Three mushers withdraw from Iditarod 54 due to injury

Three veteran mushers—Josh McNeal, Connor McMahon, and Nicolas Petit—withdrew from the 2026 Iditarod (Iditarod 54) due to shoulder injuries sustained during training and racing, the Iditarod Trail Committee, Inc. (ITC) announced on February.

Petit, a veteran musher from Big Lake, has six top-10 finishes in 11 races under his belt, coming in second in 2018. In a post on his social media page, he said aside from his injury, there were other hurdles to face and “a bad Iditarod could be a last Iditarod,” while focusing on the future.

A previous shoulder injury forced McNeal to scratch from the 2024 race with a “severe shoulder injury,” according to his biography on the Iditarod website. He went on to announce that he would be retiring from the sport, writing on his Crooked Creek Kennel Facebook page that the decision wasn’t made lightly, nor how he wanted it to end, having much more he wanted to accomplish. “It has been extremely fun, and I am so grateful for my amazing dogs who have taken me all over this great state, and lower 48. I’m so grateful for all the people that have supported me over the years, and all the people that I have met in this great sport.”

McNeal said he plans to continue volunteering, and hinted that he may even put on his own race next winter. “It’s hard to put much more in words so I’ll just end with this quote by Dr. Seuss “Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

McMahon, a musher out of Carcross, Yukon, was poised for his third Iditarod, having also competed in previous races including the 2023 Yukon Quest, where he placed third.

Shoulder injuries are often caused by the physical demand of maneuvering a sled over rugged, uneven, and icy terrain, with some s of shoulders "locking up" during intense training, such as on the Denali Highway. It was just such an injury that McNeal cited as occurring while he was out on a training run.

“While these withdrawals are unfortunate, the health and well-being of our athletes, both canine and human, remain a top priority. To help alleviate confusion, it should be noted that Nicolas Petit will participate in the Ceremonial Start alongside his IditaRider but will not continue on the racecourse after Saturday, March 7, 2026,” the ITC said in a press release.

“The ITC extends its support and best wishes to Josh, Connor, and Nicolas for a full and speedy recovery. They will be missed on the trail this year, and we look forward to welcoming them back to the Iditarod Trail in the future.”