Few people can relate to the tribulations and exaltations of running the Last Great Race. According to the Iditarod champion Martin Buser, only about 700 people have completed the 1,000-mile race to Nome and of those, only 20 have won. Martin Buser is part of an elite club of six people with at least four Iditarod victories, along Susan Butcher, Doug Swingley, Lance Mackey, Rick Swenson and Jeff King. This year Buser hopes to join Swenson, the only five-time champion.
Buser thinks his years of experience and deep understanding of dogs will help. "We don't know where the line of age and experience yields to the level of youth and exuberance. Hopefully, not quite yet..." says Buser, who's 56. The top team of dogs from the Buser kennel have treated Martin's son, Rohn, well this season. The 24-year-old recently won his second Kuskokwim 300 title behind some of the top Happy Trail Kennel dogs. However, Rohn is not racing the Iditarod, so many of the Kuskokwim champions will be part of the 16-dog team Martin will drive to Nome.
Time will tell if those dogs can bring home another title for Buser, who's completed 28 consecutive Iditarods -- including the second-fastest run to Nome ever, just 8 days, 22 hours and 46 minutes.
Watch all of the videos from our musher profile series, see slideshows from the trail and more on our main Iditarod page. See this video on Vimeo or YouTube, and be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more great voices from the Last Frontier. Contact Alaska Dispatch videographer Tara Young at tara(at)alaskadispatch.com.