HUMAN

Name: Molly Ebinger

Age: 31

Residence: Kansas City, Missouri

Occupation: Veterinarian

Years involved with the Iditarod: 1

Iditarod Roles: Veterinarian

Current Location: Unalakleet, Alaska

Date of Photo: March 13, 2022

Temperature: 68F Indoors/ 6F Outdoors

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

I got involved with the Iditarod because a veterinarian technician who I worked with who had traveled and vacationed here in the summer, came to work and she’s like, “I heard about this really neat thing you can do as a veterinarian. You should totally check this out.” And, I was familiar with the Iditarod just from growing up and being a dog enthusiast and I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska. So, I called up Stu [Nelson] and he said, “Sure, come, come, come on out.” So, that’s why I’m here.

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

I’m here today and involved with the Iditarod because I love new experiences and trying new things and pushing myself outside my comfort zone. And, I love being a vet. And, I love to travel and this just seemed like a really neat opportunity to practice my skills in a unique environment, meet really cool people who are passionate about the same thing. So, I’m really happy I came.

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

So, my most favorite thing about being part of this Iditarod experience so far is really the people and just how passionate everyone is volunteering their time to make this such a cool experience for everyone. And, getting to know, like in Nikolai, getting to know the villagers and everything is just really neat. And, yeah, I mean, really the… everyone coming together to execute this thing is really incredible.

What in life do you know for sure?

What I know for sure in life is that, everything’s temporary. The bad parts don’t last forever. The uncomfortable parts don’t last forever, it’s temporary. You can get through them. On the other hand, the good parts don’t either. So, you really have to soak up when it’s good and comfortable, really enjoy it. And, I feel like this experience has kind of been a living metaphor for that. There’s times where it’s really uncomfortable and kind of crazy. And, then it’s immediately followed by something super rewarding and really great.