HUMAN

Name: Tricia Brown

Age: 67
Residence: Anchorage, Alaska

Occupation: I’m a book author, editor, and book developer.

Years involved with Iditarod: 25 years ago

Past Iditarod Roles: Major role has been as a journalist or book developer, book author, working with Jeff Schultz, Lou Friedman, and most recently, as editor of Iditarod, The First 10 Years. And Jeff’s book, I wrote the text for his book, Icons of the Iditarod. For a while I was a volunteer in the mail trail people, so several years.

Current Location: Settler’s Bay Lodge in Wasilla, Alaska
Date of Photo: March 1, 2022

Temperature: 68 F Indoors

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

I first got involved with Iditarod as a journalist and I wrote for Alaska magazine and I helped with special additions for the newspaper about Iditarod, so I interviewed mushers and did profiles and so forth. And then Jeff Schultz and I together worked on, Iditarod Silver with Lou Friedman was the author, and Jeff did the photography. Jeff and I next worked on another book called, Iditarod Country, Exploring the Route of the Last Great Race. And since then we’ve done some other projects together with me helping him get books out that he’s written. And then most recently, Icons of the Iditarod, we worked on together. But during all that time, I’ve been a huge fan as well. And my special joy was working with the mail trail committee with Leo Rasmusson at the head, and I loved doing that and I love being able to have the insider, back of the scenes, kind of roaming around downtown Anchorage and meeting each of the mushers to give them the mail that they’re supposed to put in their sleds.

What was one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences?

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was flying out to Nome for the end of the race in 1998 and expecting the worst weather possible, and instead it was raining. But all of the people who wanted books signed and Jeff Schultz and my book had just come out, Iditarod Country, and all the people who love Iditarod had a copy in their hands, and they were snaking through all of the mushers who were at tables in the community hall and getting their signatures. And so it was just generally a thrill for me. Loved it.

What does the 50th running of the Iditarod mean to you?

Knowing this is the 50th Iditarod makes me feel like, time has passed too quickly. Because it seems like just maybe five years ago that we were working on, Iditarod Silver book, but so much has happened. And so when I count back, yes, of course, 25 more years have passed, but I do feel like watching history has been a thrill of a lifetime.

What do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is that every single person has a unique gift to offer and it builds other people up, and those other people’s gifts build you up. And for me, my life has been centered in my faith in Jesus, and my hope is to share that with other people through how I live, and how I model what’s most important.