2022 Iditarod Musher Roster

Here we go, folks! The moment we've all been waiting for IDITAROD 50 IS UPON US! In just a few days time we will all forget the world outside of GPS trackers and sled dogs exists. It is THE most WONDERFUL time of the year! There are 49 names on the roster after seeing 63 sign up. Many reasons, as always, for pre-race withdrawal. Some to do with the Covid policy (all participants must be vaccinated), to logistics (travel restrictions and bans are still in place for some areas), to financial, and just not emotionally prepared. Still, 49 is a solid number for the historic 50th running of the last great race and we are here for it.

As always, I will list the teams as they are listed on the Iditarod's sign up roster until after the Bib Draw when I will reorganize it to reflect starting position. I will be in Anchorage when they are announced so the edit may be delayed, but we'll get it up as soon as possible.

The roster reflects the most recent update from February 19, 2022. Bib Numbers will be added after March 3, 2022. Bib numbers were chosen electronically again this year and announced yesterday (February 26, 2022). This year, based on feedback from readers, I've added kennel names where possible. If you see something that needs correcting let me know! 

Iditarod 50 Mushers

Bib	Musher	Kennel	Status	Link	Link	Link	Link
2	Sean Williams	Happy Trails	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram
3	Nicolas Petit	Team Petit	Veteran	Website	Facebook		Twitter
4	Michelle Phillips	Tagish Lake Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
5	Paige Drobny	Squid Acres	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
6	Martin Massicotte	Chenil des Patriotes	Rookie		Facebook
7	Jessie Holmes	Team Can't Stop Racing	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
8	Ramey Smyth	Homestretch Kennel	Veteran		Facebook
9	Anna Berington	Seeing Double Kennel	Veteran	Website		Instagram
10	Matthew Failor	17th Dog	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
11	Mats Pettersson	Kiruna Sled Dog Tours	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
12	Joar Leifseth Ulsom	Sivo Racing Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
13	Hanna Lyrek	Team Lyrek Kennel	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram
14	Eric Kelly	Daybreak Mushing	Rookie		Facebook	Instagram
15	Riley Dyche	Darkhorse Sled Dogs	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
16	Lev Shvarts	Team Ollie	Veteran	Website	Facebook
17	Ryan Redington	Redington Mushing	Veteran	Website	Facebook
18	Richie Diehl	Real Diehl Racing	Veteran		Facebook
19	KattiJo Deeter	Black Spruce Kennel	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
20	Dallas Seavey	Dallas Seavey Racing	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
21	Aaron Peck	Elevation Sled Dogs	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
22	Joe Taylor	Mushing Malarkey	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram
23	Aaron Burmeister	Alaskan Wildstyle Racing	Veteran		Facebook
24	Kristy Berington	Seeing Double Kennel	Veteran	Website		Instagram
25	Deke Naaktgeboren	Nautique Sky Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
26	Anja Radano	Swamp Dawg Kennel	Veteran		Facebook	Instagram
27	Brent Sass	Wild and Free	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
28	Dan Kaduce	Dew Claw Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
29	Julie Ahnen	Team Can't Stop Racing	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram
30	Mitch Seavey	Ididaride Sled Dog Tours	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
31	Matt Hall	Smokin Aces Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
32	Amanda Otto	Husky Homestead	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram
33	Mille Porsild	Team Racing Beringia	Veteran	Website	Facebook
34	Jeff Deeter	Black Spruce Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
35	Ryne Olson	Ryno Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
36	Bridgett Watkins	Kennel on a Hill	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram
37	Peter Kaiser	Kaiser Racing	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
38	Martin Buser	Happy Trails Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
39	Gerhardt Thiart	Seavey's Ididaride	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram
40	Karin Hendrickson	Blue and Black Racing	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
41	Kailyn Davis	Stump Jumpin' Kennel	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram
42	Travis Beals	Turning Heads Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
43	Lisbet Norris	Alaskan Kennels	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
44	Sebastien Dos Santos Borges	Polar Team	Rookie	Website	Facebook	Instagram
45	Joshua McNeal	Crooked Creek Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
46	Chad Stoddard	Dallas Seavey Racing	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram
47	Apayauq Reitan	Sivo Racing Kennel	Veteran	Website	Facebook	Instagram	Twitter
48	Matt Paveglio	Team DEEtermined	Rookie		Facebook	Instagram
49	Yuka Honda	Ginga Express Kennel	Veteran
50	Hugh Neff	Lanier's Northern Whites	Veteran		Facebook	Instagram

Comment below with any thoughts about the roster, or any corrections. If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).

2022 Yukon Quest (Canada Side) Musher Rosters

Once again I am hastily finishing up this list the day of the race, but here they are. Like the Alaska side of the Quest, the Canadian side had small rosters so I'm including both races. You can follow the race via trackleaders as always, and of course check out the official website and facebook page for all the latest greatest information. I apologize for not doing another write up. I could list a bunch of reasons why but that may have to be a separate blog post. Thanks for hanging in with me! Now onto the rosters!

As always, comment below with any thoughts about the roster, or any corrections. If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).

