HUMAN

Name: GREG HEISTER
Age: 50
Residence: SPOKANE, WASHINGTON
Occupation: I’M A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT I’M A TELEVISION ANNOUNCER AND TELEVISION PRODUCER.
Years involved with Iditarod: SINCE 1992
Iditarod Role: I LEAD THE IDITAROD INSIDER
Current Location: KALTAG, ALASKA
Date of Photo: MARCH 9, 2019
Temperature: 31F / OUTDOORS

What is your Why?.. Why are you here today and involved in Iditarod?:

WELL, YOU KNOW THAT’S A LONG AND INVOLVED ANSWER. BUT I THINK MOST OF ALL, AS A STORY TELLER AND SOMEONE – I REALLY CUT TEETH ON THIS TRAIL. AND I BELIEVE THAT AFTER ALL THESE YEARS OF BEING OUT HERE, I KIND OF OWE THIS RACE, AND I OWE IT SOMETHING. AND I BELIEVE TREMENDOUSLY IN THIS INSIDER AND IT HELPING TO CREATE, DECADES INTO THE FUTURE, A PLATFORM FOR THIS RACE TO EXIST AND TO FINANCIALLY SURVIVE. SO I JUST FEEL LIKE I OWE IT. AND I’VE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN THE MISSION OF THE EVENT. JOE REDINGTON I WAS ALWAYS ENAMORED BY AND INSPIRED BY. AND THOSE EARLY YEARS OF MY RACE, YOU KNOW, A YOUNG MARTIN BUSER, A YOUNG DEE DEE, AND A YOUNG JEFF KING, AND I JUST – THE LIFESTYLE: IT JUST MOTIVATED ME AND INSPIRED ME SO MUCH TO BE A PART OF IT AND FELL IN LOVE WITH IT A LONG TIME AGO.

Tell me about your most rewarding experience on Iditarod?:

WELL, IN THE EARLY YEARS, YOU KNOW, WE GOT TO DO IT ON SNOW MACHINES, SO THAT WAS ALWAYS VERY, VERY REWARDING. BUT, YOU KNOW, AS I’VE GOTTEN OLDER AND I’VE GOTTEN TO BE OUT HERE MORE, IT’S HARD TO GET BY THOSE FOUR YEARS OF LANCE MACKEY, RIGHT? AND WHAT HE DID AND HE PROVED THAT HUMAN WILL PLAYS A ROLE ON THIS TRAIL. WHERE SO OFTEN WE TALK ABOUT JUST THE DOGS. AND THEY’RE INCREDIBLE AND THEY’RE SO SPECIAL. BUT LANCE REMINDED US ALL THAT THERE’S A HUMAN ELEMENT TO THIS AND THAT THE MUSHER, ALTHOUGH, JUST A COACH AND JUST A MANAGER, AS WE HEAR ALL THE TIME, THEY CERTAINLY HAVE A LOT TO DO WITH GETTING THERE FIRST. AND THOSE YEARS WILL ALWAYS BE SPECIAL TO ME.

What do you know for sure?:

THAT WINTER WILL COME AND THE IDITAROD WILL COME AND GO. AND SUMMER. I THINK IT’S THE SEASONS. I’M ALL ABOUT THE SEASONS. AND THAT’S WHAT I THINK ABOUT THE IDITAROD. I GET TO COME UP AND I GET TO ENJOY THE LATTER DAYS OF WINTER KNOWING THAT SPRING AND SUMMER ARE RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER.