2022 Iditarod Meet the Rookies

The Iditarod class of 2022 boast a lucky number of thirteen names prepared to head down the trail. Some are fulfilling bucket list dreams, others are taking the next step in their mushing journey, and still others seem to plan on making their mark. As with most rookie classes, many are running dogs from another musher's kennel, though this year some are the only representation of their kennel. 

The six women and seven men all look to have fantastic runs to Nome, and their chances have never been better. There are several names that could easily take rookie of the year, and others that will no doubt surprise us all.

Each year I like to give a brief run down on who these mushers are and which team they run for (if not their own). Paws and fingers crossed that this year all thirteen earn that Finisher's Belt Buckle on this historic 50th running of the Last Great Race on Earth. So, let's meat them, shall we?

Amanda Otto - Otto came up to Alaska several years ago chasing her dream of mushing dogs. She landed at the Husky Homestead, home of four-time Iditarod Champion Jeff King. While King is not signed up to run in the 50th Iditarod, his dogs will no doubt be in the capable hands of his handler. Amanda is an avid athlete and adventurer and made mushing her focus after an injury in 2016 "derailed her soccer career". Otto is quite active on social media - especially her Instagram account, and is worth a follow. You can follow Amanda via Husky Homestead's Facebook page, her Instagram, and you can support her by joining her GoFundMe. You can also view her Iditarod Bio.

Bridgett Watkins - The musher from Kennel on a Hill and her dogs come from a very distinguished pedegree. Bridgett is the daughter of Yukon Quest Champion Allen Moore; Aliy Zirkle is her step-mom. Many of the dogs in Bridgett's kennel are either from Allen and Aliy's kennel or their bloodlines trace back to them. There will be a lot of eyes on Watkins to see how she measures up (but let's remember the Seavey's and Mackey's didn't blow the competition away their rookie races). Watkins had a tragic run in with a moose a few weeks back, but still plans on running Iditarod. You can learn more about Bridgett in her Iditarod Bio, as well as her website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Eric Kelly - Another musher running dogs from his own kennel, Eric got into mushing after meeting Jamaican mushing sensation Newton Marshall. After helping Newton prepare for one of his Iditarod runs, Eric found himself working at Kathleen Fredrickson's kennel of Shameless Huskies before starting his own kennel 4 years ago. Like many Alaskans, Eric and his family fell in love with Alaska during a vacation to the great state and decided to pack up and move to the land of sled dogs. Eric's daughter Aspen is also an aspiring musher. You can learn more about Eric from his Iditarod Bio, as well as his Facebook page, and Instagram.

Gerhardt Thiart - A somewhat world traveller who got hooked on mushing a decade or so ago, Gerhardt is running Iditarod to raise awareness and support for US Veterans through the GAT Foundation. Gerhardt trained and completed his qualifiers under the mentorship of Mitch Seavey, and will be running a team of Seavey dogs in the Iditarod. You can read more about Gerhardt in his Iditarod bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Hanna Lyrek - Well, we couldn't let the boys of the QrillPet racing team have all the fun could we? Hanna hails from Norway and is part of the "exclusive" club of mushers who will no doubt be repping the bright orange of the mushing sponsor (and Iditarod partner) QrillPet. Hanna was born in Alaska, and her family moved to Norway when she was 5. She says she's always run dogs and she is excited to finally see her dreams become reality in running the Iditarod. Hanna could be one of the front runners for rookie of the year, and it will be exciting to watch her race. You can read more about Hanna from her Iditarod Bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Joe Taylor - Joe is another one of those California transplant turned musher. He got the bug after working at the UAF mushing program (like so many) and now has his own small kennel outside of Fairbanks. You may think it a little bit of Malarkey, and that's exactly what Joe Taylor went for when naming his kennel. You can learn more about Joe via his Iditarod Bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Julie Ahnen - The B-team from Team Can't Stop racing is in the capable hands of Iditarod rookie Julie Ahnen. Julie has worked with this team since their puppyhood. Going on four years working with Jessie Holmes, Julie is eager to achieve her childhood dream and get her finisher's belt buckle under the burled arch. Ahnen should be fun to watch as she makes her way across Alaska with what should be a strong and fast team of young dogs. You can learn more about Julie through her Iditarod Bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Kailyn Davis - The high school math teacher is living out a childhood dream with the opportunity to run the Iditarod this year. With Wade Marrs splitting his kennel between Alaska and Wisconsin (and not running the Iditarod this year) Kailyn was given the opportunity to run with his dogs to Nome. The team won't be entirely Stump Jumpin' Kennel dogs, but will be a solid core and help her get that belt buckle. You can learn more about Kailyn via her Iditarod Bio, website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

