HUMAN

Name: Lisa Wiley
Age: 57
Residence: Anchorage, Alaska
Occupation: Teacher
Years involved with Iditarod: 31 years
Iditarod Role: Volunteering with Jeff Schultz for FACES of the Iditarod
Current Location: Downtown Anchorage Ceremonial Start, Anchorage, Alaska

Date of Photo: March 1, 2025
Temperature: 30F outside

What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?:

I first became involved with Iditarod in 1993 when I moved to Nome, Alaska. I didn’t know much about it, and I just got plunked into the middle of it. I swear to God, I fell in love with sled dogs from the air as we were landing in Nome. I’m like, “What is going on with those dogs? I want one immediately.”

What is your Why? Why are you here TODAY and involved with the Iditarod?

I’m here today helping Jeff Schultz out with the Faces of Iditarod project. I’m really psyched about it.

Tell me about your most memorable Iditarod experiences?:

I’m going to go all the way back to my second Iditarod in 1994. I was at the finisher’s banquet at the time, and I was in line to get , and Martin Buser was in front of me. He stopped and talked to me for a while and that was really cool. And right away, I realized how friendly and approachable these mushers were. We became friends and he eventually gave me several amazing dogs. So I’m so grateful for that random moment in the strawberry line.

What do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is everything’s better with a sled dog. I’ve had my best adventures in life attached to a dog. I think most of my life in AK has been spent looking at a sled dog’s butt, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.