HUMAN

Name: Nils Hahn

Age: 50

Residence: Nome, Alaska originally from Germany

Occupation: I own a newspaper, together with my wife, up here in Nome. The Nome Nugget newspaper, oldest paper in Alaska.

Years involved with the Iditarod: Since 1992, I’ve been involved with the Iditarod and I’ve run the Iditarod four times.

Iditarod Role: Fan of the Iditarod

Current Location: Nome, Alaska

Date of Photo: March 16, 2022

Temperature: 10F Outdoors/68F Indoors at Iditarod Headquarters

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

I came over to Alaska in 1992 from Germany, and I came as a dog handler for Rick Swenson, the five-time champion. And then afterwards, I moved to Alaska in order to run the Iditarod, which I did in 2000, the first one.

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

Since we live in Nome and run the newspaper, the Nome Nugget newspaper, and also Mushing Magazine, we’re heavily involved in the Iditarod and we have our own dog team. So during March every single off run, Iditarod.

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

 Most memorable experience is crossing the seas from Shaktoolik to Koyuk and the Iditarod in 2004. My wife was nine months pregnant with our daughter, Lizzy. And I was traveling with legendary musher, Joe Garnie. And when we got to Koyuk, he came over to me and he said he’s been thinking about… because he’s Lizzy’s godfather, he’s thinking about her middle name, or her Eskimo name. And he came up with the Eskimo name for our daughter on the run from Shaktoolik to Koyuk. And so the name is Tigaruk, which means a person more than welcome to your life.

What in life do you know for sure?

I think what I know in life for sure is that a good dog doesn’t live long enough.