HUMAN

Name: Kim Kittredge

Age: 62
Residence: Palmer, Alaska

Occupation: Retired

First Year Ran Iditarod: 2006

How Many Years Involved With Iditarod: Since 2006 off and on

Iditarod Role: Musher, Handler

Current Location: Palmer, Alaska

Date of Photo: April 9, 2026
Temperature: 64F indoors

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

What I love about running sled dogs is… I grew up sailing. So I liken running dogs to sailing. The peace and quiet. Just, being in nature and it’s just an incredible way to travel. So the best way to see Alaska is my dog team. The best way to see the ocean is in a sailboat.

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

 

I got involved running Iditarod because of Sue Allen. I worked with her husband at the time and I’ve been a mountaineer my whole life as well. And Sue was looking for someone to help her train for the 2004 Iditarod.
And she was looking for someone that she could send out into the wilderness and not worry about their survival and someone that she could teach to run dogs. So that’s how I got involved helping her and I was basically her handler for 2 years. And when she got to Nome, she said, you have to do this.

 

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

 

My most memorable experience running Iditarod is when I was leaving Rohn. It was a very low snow year in 2006, at least in Rohn. I left the checkpoint and got out, you know, you’re in the woods. As soon as you get out of the woods onto the Kusko, the river just opens up.
It was sheer ice, nothing but stumps and blowdowns and logs everywhere and just glare ice. My leaders, my leader, basically went out onto the ice, turned south, which was the wrong way. I knew we were going the wrong way.

Couldn’t stop them, turned around, came right back into the checkpoint, and Andy Anderson is like, what are you doing back here? I’m like, I just, you know, lost control of the team, Andy. We got back here and he helped me get turned around and off we went again.

Exact same thing happened. We loop back around. Andy was like, what are you doing?
Who is your leader? And I said, well, “Pancake” up there is my leader. And he gave me the best “McFly” moment— knocked me on the head with his fist and said, “You are the leader, not Pancake. “
Never saw Andy again in my life.

What in life do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is, and I learned it from my grandfather– Never stopped moving.