HUMAN

Name: Lila Cartledge
Age: Almost 62
Residence: South Carolina
Occupation: Medical Technologist.
Years involved with Iditarod: 3
Iditarod Role: Avid supporter and fan, two years trail guard.
Current Location: Tudor Road Crossing, Anchorage, Alaska.

Date of Photo: March 7, 2020
Temperature: 15F/Outdoors

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

I got involved with Iditarod with a friend of mine, Terry Turner, who’s a very good friend of crazy girl Toni. She said, “Have you thought about coming up during the winter? You’ve come up during the spring and done mission trips, but have you thought about coming up for a winter trip?” I said, “Yeah, I was out of my comfort zone. Yeah, why not?” And she asked me, “Hey, would you like to see the commemorative starting of the Iditarod?
“Yeah, that sounds good.” “Would you be interested in being a trail guard?” “Okay. What do I do?” “Essentially keep the crowds back away from where the mushers and dogs come in, making everything a bit safer and fun for everybody.” And I said, “Yeah, I’ll do it.” So that year, 2018, I was a trail guard. Last year did the ultimate – got to go to Nome and see the mushers come in. I’m back again this year as a trail guard. Going to see the real start tomorrow in Willow and then about nine days or so, off to Nome.

What is your Why?..Why are you here today and involved in Iditarod?

I’m here today and involved with Iditarod because it’s an amazing athletic sport. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman, but you have the skills, the drive to push beyond anything. In training, in the athletic, four-legged athletes are equally as amazing. How you can train yourself, train them. You love them, they love you. They love to run and you love being with them. They’re your best buds. I just think it’s amazing to go from being transport animals, hauling freight to athletes, sprint athletes, distance athletes. It just amazes me and I keep coming back over and over because there’s nothing like it, especially in the Lower 48.

Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences?

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was in Nome last year, 2018 and meeting an amazing little lady, Meredith Mapes and heard about Fun on the Run Kennel. She is just a teeniest little woman and smiles and amazing and I could ask her any question that people would love to ask a musher but are just too polite to ask. Like “What do you do when you’ve got to go and it’s minus 40?” kind of questions. And to meet the mushers in-person in Nome, face to face after 1,049 miles, and they’re polite, fun, bubbling. They look better than I do after an eight-hour shift. They’re amazing. It’s hard to describe just sitting there in the Iditarod HQ in Nome and talking to the people that just finished. It makes me speechless.

What do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is, live your dream. Don’t be afraid to push yourself and just go, go, go, go, that you are more than your profession, that you are more than what you do at work. Just live like a dog. Work hard, play hard, and enjoy life. Every day is special. Don’t worry about next week. Just go outside and play y’all.