HUMAN
Names: Debbie Janssen and Scott Janssen
Ages: 60 (Debbie) and 61 (Scott)
Residence: Anchorage, Alaska
Occupations:
Debbie: My occupation is owner of Janssen Funeral Homes
Scott: I’m an undertaker. I own Janssen Funeral Homes. I’m also a race car driver and a retired musher.
Years involved with Iditarod:
Debbie: Since 2008
Scott: The first Iditarod I came to was 1986. I started sponsoring Paul Gebhardt in 1993, and then I got the bug and started racing about 2006 or 2007.
Iditarod Role:
Debbie: I was basically the Iditarods musher’s wife and the fundraiser and organizer. The only checkpoint that I went to is McGrath.
Scott: Ran my first Iditarod in 2011, and I ran six Iditarods and I had a heart attack on the Yukon Quest in ’17, and then I came back in ’18 for my retirement run. But it’s part of the reason that we do this is just, it’s the Alaska thing, and we caught the bug.
Current Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 4, 2023
Temperature: 1 degree
What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?
Scott: I first became involved with Iditarod in 1986 when I met Jim Lanier and then through my buddy Paul Gebhardt and Jim Lanier. I’ve only missed one start, and that was a couple of years ago.
Debbie: I first became involved with the Iditarod when Scott got the bug and he helped out with Jim Lanier and Paul Gebhardt.
What is your Why? Why are you here TODAY and involved with the Iditarod?
Scott: I’m here today because I love Iditarod. And honestly, as a retired musher, it’s the toughest day of the year. So the way to get over that is to jump back on the horse, and I’ve got a ton of good friends that are taking off and they need all the support they can get.
Debbie: I’m here just to support all of our friends. We have a lot of the mushers that are just like children to us, so we always come on out and we help support. I think we have about 10 teams that we’re supporting today.
Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences:
Scott: I guess my most memorable Iditarod experience would’ve been in 2011 when I came into White Mountain and I was interviewed like this, and they asked me, “What was the hardest part of the trail?” I said, “Right here. And right now.” They asked, “Why, you’re 77 miles from the finish line.” And I said, “Well, think of the best vacation you’ve ever been on, and if you’re like me, the last couple of days are clouded with the fact that you have to go back to reality.” So that’s when I decided that that wasn’t going to be my only run, and I came back and continued running.
Debbie: My most memorable, I think is just being a part of it. I don’t know if there’s one specific thing, it’s just helping out with the fundraiser, being a part of the Iditarod every single year.
What in life do you know for sure?
Scott: What I know for sure in life is that there’s an end to it all. Being an undertaker, I don’t dwell on that, but you got to make hay when the sun shines. So you got to pack in as many experiences as possible, and that’s pretty much why I became an Iditarod musher.
Debbie: What I know for sure in life is just to always be there for your family, your friends, always to support them and always take one day at a time.