditarod history and Michelle managed her best finish - by far. She's one of the toughest out there and it will be exciting to see how she slingshots off last year's result.

Mille Porsild - She's been crowned by many to be "the next". We've had several "the next" since Susan Butcher hung it up in the 90s. Porsild's friend and mentor DeeDee Jonrowe knows the pressure of being labeled "the next" better than anyone. Jonrowe raced against Butcher and after Susan's retirement was expected to take the legend's place as dominating the men on the trail. Jonrowe came close, but never took it all the way. Since Porsild's rookie year in 2020, the musher has yet to be out of the top 15, with only two years finding her team out of the top 10. She's as tough as they come, and as fast as they come, with experience to boot. 

 

Paige Drobny - The Squids lit up the race scene this winter and are now pointed towards Nome. While Drobny's husband took the team out for most of the race season, Paige is set to take another shot at the top placement of the Last Great Race. While always a fan favorite and certainly a consistent top twenty team, Drobny and the Squids made a huge jump in 2024 running down many of the top teams in the final leg of the race to come in fifth place - without pushing her young team. Drobny improved on that placement last year coming in third. If she and her team - now in its prime racing experience age - manage to follow this pattern.... just sayin'.

Pete Kaiser - Talk about coming in right under the wire. Kaiser's name wasn't even on the roster until Monday. Like drop bag Monday. Like just under three weeks from the Ceremonial Start Monday. The 2019 Champion's team looked incredible on the Kusko. They always do, but there was something about this year's team that had lots of comments on just HOW good they looked. Strong, powerful, energetic. As Pete made his historic tenth Kusko win the media immediately asked if he was sure he wasn't going to run the Iditarod and he musher played coy. Hope dwindled as food drop deadline approached and then the announcement was made. 

Riley Dyche - Speaking of the Kusko, Dyche once again came in second, gaining one minute on the champ from last year's race. Dyche said post race that in about 20 years he'll catch Kaiser. Hopefully it doesn't actually take that long, but Dyche is one of those spreadsheet mushers. Like many mushers of the newer generation, Dyche uses race archives to prepare his "thesis" for the master class of Iditarod. He studies race times, strategies, training habits. Everything. He and his wife have quietly built their kennel and their team to become one of the top kennels, choosing to lay low and out of the internet spotlight. He's truly the dark horse of mushing that way and time will tell how it works out for him, but don't be surprised to see him in the mix.

Travis Beals - Another solid bet for a top ten finish for Fantasy Mushing teams, Beals has come sixth the last two Iditarods. Two years ago he lead for a good portion of the race before realizing he punched the gas a little too soon on the Yukon (and he ended up with an eye injury that didn't help). Last year in the longest and some say toughest Iditarod in modern race history he once again ended up six after a strong race. Those added miles to the total may have played a part. With the race going back to a trail far more familiar with weather far more usual forecasted for the race, Travis should be right on track to stay in the mix and improve on his already impressive track record.

What?! Have we done it?! We've stuck to ten?! 

Ha! If you've read this blog before you know it's not possible to start at ten. These days there are just too many teams with the potential to ruin this perfectly, professionally, punctuatedly list of ten. No, no. We have some honorable mentions with not just an outside chance of spoiling the whole thing, but a very real chance of doing so. 

Honorable mentions like Rohn Buser who is returning to Iditarod after a life hiatus. He went out and did other things, met and married his wife who is very much equal kennel and business partner, he's a two time dad. Last year was supposed to be when Buser returned to Iditarod but his daughter had other plans and he withdrew so he could be dad to his newborn daughter. He's currently running the Su Dog 300 as a final training run. He's used most of the races this season to get the miles and exeperience focusing on a positive race for all. It's anyone's guess how much he pushes in this first Iditarod back. 

Jeff Deeter this past summer had noted that he wasn't fully planning on a bid at the Iditarod this year always hedging with it would depend on how the team looked, but when sign ups came around his name found its way on the list. So he must have seen something in the team that suggested they were gonna go for it. Deeter ran a conservative Kusko, and had to scratch from the Yukon Quest Alaska as the trail disappeared during the storms needing to preserve the team for the big one. 

