HUMAN

Name: Wayne Curtis
Age: 59 in a couple weeks 
Residence: Knik, Alaska
Occupation: I am a technician for environmental service and equipment company.
Years involved with Iditarod: ’92 forward.
Iditarod Role: Teaching the Iditarod Dog Handler Academy. Coordinator.

Current Location: Lakefront Hotel, Anchorage, Alaska. 
Date of Photo: March 6, 2020
Temperature: 14F/Outdoors

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

I got involved with the Iditarod in late 1992 after moving up here, and decided that I did and was able to run the Iditarod. With my experience, I needed a little more. So in 1995, I entered my rookie year, did my two qualifiers, and in March of 1995 I was able to run my first Iditarod.

What is your Why?.. Why are you here today and involved in Iditarod?

Okay. I’m here today and involved with the Iditarod because I love sled dogs, the lifestyle that affords us up here in Alaska. And since running my first Iditarod, I wanted to stay involved. So today I’m here training the volunteer dog handlers that will be on Fifth Avenue and on the lake in Willow to help the dog mushers get up safely to the start line.

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

One of my most memorable Iditarod experiences was the first time I fell asleep on the trail. It was a pretty straight-forward trail. I dozed off for just a second and the next thing I knew my dogs were making a 90-degree turn across a snow bridge across a creek in the Farewell Burn area. I woke up just in time to decide to let go of the sled, let it go across through the water. It got stuck. I managed to quickly pull it back out of the ice shelf that it was stuck under, tell them to “hike,” and let it go again, run around to the ice bridge and catch them just before they took off into the woods. And that’s one way to wake up.

What do you know for sure?:

What I know for sure in life is, always expect the unexpected if you live in Alaska.