HUMAN

Name: Ralph Yerex

Age: 60

Residence: Oostburg, Wisconsin

Occupation: Relief veterinarian

Years involved with Iditarod: This is my first year with the Iditarod.

Iditarod Roles: Iditarod check point veterinarian.

Current Location: Skwentna, Alaska

Date of Photo: March 6, 2022

Temperature: 34 F Outdoors 

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

I first became involved with the Iditarod this year. I found out about it last year when I was working as an emergency vet down in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Ron Hallstrom, who’s been doing this race for the past eight to 10 years thought it would be a good fit and suggested I put my name in and I did.

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

I am here today and involved with the Iditarod because it’s something my parents instilled in me. They both were, my mom lived in Scotland during the second world war as a teenager. My dad lived over there just after. They really pushed us kids, three of us to.. if there’s something you can do, that’s adventurous, go ahead and do it. If there’s something fun, do it.

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

One of my memorable Iditarod experiences was on Wednesday. We were doing dog checks at the Iditarod museum and we are standing there and they said, “Up, the first team’s coming in” and we have about, we do 20 dogs. So we have to check feet, nose, gums, listen to the heart, that complete physical top to tip to tail. The truck that pulled in had was Martin Buser’s truck and they said, who wants to do the first one? And of course I said, we will.

What do you know for sure?

Know for sure in life is, there’ll always be an opportunity. Take it.