Mushing Alaska

Our next guest is Kai Leddy. She and her partner, Elliott, run their own kennel in Talkeetna — Celestial Sled Dog Kennel. Leddy has been competing in mid-distance races for over a decade and most recently helped spearhead the newest Iditarod qualifier in the Willow area, the Su Dog 300. We talk about the inaugural event, and with Sean and Leddy having lived and worked together for over a year, it...

Our guest in this episode is Jonah Bacon, who is just days removed from completing the inaugural Yukon Quest 750. Naturally, we almost entirely talked about his experience on the trail, we were on the edge of our seat! In the intro, we talked about the Fur Rondy festival and sprint sled dog race. Sean thought you couldn't get funnel cake there but upon further review he learned that you defini...

We are back after a winter Mushing Alaska slumber. We were able to catch up on some of the races in January, check in with the Quest (a lot has happened since we recorded), and just get the ball rolling as the sun comes back and all the dogs are in primetime shape, enjoy!

Sometimes the trail brings you exactly the right people at the right time. This summer, Sean crossed paths with musher Shane Blumentritt in the tiny coastal town of Seldovia, and that chance meeting turned into one of our favorite conversations yet. Shane has been mushing for years, building a kennel from the ground up with his fiancée on the Kenai Peninsula. He’s continuing his push toward qualif...

Our next episode is with Thomas Wærner, an Iditarod Champion and Finnmarksløpet Champion, the two longest sled dog races in the world. He lives in Norway with his dogs while working a full-time job, and has spent decades surrounded by sled dogs — experiencing the wilderness, the hardships, and the rewards of the trail with them. This year, Thomas returns to the Iditarod for the first time since hi...

We had ourselves some good ole-fashioned, clean fun with "the guy from that Nat Geo show" and 2025 Iditarod Champion - Jessie Holmes! Out of pure journalistic instinct, we didn't dive too deep into the 'Rod - after all, the race's documentary already has that covered. Instead, our conversation took as many twists and turns as the Susitna River (which, fun fact, doesn't ac...

In March, Samantha Lalonde made waves by winning Rookie of the Year in the Iditarod while working out of Dallas Seavey’s kennel in Talkeetna. Now, she and her partner Tucker are starting an exciting new chapter—building their own kennel - Lost Sourdough Outfitters, just outside of Fairbanks, surrounded by their own pack of Alaskan Huskies. While they’re gearing up to race in various events in the...

Bailey Vitello has completed three Iditarods (2023–2025), tackling the southern, northern, and the "way northern" routes. By his own words, he still feels like a rookie — he hasn’t run the same trail twice yet. But after a 5th place finish in 2025, and strong performances in both the Kobuk 440 and Kuskokwim 300, he's quickly proving he's a serious contender. Bailey grew up around...

Our guest - Libby Riddles made history as the first woman to win the 1,000-mile Iditarod in 1985, racing through brutal conditions and proving her grit on Alaska’s toughest trail. She ran the Iditarod throughout the '80s and returned for one more run in 1995.Before her historic win, she trained and lived in Teller, Alaska, north of Nome on the Seward Peninsula. These days, she spends winters with...

For our latest episode, we welcome back Connor McMahon for his second appearance on the show. Based outside of Whitehorse in the Yukon, Connor brings his usual easy-going, down-to-earth energy—so much so that you’d barely know his truck broke down less than two weeks before the Iditarod! We catch up on what he’s been up to since last year’s race, his road to Nome this year, and all things mushing....

Mushing Alaska fans, we’ve got a jam-packed episode coming your way! We kick things off with a rundown of the latest mushing news—weather updates, an Iditarod route change (and the social media buzz around it), plus quick recaps of the Yukon Quest Alaska & Canada and the Kuskokwim 300. But the real treat? We’re joined by none other than Squid Acres Kennel’s Paige Drobny & Cody Strathe! The...

Our latest episode is with 2025 Iditarod Rookie - Mike Parker. He has been running renowned musher Jim Lanier's team, but he's no stranger to the sled dog world. With over a decade of experience working with these incredible animals, Mike has been honing his skills and knowledge every step of the way. In 2024, Mike successfully completed the grueling Copper Basin 300, and this year, he's been trai...

Join us for our next episode as we sit down with Mark Nordman, a legendary figure in the mushing world and the Iditarod. With over 40 years experience, Mark has worn many hats in this iconic race: from dog driver to race organizer to race marshal. His dedication extends beyond the trail; Mark annually visits the remote villages along the Iditarod route, nurturing the crucial bond between these com...