KattiJo Deeter - We all knew it was just a matter of time before the other half of Black Spruce Kennel took down the trail. Deeter's made it to Nome several times to greet Jeff and the team as they finished in past years, but now KattiJo will be running the kennel's second team in the race. With the insane winter weather this season brought to the Interior of Alaska, the Deeter's have had to change their racing schedule early on. Training was also changed up while they continually dug out and recut their trail. Still, both teams should have no trouble running to Nome. You can learn more about KattiJo via her Iditarod bio, website, Facebook page, Instagram, and Twitter.

Martin Massicotte - Martin is back to try again at finishing the Iditarod after starting in 2020 and not completing the race (like so many once they hit the coast). Martin is a lifelong musher with a great team of dogs, and hopefully this year's race doesn't prove to be a chaotic one of plague and overflow and snow storms that wipe out much of the trail and stall even the most champion of teams. Martin and his wife have shared a lot of their season via social media including how they got the Alaska and the adventure they've found just in the last month. You can learn more about Martin from his Iditarod bio, Facebook page.

Matt Paveglio - Team DEEtermined (in honor of his mother) is hitting the trails thanks to the generous offer of Iditarod veteran Kathleen Fredricks to have Matt run a team from Shameless Huskies kennel in the Iditarod. Matt has worked and dreamt of this moment and now it's finally here. Matt is a supporter of many kennels throughout the years and very vocal about his love for the sport. One can only hope that this run to Nome is everything he's hoped it would be. You can find out more about Matt and Team DEEtermined from his Iditarod bio, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Sean Williams - After having to withdraw just moments before the start of last year's race due to his mother becoming seriously ill (not Covid related), Sean is back to try again to make it this time to Nome. Williams has great support from Martin Buser and Matt Failor and should have a solid team of dogs with him. You can learn more about Sean via his Iditarod bio, Facebook page, and Instagram.

Sebastien Dos Santos Borges - Sebastien is known and loved for his work with "rescues" that he's added to his team. He is fun to watch in the mid-distance races, and one can only hope he has a wonderful run to Nome. He and team came in 7th in this year's Yukon Quest 300, and he certainly looks to have a strong rookie run in this year's Iditarod. You can learn more about Sebastien from his Iditarod Bio (which is very short), website, Facebook page, and Instagram.

So here's to the class of 2022! May they each have swift and safe trails, with "nary a moose" in sight. And when they come off the trail we will wait eagerly to hear them tell their tales and celebrate with them. GOOD LUCK ROOKIES!

Have a favorite rookie? Who do you think will win Rookie of the Year? Comment below with your thoughts and cheers. And, if you like what you see and want to see this blog continue, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that actually goes to internet costs)!

Meet the 2020 Iditarod Rookies

We're into the middle of February, just a couple weeks away from the start of Iditarod 48, so that means it's time to take a look at the mushers planning to tackle the Last Great Race. While everyone is wondering which team will cross under the burled arch first, there are a number of mushers just hoping to finish for the first time with happy, healthy dogs.

The 2020 Iditarod has twelve rookies listed on their roster, 10 male and 2 female. There will be some history made when teams leave the chute in downtown Anchorage and again in Willow, with the hopes of history being made all the way to Nome. Several teams are from established kennels, while others are dogs the rookie has cared for and trained from the start.

Some names are familiar to race/mushing fans. Some even have strong followings on social media. Some rookies are known for previous races where they turned heads, while others quietly qualified without much fanfare. They all have the same goal in common - to get to Nome and receive the finisher's belt buckle. The most important goal, though, is to run with a string of happy, well cared for, super canine athletes. So let's take a look at the Class of 2020 hopefuls.

