HUMAN
Name: Jenni Harrison
Age: 50
Residence: Anchorage, Alaska
Occupation: Senior Tribal Health Liason at ANTHC
Years involved with Iditarod: 11
Iditarod Role: Handler
Current Location: Anchorage, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 4, 2023
Temperature: -2 degrees
What, who or how and when did you first get involved with the Iditarod?
I first became involved with the Iditarod when Dan Kaduce decided to run in 2012. He’s friends with my husband. They met each other delivering pizzas for Pizza Hut. So we’re not necessarily dog mushers, we’re friends of the dog mushers.
What is your Why? Why are you here TODAY and involved with the Iditarod?
I am here today and involved with the Iditarod because I think it’s fun, and it’s like the quintessential like Alaskan activity. And I grew up in Alaska and so my dream is actually to be part of the Iditarod Air Force. I got my pilot’s license in 2021, so my dream is to go to all the checkpoints.
Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences:
One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was the first time that Dan asked me to ride the tag sled. Because I’m not a dog musher. And I was like, “Oh, I don’t know if I’m going to do this right.” He’s like, “Just hang on and put your feet on the brake.” So that was the most memorable. Going down 4th Avenue on the tag sled. It was a lot of fun.
What in life do you know for sure?
What I know for sure in life is that change is constant, and you just got to enjoy the moment. And Iditarod is definitely something to enjoy the moment in.