HUMAN

Name: Josh McNeal

Age: 31
Residence: Ester, Alaska 

Occupation: Owner of Oil & Gas Company in Texas
First Year Ran Iditarod: 2021

How many years involved with Iditarod: Since 2017

Iditarod Role: Musher

Current Location: Dena’ina Convention Center, Downtown Anchorage for Musher Banquet

Date of Photo: March 5, 2026
Temperature: 68F, indoors

Question 1: What is it about running sled dogs that you love so much?

What I love about running sled dogs is just the connection with the dogs, and being out in the wilderness with the dogs, and just traveling with the dogs, and the history behind it.
A lot of the trails that we travel on, just like the Iditarod Trail, are historical mail trails. There’s a lot of history in the valley where we grew up with the Alaska Railroad. And just traveling on those trails that were made over 100 years ago just gives you a real connection to Alaska as it was being birthed as a state. And just being out with my dogs, that’s what I love getting away from all of the technology and craziness of today. When you get out with the dogs, there’s none of that. So that’s what I really enjoy about running dogs.

Question 2: What, who or how and when & why did you first get involved running the Iditarod?

 

I got involved running the Iditarod when I was a handler for Ken Anderson back in 2017, my senior year of college at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. I just absolutely fell in love with, not only the race itself and the history of it, but also the training for the event. It truly is a year-round lifestyle. It’s not like a snow machine where you can just put it away for the year, and then start training the next year. This is something that we devote our entire life to. And then I just decided that I wanted to run the Iditarod and wanted to be a part of this great sport and this great race.

Question 3:  Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences running the Iditarod.

My most memorable experience running the Iditarod was actually on my rookie year when we were coming back over the Alaska Range the second time with the COVID year doing the loop. We actually summited Rainy Pass in the middle of the day and it was just a beautiful day. And I’d been having some problems with leaders on the race. And just conquering that, it was real emotional just to be able to accomplish going over the Alaska Range, not only twice, but just have it be so beautiful. It was really a great moment that’s forever cemented in my memory.

What in life do you know for sure?:

 

What I know for sure in life is the dogs are always right and the humans are usually wrong.