Wade Marrs made the move back to Alaska after several years in the Upper Midwest of the US. Partially due to his spending his summers in Alaska managing a touring operation, but also just to get back to Iditarod - and that feeling of home. It should be expected for Marrs to remind people why he was so exciting to follow when he last ran Iditarod. 

Ryan Redington won the whole thing just three years ago. He's seemingly in the last season or so taken a backseat in the mid-distance races, using them to build up a his team for Iditarod. Perhaps he's playing a mental game and he'll surprise everyone in the Iditarod. Maybe this will be more of a training run. We'll know by the time he reaches Nome. (Blogger note: Ryan let me know today that he's not playing a mental game and is always working to build a better team. He's all in with a strong team.)

Bailey Vitello was just supposed to run the Iditarod to check it off the musher bucketlist. Then he did it, and he got bitten by that bug. The one they all talk about. The one that they all say they're done in Nome and then at the last Saturday in June they show up and ask "what is wrong with us?" And Bailey's stayed, trained, raced, and is now one of the up and coming stars. In three races he's jumped from a twenty-seventh place rookie run finish to fifth last year.

The race kicks off with the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage, Alaska on March 7, 2026 at 10am with the restart in Willow, Alaska on March 8 at 2pm. 

Who do you think should be on the list? Comment below with your thoughts.

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Iditarod 54 Musher Roster

Can you believe it? Iditarod 54 begins in just two weeks. Two weeks! How did we get here so fast?! The first quarter of 2026 is flying by faster than a blink and it no doubt has hit the mushers just as much as it has hit those of us watching from home.

The mushers spent much of the last week delivering their drop bags to Iditarod. Mushers close to the South Central area drove their hundreds of pounds of food and gear to the warehouse where Iditarod Volunteers sorted and prepped the bags for shipping out to each checkpoint along the trail. Those further North drove them to Fairbanks to have them cargo flown to Anchorage, and Pete Kaiser who was a last minute entry shipped his directly from his home in Bethel.

All the norm for this time of year gearing up for The Last Great Race. 

Iditarod did, however, announce several NEW things coming to this year's race. After many years of staging race headquarters in The Lakefront Hotel in Anchorage, the race has found a new partner with a more Downtown Location. The Lakefront has been a fantastic facility for a one stop shop of sorts for all the race needs, but about ten years ago it pulled it's official partnership due to increasing pressure from certain outside groups doing what they do best. The race continued to use the hotel, but it added to the increasing costs to put on the race. As of now it will still be where the race houses the return dog Anchorage team and where return dogs will be transported from off the trail as the hotel sits on Lake Hood where small float and ski planes land all year long.

The new Headquarters will be right where the action all takes place on that first Saturday in March, the newly remodeled and renamed Wildbirch Hotel. The Wildbirch was once the quirky Aviator Hotel that fans had booked for years to watch the Rondy and Iditarod races from their hotel room windows. Now, with the upgraded look, it's taking on a much more prominent and official role. 

Also new this year is a new class of musher, the "expedition class." It's been long suggested by mushers and fans alike that the Iditarod could fix many of its "teams must be competitive" rule cutting off teams earlier and earlier in the race if they held two classes in the race, a professional race for the win type of class and the adventure (or expedition) class for those that are doing it as a bucketlist or just getting their feet wet. That isn't *exactly* what's going on here as this expedition class is more like those tours we see happening nearly every year by kennels that "follow" the trail but do not participate in the race with high paying clients.

Iditarod has jumped in on that and they have their first "Expedition Class" musher who will be guided by 2020 Iditarod Champion Thomas Waerner (who has done these types of tours previously). As part of his participation Rokke paid $2000 of each entry fee of mushers who signed up between June and November. To his credit, Rokke has been mushing dogs under the guidance of Waerner for several years and has run some races over in Europe, so it's not like they're handing some dude who's never seen a dog sled a team of dogs and wishing him the best of luck.