YQ300

1 Sebastian Dos Santos Borges (Polar Team) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
2 Brent Sass (Wild & Free Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
3 Mayla Hill (Elevation Dogs Kennel) - Facebook / Kennel Facebook / Instagram
4 Connor McMahon (Feral Racing Kennel) - Facebook / Instagram
5 Paul Hamlyn (Braveheart Adventures) - Facebook
6 Aaron Peck (Elevation Dogs Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
7 Deke Naaktegeboren (Nautique Sky Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram
8 Jerry Joinson (Bar-King Sled Dog Kennel) - Facebook
9 Michelle Phillips (Tagish Lake Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram

YQ100

21 - Ilana Kingsley (StinkyPup Kennel) - Website / Facebook / Instagram 
22 - Jonathon Alsberghe (The Fluffy Team) - Facebook / Instagram
23 - Martine Le Levier (Looping Kennel) - can't find an online presence
24 - Nathaniel Hamlyn (Step Up Kennels) - Facebook / Instagram
25 - Katherine Lapointe (Wonder Dog Sledding) - Facebook / Instagram
26 - Lori Tweddell (Echoes Kennel) - Website / Facebook 
27 - Louve Tweddell (Echoes Kennel) - Website / Facebook 

2022 Yukon Quest (Alaska Side) Musher Rosters

Oh, my, what a strange world we live in. The Quest has structured and restructured their race to make it work for the 2022 season in a world of Covid so many times the head spins trying to keep it all straight. What should be a 550 race is now a 350ish race. It's taking off and ending in Fairbanks instead of the many other starting points they expected to use (at one point my cousin's hometown of Tok was going to host the start). Because the roster is so small for the 350 I am also including the 200. I believe both are able to be used as qualifiers for Iditarod and future Quest races. Because the Quest's website was being difficult, I took the lists from the TrackLeaders site, which I believe is in bib order. As always, comment below with any thoughts about the roster, or any corrections. If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).

YQ 350

Jennifer Labarr - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Cody Strathe - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Matt Hall - Website / Facebook / Instagram 
Misha Wiljes - Website / Facebook
Brent Sass - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Rob Cooke - Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Deke Naaktgeboren - Website / Facebook / Instagram

YQ 200

Simon Mettler (Ryno Kennel) - Facebook / Kennel Facebook / Instagram 
Matt Sprau (Dew Claw Kennel) - Facebook / Kennel Facebook 
Dylan Robins - Facebook / Instagram
Shaynee Traska - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Amanda Otto (Husky Homestead) - Facebook / Kennel Facebook / Instagram 
DJ Starr - Facebook 
Dan Kaduce - Website / Facebook / Instagram
Connor McMahon - Facebook / Instagram
Yuka Honda - Is Yuka not online?! 
Justin Olnes (Stump Jumpin Kennel) - Facebook / Kennel Facebook / Instagram
Lauro Eklund - Website / Facebook / Facebook 2 / Instagram / Instagram 2

2022 Caledonia Classic Musher Roster

After a BIG week of races we're jumping right into the next weekend full of races. First up is a small but well loved 200 mile race the Caledonia Classic. This is a qualifier for both Iditarod and Yukon Quest. Since the roster is so small I am also doing the 100 mile roster (not a qualifier). I won't be doing a preview ahead of this race you you'll want to keep up to date with the race through their website and facebook group. Perhaps things will slow down by next year and I'll have the ability to keep up with everything a little more. Without further rambling, here are the rosters with the links. And, as always, comment below with any thoughts about the roster, or any corrections. If you like what you see and want to support my addiction (I mean HOBBY) of following these races and stalking (I mean cheering on) the mushers, you can buy me a slice of pizza (that really goes to paying for my internet/web expenses).

200 Mile

Jerry Joinson - Facebook

​Krys March - Facebook / Instagram

​Anna Bolvin - Facebook / Instagram

Mayla Hill - Facebook

Aaron Peck - Website / Facebook / Instagram

​Max Berthou-Quéau - can't find an online/social media presence. 

100 Mile

Marcel Marin - Facebook

Britta Hanks - Facebook

Jody Verge - Facebook

Eric Marsden - can't find correct online/social media links.

Jeff Hill - Facebook

Silus Godber - Facebook

Megan McCullough - Facebook

Wishing "mush" luck to all of the teams this weekend!

February 2 is Sled Dog Day

I don't know who made it an official holiday, but today is Sled Dog Day. Figured I would celebrate the day by sharing some of my favorite sled dog shots from the last 18 years. Be warned, this will be a photo heavy post. So without further adieu (as we all know, a photo is worth 1000 words anyway) here they come:

The first sled dog shot I ever shared on my blog. Only fitting it
is the first one I share on this post. This is from the 2006? Iditarod.

To save on bandwidth and space, I'll put the rest under a cut:

It's a 6-peat for Pete Kaiser

Peter Kaiser of Bethel, Alaska has reclaimed his title of Kuskokwim 300 Champion this morning as he crossed the finish in a fast and strongly contested race for the win. The "King of the Kusko" managed to keep 2019 Kusko Champ Matt Failor and 2021 Champ Richie Diehl behind him in the last leg of the race. Friends and roomies Failor and Diehl would duke it out for second place, with Travis Beals hot on their heels trying to play spoiler. 

Kaiser and team were met by Kaiser's daughter running up to give her dad a big hug. An enthusiastic crowd welcomed their hometown hero home. The trail this year was a fast one with very little weather issues - though Pete Kaiser's team got turned around coming into Aniak. With Pete's sixth win he is now the second most winning musher of the Kusko, with only 3 more wins to tie Jeff King's 9-time record.

Matt Failor and Richie Diehl came in 2nd and 3rd respectively with Travis Beals fourth and Joar Leifseth Ulsom rounding out the top five. Cim Smyth is the 6th musher in. Aaron Burmeister should come in soon.

Livefeed of the 2022 Kusko 300 Finish