Richard is a Supervisor with the City of Yellowknife. He grew up in a family of mushers where dogs were a part of their culture. He’s placed in the top 10 in multiple races in Europe, Alaska, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and Quebec. Richard recently captured his 11th champion title at the 64th Dominion Diamond Canadian Championship Dog Derby December 27, 2018. He raced the 2012 and 2013 International Pedigree® Stage Stop Sled Dog Race and says “I’m looking forward to competing with some of the best dog mushers in the world.” Richard and crew will drive 2,700 miles, one way, to the race start in Jackson.

Tommy has been around dogs all his life and tells his story better than anyone, “…from first dog a few days old when my mom brought me home from hospital …dad pick us up by airplane …help my dad in trapping as a kid age 8 to 14 with dog teams …by 10 drive my dad trapping with well-trained team to haul wood …age of 14 my first race …borrowed local trapper team and finish last. Start racing in 1981 …race over 300 races, won 100 of them. Highlights …won The Pas Manitoba 1998 World Championship and Sask Championship I think 85 …Race most of the races in northern Sask and Manitoba and some in Alberta and the NWT …race in the Artic …Baker Lake NWT …raced in 8-dog class in Stage Stop …raced in Fairbanks. As a person …trapper …commercial fisherman …outdoorsman and self-employed. Married to wife Marion Bird for 40 years …3 children all grown up with 6 grandkids and 3 girls we adopted …and dog kennel …any given year 40 to 70 dogs and pups. I learn most about dogs watching my late dad in the trapping handle his team and from my late good friend George Attla …and my good friend Richard Beck and trying many different ways training dogs. I want to race the Stage Stop one of the greatest dog races around.”

Born in Mainburg, Germany, Rachel began bikejoring (riding a bike with a dog pulling) when she was 14 years old; she was “immediately was hooked on mushing,” she says. Four years later, she came to Canada from her native Germany to learn more about sled dogs, and met her husband. In 2012, they started their own kennel which now consists of 42 dogs. “I am really excited for this race. Ever since I heard about it, it has been a dream of mine to one day run it.”

Anny Malo is a biologist, Executive Director and owner of Bio-Forest Management Rivest with her husband, Marco. She started mushing in 1995 after Marco used his dog team to meet her. Mushing became their passion and in 1998 they spent eight “hands-on” months at Joe Redington’s kennel learning all they could about sled dog racing. They’ve raised their children, Tristan and Elliot, in the dog mushing world family traveling across Canada and the United States to participate in mid-distance races. Anny holds the honor of being the first female to win the Copper Dog 150, taking first place in in 2017 and second place in 2018. She’s also the first female to win the 2018 Cross Lake Trappers Festival Race in Manitoba.

Since starting sled dog racing in 1989, Dave has raced extensively throughout the United States and Canada in the middle distance and stage format. In 2001, he put sled dog racing on hold to pursue other aspects of life, his family and business, but in 2017 returned to the runners behind the Streeper Kennels’ B-Team at the Stage Stop where he placed second. He’s coming back for the third consecutive year, and will be joined by his daughter Maria who is running a Streeper Kennels team in this year’s Eukanuba 8-Dog Classic.

Dennis is a self-employed contractor. Sled dogs were a neighborhood activity for him when he was growing up in Minnesota. His older brother, Dale, started mushing as a teenager and raced IPSSSDR in the early years of our event. Following in his brother’s “footsteps in the snow,” Dennis started mushing as a teenager and in 1973 won the Minnesota State Championship 5-dog class with dogs supplied by Chuck Gould. He’s won many races in North and South America, and has been a race official in Europe. Mushing has been a family activity. He and his son, Charlie, train and race Night Train Racing Sled Dogs.

Lina grew up in a small community in northern Sweden and became fascinated with sled dogs at a young age. Since moving to Canada in 2007, she has focused on professional sled dog racing. She’s part of “the famous mushing dynasty” known as Streeper Kennels. She and husband, Buddy Streeper, own and operate Streeper Kennels in Fort Nelson, British Columbia. They have two wonderful daughters, 8-year-old Alva and 6-year-old Clara. “I’m proud to be returning to the 2019 Pedigree Stage Stop Race, and I wish all my Stage Stop family a safe and successful event!”

Born and raised in the Yukon, Katherine started running dogs in 2011 when introduced to skijoring. In 2012, she bought a litter of pups — the six-and-a-half-year-olds in this year’s race team are from that litter. Katherine lives near Whitehorse with her 5-year old daughter, 3-year old son and 27 Yukon huskies. In 2018, she got the “Stage Stop bug,” and when new changes were announced, she knew she had to sign up. She and her dogs are excited to “gain a bunch of experience this season and to have the opportunity to be rookies racing amongst the best mushers in the world.”

Erick 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 magic of that moment created the spark that made him the passionate musher he is today. Erick placed first in the 2018 The Pas World Championship, and first in all three 2017 Cross Lake Trappers Festival Race in Manitoba, Kamba Carnival, and western Canadian races. He and his three boys currently live on the same street where he started his first kennel.