Also new this year is a new Race Marshal - now before you start asking where Nordman went, Mark's gone no where. Nordman for the last few years has stepped into the role of Race Director seeing to all of the logistics of the race where as the Race Marshal focuses on the race itself. Warren Palfrey took over when Nordman stepped into the director role, and now Dan Carter will Marshal the 2026 race. Carter is a veteran of the race, a long time race judge, and has run other races both as a musher and an official. Carter seems well liked by mushers and should be fair in his decisions. If you're fortunate enough to talk with him you'll hear some pretty amazing stories of the trail and his whole body lights up talking dogs.

Whew! That was a blog post in and of itself, but that's not what you're really here for. So let's talk the roster, shall we?

In a year that saw several legacy mushers pass, it comes as no surprise that the Iditarod would name one as their honorary musher for this year's race. Mary Shields is given this honor for 2026. Shields was one of two women to enter the second ever Iditarod, and was the first to cross the finish line solidifying her place in Iditarod and mushing history. Mary passed in July of 2025 and the Iditarod announced her as honorary musher earlier this month.

With Food Drops officially here, no new names can be added to the roster but there is still a chance a team or two will have to withdraw prior to March 6. Still, the roster is sitting at thirty-six names (including the expedition class musher and guide). There are four returning Iditarod Champions (though one is the guide for the expedition class). There are thirteen recorded rookies (counting expedition class); twelve women are in this year's race. 

As always, once bib numbers are published by the race after Bib Draw on March 4 the roster will be edited to reflect start order.

Musher	Kennel	Link	Link	Link	Link
Adam Lindenmuth	Sojourn Kennels	Bio		Facebook	Instagram
Bailey Vitello	Team Bailey	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Brenda Mackey	Mackey's Alaskan Distance Dogs	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Chad Stoddard	Happy Trails Kennel	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Gabe Dunham	Evermore Adventures	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Grayson Bruton	The Cure Racing Kennel	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Hanna Lyrek	Team Lyrek	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Jason Mackey	Mackey's TopNotch Comeback Kennel	Bio	Website	Facebook
Jaye Foucher	Sibersong Sleddogs	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Jeff Deeter	Black Spruce Dog Sledding	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Jesse Terry	On the Land Sled Dogs	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Jessie Holmes	Can't Stop Racing Kennel	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Jessie Royer	The J Team	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Jody Potts-Joseph	Raven Clan Kennels	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Joseph Sabin	VOA Racing	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Josi (Thyr) Shelley	There & Back Again Sled Dogs	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Keaton Loebrich	Star Gazer Racing	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Kevin Hansen	Hansen Kennel	Bio		Facebook	Instagram
Kjell Rokke	"Expedition Class Musher"	Bio
Lauro Eklund	Skookum Expeditions	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Matt Hall	Silver Ace Sled Dogs	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Michelle Phillips	Tagish Lake Kennel	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Mille Porsild	Mille & Co	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Paige Drobny	Squid Acres	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Peter Kaiser	Kaiser Racing	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Richie Beattie	Wildthingz Dog Mushing	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Riley Dyche	Dark Horse Sled Dogs	Bio	Website
Rohn Buser	Susitna Sled Dog Adventures	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Ryan Redington	Redington Mushing	Bio	Website	Facebook
Sadie Lindquist	Seavey's Ididaride	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Sam Martin	17th Dog / Alaskan Husky Adventures	Bio	Website	Facebook
Sam Paperman	Turning Heads Kennel	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Sydnie Bahl	Dream a Dream Kennel	Bio	Website	Facebook
Thomas Waerner	Berserk Kennel (Expedition Class Guide)	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Travis Beals	Turning Heads Kennel	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram
Wade Marrs	49th State Sled Dogs	Bio	Website	Facebook	Instagram

*Roster as of February 20, 2026 @ 10pm AKST.

Bold reflect past Iditarod Champion.

Italic reflect Expedition Class participant.

Who are you excited to watch race on the Iditarod trail? Thoughts on the roster? The changes? Comment below!

This blog has always been a hobby and will continue to be - and this list is more for myself than anything - if you can spare a few dollars to help keep this blog running I wouldn't say no. Please do not feel obligated, but know that all support (in every form, not just financial) is greatly appreciated! Click here to "buy me a coffee".