HUMAN

Name: Kellie Peirce

Age: In my 40s
Residence: McGrath, Alaska
Occupation: Homeschool mom, park ranger for Fish and Wildlife Service
Years involved with Iditarod: 12

Iditarod Role: I am one of the cooks at the checkpoint helping to run the checkpoint in McGrath.
Current Location: McGrath, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 13, 2020
Temperature: -6F/Outdoors

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

I first got involved with the Iditarod when I showed up when I’d first moved here in 2007 in McGrath, and saw the dogs mushing down the trail and saw all the steam coming off their breath and heard them yipping when they stopped and saw the excitement of all the people here, and just really wanted to be a part of it. So I signed on as a cook.

What is your Why? Why are you here TODAY and involved with the Iditarod?

I am here today and involved with Iditarod because I love the historic aspect of the race. It’s such a neat and unique part of our state’s history in Alaska. I also want to support the mushers who keep the race alive and keep the breed of the Iditarod Husky alive. And I just like to be a part of such a great cause.

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

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences, well, actually I have two: The first was flying up to Takotna with my dad in our Super Cub. We landed on the river and got to walk around up there. Even though I live in McGrath, I don’t get up there very often. It was a really neat experience for my dad and I to get to enjoy that together. And my second one happened last year when Lance Mackey came through. When he left, I think it was last year or the year before, when he left McGrath checkpoint and went down the ramp onto the Kuskokwim River, there were a lot of people around watching him. A good portion of those people started tearing up and crying because of Lance and just his fights in life with cancer and how he just keeps going. So that was really moving for me to see those people’s reactions, how emotional people get about the race. Yeah, it was really something to remember.

What do you know for sure?:

I know for sure in life that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior and God looks over us and loves us all.