Damon Ramaker - This Minnesota Musher established his Kennel in 2016 after getting involved with dog sports through skijoring in 2007. Ramaker spent the last two seasons working on his qualifiers in the Lower 48 and Canada. He cites Iditarod Finisher Cindy Gallea as his mentor who encouraged his love for dog sports. The family man lives in a yurt he built with his wife and three children and dogs. When not mushing, he is an ER Nurse and runs a Non-Profit organization encouraging kids to dream big and pursue them with skills to attain the goal. He is also working with an organization to build a sled that will give accessibility to riders with disabilities to be able to participate in the sport he's grown to love. You can learn more about Damon Ramaker and his Deep Root Kennel by visiting his Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Deke Naaktgeboren - The owner of Nautique Sky Kennel out of Fairbanks started his kennel like most. He fell in love with adventure with his dog in college, met a musher and got the mushing bug. Originally from Iowa, he studied in Colorado where he befriended his beloved Siberian Husky Nautique. From there he made his way to Sweeden where he learned more about the sport he was quickly falling in love with and soon found himself in charge of a 45 dog kennel. Upon his return to the States he moved to Seward, Alaska taking a job as a Law Enforcement Officer in the National Parks. Then it was back to the Lower 48 to work as an LEO in the Everglades before trekking back up to the Interior of Alaska to start living his dream. He's in his 7th year of owning his own sled dog kennel, and ran the Yukon Quest in 2019. Now, Naaktgeboren says, he's ready to tackle the Iditarod Trail. You can learn more about Deke and the dogs of Nautique Sky Kennel by visiting his Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Fabio Berlusconi - Don't look for long flowing hair, or a dude riding a white horse... Berlusconi is just another musher. Fabio hails from Italy, learned to mush in Sweden from Iditarod Veteran Mats Pettersson. In 2018 he moved to Alaska to run dogs with 2018 Iditarod Champion Joar Liefseth Ulsolm. For Iditarod, however, Fabio will be running a team of dogs out of Iditarod Veteran Linwood Fiedler's kennel. Fabio does not have his own kennel, and as such does not have a large footprint online. However he does have a personal Facebook page. Linwood's Wayfinder Kennel has a Facebook page that doesn't see a lot of updates, and the Website does not mention Fabio, they also have an Instagram account. You can learn more about Fabio from his Iditarod Bio.

Gabe Dunham - Alaskan turned Montanan, Gabe Dunham began mushing in 2000. Learning from Linwood Fielder, she now has her own kennel of 30 dogs at her home in Montana. Gabe runs a sled dog tour experience out of her kennel in Darby, Montana, and is taking a leave of absence from her tour to travel to Alaska to follow her dream of Iditarod. She just finished Montana's Race to the Sky race coming in second place. You can learn more about Gabe through her Website, Facebook, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Grayson Bruton - If you are a fan and follower of Team Seavey, you'll want to keep an eye on Grayson's Iditarod team as he is the musher taking Mitch Seavey's Puppy Team on their run down the Iditarod trail. Grayson has handled for Seavey for the last few seasons, and works as a tour guide for their glacier sled dog experience in the summer. Bruton grew up in the heart of dog mushing country (Willow, AK) and helped his dad as a volunteer for Iditarod from a young age (sounds familiar). Iditarod is a lifetime dream for Grayson. With Bruton running Mitch's future Iditarod racing team, do  not expect him to be competing for top rookie in the race, his goal is to get as many dogs to Nome for their first time as possible. Grayson is on Facebook and Instagram, and while they typically focus mainly on the A-Team you can find information on the teams from the Ididaride Website, Facebook Page, and Instagram. You can also learn a bit more about Grayson from his Iditarod Bio.

Jesse Salyer - Dallas Seavey might not be running Iditarod 48, but his handler Jesse Salyer is! Jesse signed up on opening day, and had a lot of buzz surrounding him just for wearing the Dallas Seavey Racing logo to the sign up. Jesse has been given the reigns of a very qualified dog team and it will be interesting to see if he's running a conservative run or if he'll be given the go ahead to compete (sorry, I have no insider information on this one!) Without knowing what the goals are for the dog team, it's hard to judge where Salyer will run in the race, but he has the goods to make a push if he so chooses. You can learn more about Jesse on his Iditarod Bio, he has a personal Facebook page, and Instagram (with no posts). Dallas Seavey's Facebook page may give updates on Jesse's race, and you can learn about Dallas Seavey Racing from their Website.

