Junior Iditarod mushers hailing from the Valley include:

Jeff Deeter, 14, who is currently training with Iditarod musher, Frank Sihler, is currently in the 10th grade and attends an online school, where he participates in sports and digital photography. He is dedicating his Junior Iditarod Race this year to his grandfather, Eugene Diemer, who will turn 80 years old on the day the race starts.

Rohn Buser, 15, attends Wasilla High School as a ninth-grader and participates cross-country running and track. He also enjoys snowboarding, skateboarding and paintball. He ran the Junior Iditarod last year as a rookie and finished in fourth place.

Nikolai Buser, 16, is a junior at Wasilla High School and participates in cross-country running. He says he likes the relaxing feeling of running a dog team but also enjoys snow sports and paintball. He won the Rookie of the Year Award in 2003. This will be his third year in row in the Junior Iditarod.

Amy Gundlach, 14, is a freshman at Wasilla High School and participates in the Science Olympiad and soccer. She started mushing in 2001 and will be running dogs from Wayne and Chris Curtis's kennel in her first Junior Iditarod.

Mallory Smyth, 17, is an 11th-grade student at Houston High School, where he participates in football, soccer and wrestling. He will be running the Junior Iditarod for the first time.

Mariah Smyth, 17, is an 11th-grade student at Houston High School. Her dad and two of her brothers are Iditarod veterans. Like her brother, she will be running the Junior Iditarod for the first time.

Junior Iditarod Calendar

Vet Check - Today, 9 a.m. @ Iditarod HQ.

Mushers Meeting - Today, 7 p.m. @ Iditarod HQ.

Race Start - Saturday, 10 a.m. @ Settlers Bay.

Race Finish - Saturday, 10 a.m. @ Settlers Bay.

Banquet - Sunday, 7 p.m., location TBA.