HUMAN
Name: Raine Hall Rawlins
Residence: Homer, Alaska
Age: 68
Occupation: I’m a retired film, location scout and manager… feature films.
Years involved with Iditarod: Since 1976
Past Iditarod Roles: I have been a volunteer, a race checker, and I was the first executive director of the Iditarod Trail Committee. I opened the very first office for the Iditarod and I was the creator and editor of the Iditarod Runner, our memberships’ newsletter.
Current Location: Settler’s Bay Lodge in Wasilla, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 1, 2022
Temperature: 68 F Indoors
What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?
Okay, well, I first got involved. I first heard about the Iditarod in 1972. I was working at fair Farewell Lake Lodge, which is on the Iditarod trail. I rode my horse from Farewell Lake lodge to Farewell Station to get the mail on the Iditarod trail and would fly into McGrath and got to know Andersons, the flying Anderson brothers, because we would be at the bar at McGuire’s and they were all talking to up this new race that Joe Redington had going, the Iditarod. And so I was interested from the very beginning. I watched the race from the sidelines for about two years and then got to be friends with Emmett Peters, the 1975 champion and asked him if I could move to Ruby and be his dog handler to run the Iditarod. So my husband and I moved to Ruby in 76. I was Emmett’s dog handler, but also I was on the Iditarod board of directors. I was the assistant secretary. Long story short, Joe Redington asked me to come in to Wasilla and get the first office open and help him get organized. So instead of actually running the Iditarod behind a dog team, I ran it from behind a desk. I did that the late seventies and early eighties; I was executive director.
What was one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences?
One of my most memorable experiences was actually training up with Emmitt Peters for the Iditarod. I think it was his ’76 race. Emmitt’s dog team was like a freight train. You can’t even imagine how powerful they were. The first time I ran them by myself, I ran them out of Ruby down onto the Yukon river to the Emmett Peters’ family fish camp. And of course I fell and held on to the sled somehow and dragged for I don’t know how long down the Yukon river, but managed to get back up on the sled and kept the team. I think that was probably my most exciting experience.
What does the 50th running of the Iditarod mean to you?
I’m here because of, and for Joe Redington, Sr. I just can’t help but think about him all the time because this was Joe’s dream. I was just one of many people who joined his team to make this happen. I’m just so proud that we’ve made it this far and all the thousands and thousands and thousands of people who joined Joe’s team to make it happen. I’m just terribly proud and excited about it. Sure.
What do you know for sure?:
In life is – Oh for sure. I have stage four colon cancer right now and been hanging on for three years. But I know for sure the only thing there is, is love.