HUMAN

Name: Lori Townsend

Age: 63
Residence: Sun City, Arizona

Occupation: Retired owner of hunting & fishing lodge and guide

First Year Ran Iditarod: 1996

How Many Years Involved With Iditarod: 5 years

Iditarod Role: Musher, handler

Current Location: Sun City, Arizona

Date of Photo: March 14, 2026
Temperature: 80F

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

What I love about running dogs is, 1st thing, puppies get to raise them and have all that puppy breath smell. And then watching them raise them up and taking care of them and then getting to run Iditarod. You’re there with your best friends out in the wilderness. Just, I love dogs in general. So whatever I can do with dogs, I try and do.

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

 

I got involved running Iditarod because my husband Rick started running it in 93 and 94. So I was his handler, got to do what I want to do with my dogs. We took 1995 off, and then a bug hit me, as people say, you get that bug to run Iditarod. I called it stupidity after a while, but so that’s how I just decided to do it.

 

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

 

My most memorable experience running an Iditarod is most people have happy memories. Mine 1st comes to my head is in 2006, coming up to the Happy River steps. I come around that 1st corner, going too fast, and the dogs threw me around there, the sled hit a tree, and it broke the line. The sled went sliding down the bank some. I had already jumped off, but I had to sit there and winch my sled back up, unload it, and then winch my sled back up, somebody caught my dogs down at the bottom and re-tied them up and away I went.

What in life do you know for sure?:

 

What I know for sure in life is that tomorrow is never promised.