Junior Iditarod sees strong participation in spite of race changes

WASILLA — The 2022 Junior Iditarod went off without a hitch, drawing a strong and dedicated roster of youth mushers in spite of having to pivot due to the overflow conditions caused by warm weather and heavy snowfall.

“It went really well,” event organizer Barb Redington said.

Junior Iditarod officials moved the race north to Cantwell and the Denali Highway and changed the format to a stage race.

The typical race course consists of a 75-mile outbound run from Knik Lake to Yentna Station, a 10-hour layover in the Yetna forest, then another 75 miles to the finish line in Willow, according to the Junior Iditarod website.

The 2022 racecourse was set on a 64-mile round trip for stage one with the same route and distance during stage two. The elapsed time for both stages was combined to determine the youth mushers’ overall position.

Nenana musher Emily Robinson won the 2022 Junior Iditarod in a window of six seconds. Robinson received a $6,000 scholarship along with various prizes for her achievement. She was also recognized as the rookie of the year.

Hannah Wappett of Fairbanks took second place with a $4,000 scholarship. Morgan Martens of Wisconsin took third place with a $2,500 scholarship after finishing just five minutes after Wappett.

“It was a very close race,” Redington said with a laugh.

Manley musher Tori Boulding earned 4th place with a $2,000 scholarship eight minutes after Martens. Wasilla musher. Ellen Redington came in 5th place with a $1,500 scholarship about an hour later. Mushers who finished from 6th through 15th place received $500 scholarships.

According to Redington, 15 mushers participated in this year’s Junior Iditarod. Ages range from 14 to 17. She said that she was happy with the turnout and commended all of the athletes’ dedication and efforts in keeping themselves safe and competitive on the trail on top of caring for their animals.

Redington said there’s no entry fee for the Junior Iditarod to encourage as much youth participation as possible. She said it’s a great opportunity for Alaskan youth that effectively strengthens the local mushing community and future of The Last Great Race.

“These Junior Iditarod mushers are the future of mushing. We just hope to keep this race going,” Redington said.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman reporter Jacob Mann at jacob.mann@frontiersman.com