We got a chance to chat with Calvin Daugherty and will get to see him hit the Iditarod trail again the first weekend in March 2025. Calvin was exposed to the sled dog world when his family moved to Alaska about a decade ago and has been hooked ever since. We had a great time chatting with him and are going to be cheering him on this season, enjoy!

2025 Iditarod rookie Keaton Loebrich joins us for our next episode! Keaton moved up here a few years ago and fell in love with sled dogs and the interior. He and his wife got married this summer and live near Fairbanks in a cabin that they built with 21 dogs in their yard. Star Gazers Kennel has sled dogs that are sourced from multiple kennels around Alaska. Keaton ran the Quest 300 twice among ot...

In this episode, we got a chance to chat with Dan Carter - an Iditarod 2007 veteran, the race director of the Wyoming stage stop, and a race official for the Iditarod. We learned about the history and format of the stage race and the roles he now has in each event. He also shared some stories from his Iditarod run, enjoy!

In our first episode of season 3, we connect with Iditarod veteran Severin Cathry - all the way from Switzerland. He first came to Alaska in 2010 and has been back every few years to enjoy time on the trail with the dogs. He ran multiple Copper Basin's on his way to running this years ‘Rod. He talks about his journey and we teach each other how to say mogul, enjoy!

We had the pleasure of spending some time with the 8-time Kusko 300 champ and 2019 Iditarod winner - Pete Kaiser. He's raced the last 15 Iditarod's, coming out of Bethel, Alaska - where he was born and raised. His hometown in southwest Alaska is hundreds of miles from the main road system. Hope y'all enjoy our talk with Pete because we had a blast! #mushingexpert #iditarodveteran #mush...

We were privileged enough to have Iditarod veteran Ben Good sit down with us for over an hour. Ben was the only 2024 rookie who had completed the thousand mile Yukon Quest. He talks about the differenmces of those two expeditions and did a start to finish recap of his first trip to Nome. Good Alaska Mushing is based out of North Pole, Alaska - enjoy! #mushingexpert #iditarodveteran #mushing #alask...

Our first episode post Iditarod with a guest - and this time there's two guests: our intro includes coverage of the Kobuk 440 and with Sean out on a week long adventure, we got Joseph O'Keefe to join Brendan for a breakdown of the Kobuk. As for our interview, Brendan and Sean get back on track with a guest on the show. Sean Williams is from Chugiak, AK - a small community between Anchorage...

Having Iditarod withdrawal?! Sean and Brendan had a round 2 recap of this year's Iditarod. We made sure to go over our favorite storylines, share stories from Sean's experience out on the trail with the Insider, and do our best to stay on track! #mushingexpert #iditarodveteran #mushing #alaska #mushingalaska #iditarod2024 #iditarod #brothers #podcast #husky #sendit #pullthehook #fullsend #...

It's Sean's first time back with the Mushing Alaska podcast since spending a couple of weeks helping with Iditarod coverage from the trail. He and Brendan reflect on their most memorable moments from this year's race. #youtubelive #mushingexpert #iditarodveteran #liveinterview #youtubeinterview #mushing #alaska #mushingalaska #iditarod2024 #iditarod #brothers #podcast #husky #sendit #p...

This week we had Mats Pettersson on to talk about all his years running the Iditarod and coming all the way from Sweden with his 16 dog team each time. He compared and contrasted the races in Scandinavia with the mushing scene here. Mats lives hundreds of kilometers above the arctic circle and has been a big part of the sled dog world for about two decades. We had a great time chatting with him an...

Josi Thyr (pronounced TEAR, like teardrop) has made a big splash in the Alaska mid distance mushing scene this winter with competitive finishes in 2 of Alaska's toughest 300 mile races. Josi, however, has been involved with the sled dog life for a couple of decades since she was a kid living in Northern Idaho. Along the way, she has worked for some great Iditarod mushers with amazing dogs and...

Our guest this week is the owner of Mushing Malarkey kennel, Joe Taylor. He is a veteran of Iditarod, Kuskokwim 300, Copper Basin 300, Quest 300, and finished 2nd in the Two Rivers 200 and still super humble. Racing is just part of what he does with his relatively small yet diverse group of sled dogs. Joe talks about his trips in the arctic, exploring the Brooks Range in the "spring" wit...