HUMAN

Name: Noah Pereira

Age: 29

Residence: Fairbanks, Alaska

Occupation: Working at Trail Breaker Kennel & for the University of Alaska

First Year Ran Iditarod: 2016

How Many Years Involved With Iditarod: 5+

Iditarod Role: Musher, volunteer, handler

Current Location: Fairbanks, Alaska

Date of Photo: June 19, 2026

Temperature: 78F outdoors

Question 1: What is it about running sled dogs that you love so much?

What I love about running sled dogs is just working with the team and seeing them improve and seeing them love what they’re doing. I really like seeing progress with young dogs and then seeing them grow and mature into some great athletes and just great companions. I just love being out with dogs.

 

Question 2: What, who or how and when & why did you first get involved running the Iditarod?

I got involved running the Iditarod because I first learned about it through elementary school. We had some teachers that really liked sharing the story with us, and I learned about it there. I met some neighbors down the road that actually had a few malamutes. Tim Janczak was his name. He would volunteer for the Iditarod. I loved getting to learn from him along with another local musher, Jim Phillips. I started coming up to Alaska from New York and volunteering for a year and got a few dogs with my father, and then turned into year after year coming back to Alaska and handling and then eventually getting my own team.

 

Question 3:  Tell me about just one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences running the Iditarod.

My most memorable experience running the Iditarod is actually losing my dog team. I’m not too proud of that moment. But on my second Iditarod, I was, I mean, only a hundred miles or so in on the way to Finger Lake. It was middle of the day. The sun was out and I was warm, and I just happened to doze off on the runners.
I had a tail dragger or a seat on my sled, and I woke up face down in the snow. It wasn’t the best moment waking up and seeing my lead dog Peanut just tilt her head, look back at me. Of course I tell her, “Whoa,” give her the command to stop, and she takes off much faster than I ever seen her run before. So that was certainly one of the most memorable experiences I had through a race.

 

What in life do you know for sure?:

 

What I know for sure in life is that dogs are going to give you their all as long as you give your all back to them.