HUMAN

Name: Merry Holland

Age: 32

Residence: Anchorage, Alaska
Occupation: I’m a photographer as well as a child life specialist

Years involved with Iditarod: This is my 1st year.
Iditarod Role: I am doing comms with my father-in-law
Current Location: Cripple, Alaska

Date of Photo: March 12, 2020
Temperature: 0F/Outdoors

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

I got involved with the Iditarod through Michael Holland, my father-in-law, who has done the Iditarod every year for, I don’t know, the last 20 years. And it’s been intriguing to hear his stories, and I kind of wanted to just come out here and see what he does, and see if I want to be part of the next generation that helps keep this race going.

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

I’m here today and involved with Iditarod to see if I want to be a part of the next group of people that comes in and keeps this race alive. I know that a lot of people who have been involved in this race for a long time are getting up there in age, and trying to decide how many more years they’re going to be able to do this. So, coming out here and just kind of seeing how things work, seeing how a checkpoint works, and just all the different people involved to make it run smoothly as teams are coming through, it takes a big amount of people and I want to see if this is something I want to keep on doing to keep it going.

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

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was just in the last couple of days being here before extra people got to this checkpoint. Being the only girl around, and having … walking up to the kitchen shack and hearing all this loud boisterous sound coming out of it. And then I walk in, and it automatically gets quiet because the woman of the campus is now in the room, and everyone’s trying to shipshape and behave a little bit. As well as kind of being the first cabin to get heating oil when it’s going to be negative 60 outside and teasing my father-in-law that he gets to be in the warm cabin because there’s a girl in his cabin. So, it’s pretty funny stuff.

What do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is that God loves me. You can tell a lot about Him by creation, and it’s really peaceful being out here and kind of experiencing God in that way. As well as my husband loves me.