HUMAN

Name: Mike Parker
Age: 39
Residence: Eagle River, Alaska
Occupation: Project manager for the Anchorage School District
Years involved with Iditarod: 10 years
Iditarod Role: Rookie Musher
Current Location: Coast International, Anchorage, AK

Date of Photo: FEBRUARY 27, 2025
Temperature: 68F

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

I first got involved with Iditarod in 1991. I was a kindergartner in Palmer, Alaska. Susan Butcher and Martin Buser came and did a presentation at my school, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. I moved away from Alaska shortly thereafter. And it has always been my dream to come back and to run Iditarod. And here I am.

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

 

I’m running Iditarod because I see it as one of the pinnacles of sport. I’ve always been very into sport and competition, and it’s an opportunity to test myself against some of the top athletes in the world, with some of the top athletes in the world. And also to test my toughness and resolve to go across Alaska. 

Tell me about your most memorable Iditarod experiences?:

The opportunity to see so much of it from the back of a dog sled is what has really gotten me here today.

What do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is that life demands to be lived. That’s one of the reasons that I’m running Iditarod, is for the experience. It’s easy to get caught up in the world today in your phone and technology, but I know that a life better lived is a life experienced.