Last year, Monica place finished in a hotly contested second place in last year’s 8-Dog Classic just ONE SECOND OVERALL! She’s been hooked on racing since the day her father-in-law invited her and husband Bruce to watch a race he was competing in. Although better known for her handling and blogging skills, Monica is a 4-time TCSDR Champion with several mid-west races under her belt. She’s supported her husband, Bruce, as his handler extraordinaire in eleven Stage Stops and considers the racing organization her mushing family. She says she’s “excited to return to the beautiful Wyoming mountains and compete again this year!”

Around the age of 5, Jeff started mushing with his grandfather Terry Adkins’ dogs. “My Dad then got a few dogs of his own and eventually we started giving dog sled tours from Montana to Utah. In other words, he’s been mushing most of his life. And when he’s not running dogs or working, Jeff enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities like hunting, fishing, and camping. “Anything outdoors,” he adds. “I have another enjoyable group of puppies this year and am looking forward to putting them through the great experience!”

Greta is from Oak Creek, Colorado and is currently attending school at Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts. She’s been mushing her whole life alongside her dad, Tom Thurston. She says that while she loves her time in Boston, her heart is always with her dogs in Colorado. This year Greta’s racing a team of dogs that she raised from puppies, so look out for a team of dogs named after her favorite book characters. One of the youngest competitors in last year’s Stage Stop (age 17) Greta says she’s really excited to be competing in Wyoming again this year!

2019 marks Bruce’s 14th consecutive Stage Stop Race — more consecutive races than any other competitor in the 24-year history of our event! Bruce’s father trained black labs for national competitive field trials and, fatefully, met a professional sled dog racer, Lloyd Gilbertson. That’s when Dad brought home a pair of dogs. Bruce and his wife Monica (see Monica’s bio; she is a competitor this year) went to a race to “see what Dad was up to” and “got hooked.” Although he grew up playing sports, Bruce says that for him no other sport compares to the thrill of sled dog racing. “It’s so surreal out there when it’s quiet, and you watch these amazing animals do what they can do.”

A health and safety supervisor for Chesapeake Energy in Wyoming, Allan began his mushing career in 1998 with a few Siberian Husky rescues, mentored by Pam Dunn who started the Casper Mountain Dog Sled Race in 1995. “I’m married to my best friend, Tabetha, who introduced me to the sport of mushing 21 years ago,” says Allan. The two have been blessed with four beautiful children and two granddaughters. “I’m looking forward to competing against the best in the world at this year’s Stage Stop!”

Jeff is a retired USDA research scientist who began mushing in 1983. Sled dog racing was a part-time venture for Jeff while employed, but after he retired in 2012 he became a fulltime participant, determined to compete in the Wyoming Stage Stop. Jeff has run in each consecutive Stage Stop since 2013 and has steadily improved in the standings. Last year he finished in a respectable fifth place. From racing three-dog sprint class, Jeff has progressed through five-, eight-, and ten-dog classes, and has won two ISDRA gold medals.

Chris is a lumberyard worker and dispatcher who began running dogs as a four-year-old working with his dad’s team. As a boy he competed in dog races in Alaska. Since then, he’s entered the Iditarod which he describes as his “great accomplishment so far,” especially seeing the trail that his dad, Race Marshall Terry Adkins, had told him so much about. The Race to the Sky, which he’s entered “12 or 13 times,” resulted in his favorite award—in 2010 he received the Best Kept Team honor. He’s also received the sportsmanship award numerous times.

Laura’s interest in sled dogs started when she got her first dog as a ten year old. She’s been hooked ever since. This led to a life of working summers in Washington state for my family’s construction company, then relocating dogs and myself to Montana for fall and winter training. Laura has run the Stage Stop the last three years, Race to the Sky “lots of times,” the Iditarod in 2008 and 2009, and four coast-to-coast race circuits. She’s received multiple Best Cared For Team and Sportsmanship Awards.

Fernando Ramirez has been running dogs since his elementary school days and says that his love for sled dogs has not faded in all the years since. He and his wife Dana own and operate a sled dog touring operation, Rancho Luna Lobos, on their rancho just minutes from Park City, Utah. Their two boys — Gabirel, age 7, and Noah, age 6 — currently race in the two-dog class. Fernando raced in the 2018 Eukenuba 8-Dog Classic where he placed fifth and says that he’s “looking forward to stepping up to the full Stage Stop Race this year.”

A native Minnesotan, JR Anderson has dedicated over 20 years to the sport of endurance canines. Through research, extensive training, and competitive racing, he’s developed a keen knowledge of the canine’s ability to perform at accelerated levels. He and wife, Anna ‘Chapman’ Anderson, own River Rock Kennel in Buyck, Minnesota. When not racing dogs, JR can be found playing with his daughter Sara and son Eli.