Kaci Murringer - Mushing since childhood, Kaci moved to Alaska to pursue her dream of running dogs. For her first Iditarod, she will be driving a "puppy team" for Matt Failor's Kennel. Kaci will turn 30 while on the trail. Look for a happy musher and some happy pups as they run to Nome. It's just a guess, but I would expect Kaci to be further down in the standings being a rookie with a rookie team. You can find out more about Kaci from her Iditarod Bio, Instagram, and the 17th Dog Kennel Facebook page.

Martin Massicotte - A long time musher who started in sprint as a teen and moved up to mid-distance mushing in the 90s, Martin Massicotte is no stranger to sled dog competition. He is a 10-time champion of the Can-Am 250, and has won several Hudson Bay Quest races as well. Being very competitive in mid-distance races, he managed a 6th place finish in the Yukon Quest in 2003. Now he has his sights set on Iditarod. You can learn more about Martin from his Iditarod Bio, or his Facebook page. 

Mille Porsild - Iditarod fans should know Mille already. For many years Mille gave great insight into the race as she worked along side Joar Liefseth Ulsolm during training, and reported on his races during the season. Her photos brought the process to life, and her good humor made for wonderful recaps of legs of the Iditarod trail. She was a fixture alongside Joar's team at the mid-distance races with camera in hand. But what fans may not know is that Mille is very much a musher in her own right. Now the head musher of Racing Beringia, Mille will be looking to make a mark in her rookie Iditarod. You can learn more about Mille from her Facebook page, Website, and Iditarod Bio.

Quince Mountain - Sometimes plans have a way of speeding up, and Quince Mountain's Iditarod 2020 run is one of those examples. Quince is one half of the BraverMountain Kennel team that was "made famous" through social media a little less than 2 years ago when Blair Braverman (Quince's wife) went viral with her sharing of the team photos and stories (oh and that memoir of hers). Quince worked on his Qualifiers in Alaska as Blair trained for her first Iditarod last year. After Iditarod, it was thought that Quince would run Iditarod in 2021. However, thanks to the generous support of the BraverMountain fans known as Ugly Dogs and Raymie Redington offering Quince the opportunity to run his dog team - Quince will be at the 2020 Starting Line. Quince Mountain will make history at the starting line as the first Transgender Man to run in the Iditarod. Mountain is not a stranger to adventure, and has more than enough grit and determination to have a solid race to Nome. Like all rookies the goal is to finish with a happy and healthy team, but also expect some wonderful tales from the trail when all is said and done. You can learn more about Quince from his Twitter, Facebook, Website, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Riley Dyche - The 2018 Yukon Quest Sportsmanship Award winner, Riley Dyche is no slouch on the trail. Having completed the Quest two years ago, his focus has been on Iditarod. He and his dogs tour in the summer out of Skagway with Alaska Ice Field Expeditions, and live and train in Fairbanks after tourist season closes. Dyche learned from Quest Champion Matt Hall, Copper Basin Champion Ryne Olson, and experienced dog musher Sven Haltman. He now owns a kennel of his own, and the dogs of Dark Horse Kennels are seemingly ready for their newest challenge. Look for Dyche to be running for Rookie of the Year, but ultimately he'll follow his dogs lead to see that they have a positive first experience on the historic Iditarod Trail. You can learn more about Riley from his Facebook page, Website, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.

Tom Frode Johansen - Tom's sled dog team just finished the Yukon Quest with Nora Sjalin as the top rookie team! Though a rookie in this year's Iditarod, Tom is not a stranger to the sport, having begun mushing in 1984 and raced in Norway for decades. He ran the Yukon Quest in 2016, and now he's achieving his dream of running Iditarod. Johansen and the team run sled dog tours in Norway. Tom was Rookie of the Year in 2016 for the Yukon Quest, and will most likely make a run for the Iditarod Rookie of the Year in 2020. You can learn more about Tom from his Facebook page, Website, Instagram, and Iditarod Bio.



The Class of 2020 is an incredibly strong field filled with interesting characters and stories. It will be fun watching these teams attempt the most famous of sled dog races. Who are you most looking forward to following? Comment below!