HUMAN

Name: Gordon T. Brinker

Age: 60
Residence: Wasilla, Alaska

Occupation: Dimensional Control Surveyor

First Year Ran Iditarod: 1984

How Many Years Involved With Iditarod: Many, many years.

Iditarod Role: Musher, volunteer, handler

Current Location: Palmer, Alaska

Date of Photo: April 30, 2026Temperature: 68F indoors

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

What I love about running sled dogs is the freedom of being out quietly in winter. Actually, my favorite time is at night with the full moon, with the headlight off, the quiet, and being with my best friends.

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

I got involved in running the Iditarod early on. You know, we moved out to Shell Lake in 1975 and there were people running dogs for Iditarod and stuff up through there. And then Dick Mackey, when I was in juniors, Dick Mackey flew me up to Finger Lake and had me borrow. I had a few dogs, but he had me borrow some dogs from Gene Leonard. I had known Gene a few times, but anyhow, Gene borrowed these dogs for me and I ran my 1st junior in, I think, 1981 or something like that. And that’s really what got me involved in the racing aspect of dogs and, if I could have, I had kept doing it the rest of my life. But life hits you sometimes.

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

 

So my most memorable experience running Iditarod was I was 18 years old and broke, had no money. I had somehow scrounged up enough money to enter the race and I was in town trying to put my food drop together. I had no idea how I was going to do that. And Dave Olson and Larry “Cowboy” Smith showed up with a pickup truck full of dog food and meat and all sorts of fancy stuff my dogs had never seen. And I was able to get my dog food drop out and I’ve always had a very warm part in my heart for those 2 guys. That meant a lot to a junior musher. These are 2 of the pillars. You know, all my heroes were dog mushers. And these were two. Larry was probably top and Dave was second. So, sorry, Dave, if that hurts your feelings, but Larry was pretty dynamic. Anyway, that’s my story.

What in life do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is you can’t predict the future, but there will always be dogs in my realm of world. My wife and I, both of us are huge dog fans, and they’ll always be part of my life.