HUMAN

Name: Wally Robinson

Residence: Nenana, Alaska

Age: 41

Occupation: Electrician

Years involved with Iditarod: I started Iditarod in 2000 and ran in 2001, and I’ve had a few different roles over the years, helping out on the trail, marking the trail, traveling on the trail. Yeah. And then my daughter ran the junior Iditarod this year.

Past Iditarod Roles: I ran it in 2001, and I was a trail marker one year from when it started in Fairbanks. I trail marked from Nenana out to Manley and have traveled on the trail, and helped in the checkpoints, but no real official roles other than that.

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 the Iditarod when I was a young kid. I saw some dog teams and got into mushing and followed Iditarod since I was the age of 14. I’m from Michigan originally. There was a dog musher back there named Lloyd Gilbertson, who was an Iditarod musher and he really got me inspired to come to Alaska. And I moved to Alaska when I was 19 after I graduated high school and worked for Ramy Brooks and got to know lots of the Iditarod mushers, Charlie Bolton, Bill Cotter, Aaron Burmeister. A lot of guys that inspired me and taught me a lot over the years.

What was one of your most memorable Iditarod experiences?

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was… The first one was when I ran the Iditarod, but then I guess the second one would be, the first time the Iditarod, when it got rerouted out of Fairbanks, it went to Huslia, Alaska, and I was there when Aaron Burmeister got in there, and the whole town came out to see everyone. That was the first time Iditarod ever went into that village. And if it was like stepping back in time and the people were just so excited, it was a pretty amazing experience.

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

Knowing that this is the 50th Iditarod makes me feel, makes me feel very happy that the race is still going. And, I hope it’s still here for another 50 years.

What do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is no one is getting out of this alive.