Mushing Alaska

Our next guest is Kai Leddy. She and her partner, Elliott, run their own kennel in Talkeetna — Celestial Sled Dog Kennel. Leddy has been competing in mid-distance races for over a decade and most recently helped spearhead the newest Iditarod qualifier in the Willow area, the Su Dog 300.
We talk about the inaugural event, and with Sean and Leddy having lived and worked together for over a year, it was fun getting the band back together and reminiscing. This was recorded pre-Iditarod — enjoy!

Our guest in this episode is Jonah Bacon, who is just days removed from completing the inaugural Yukon Quest 750. Naturally, we almost entirely talked about his experience on the trail, we were on the edge of our seat!In the intro, we talked about the Fur Rondy festival and sprint sled dog race. Sean thought you couldn't get funnel cake there but upon further review he learned that you definitely can (after the recording). Feels great to have our first guest in awhile, enjoy!Intro - 0:00Jonah interview/recount Yukon Quest - 16:18Frostbite.nip - 1:19:00Closeout on Yukon Quest - 1:25:00Dog team - 1:30:00Non Yukon Quest - 1:35:00

We are back after a winter Mushing Alaska slumber. We were able to catch up on some of the races in January, check in with the Quest (a lot has happened since we recorded), and just get the ball rolling as the sun comes back and all the dogs are in primetime shape, enjoy!

Sometimes the trail brings you exactly the right people at the right time. This summer, Sean crossed paths with musher Shane Blumentritt in the tiny coastal town of Seldovia, and that chance meeting turned into one of our favorite conversations yet.

Shane has been mushing for years, building a kennel from the ground up with his fiancée on the Kenai Peninsula. He’s continuing his push toward qualifying for the Last Great Race with the Copper Basin 300 on deck, while she’ll be tackling the Knik 200 the week before. Their story is one of grit, growth, and chasing big dreams with a team of dogs who always keep things interesting, Enjoy!

Our next episode is with Thomas Wærner, an Iditarod Champion and Finnmarksløpet Champion, the two longest sled dog races in the world. He lives in Norway with his dogs while working a full-time job, and has spent decades surrounded by sled dogs — experiencing the wilderness, the hardships, and the rewards of the trail with them.

This year, Thomas returns to the Iditarod for the first time since his win, bringing a new team of young dogs who have yet to see this trail. He isn’t aiming to finish first with them this year, but is building toward that goal in the years to come.

Thomas is also close friends with Kjell Inge Røkke, a major Iditarod sponsor and this year’s Expedition Class musher — a new feature of the 2026 race. He’s looking forward to sharing the experience with Røkke while running his third Iditarod. Enjoy!

Intro - 0:00
Interview with Thomas - 25:25