Mike got his start in dog mushing in Bethel, Alaska. While helping out in the community as part of a volunteer organization, Mike met legendary K-300 champion and founder Myron Angstman. Myron brought Mike into the Old Friendly Dog Farm family, taught him to harness up a team, put him on a sled for the first time, and allowed him to compete with his dogs local races.
The Bethel Era: Learning to Mush
2008 Holiday Classic & Other Bethel Races
Mike competed in his first race ever mere months after meeting Myron and standing on the runners for the first time. The 2008 Holiday Classic race was a 50 mile run on the river sponsored by the Kuskokwim 300 race committee. Mike’s goals for his first race were modest: don’t lose the dog team, don’t lose the trail, and don’t come in last place. He considered it a success after passing the eventual red lantern winner with a few miles to go and crossing the finish line. Mike went on to run the Old Friendly Dog Farm “B” team in various local races, such as the Spring Fling and the Larry Chase Memorial.
Myron watches over Mike’s takeoff at the Holiday Classic.
2010 Bogus Creek 150: 2nd Place & Rookie of the Year
In 2010, the Bogus Creek 150 was still the little brother race to the famed Kuskokwim 300. It was run on the same weekend as the bigger race, with the 150 course following the first 75 miles of the same trail, before turning around to head back to the finish line in Bethel. Myron trusted Mike with the “B” team despite a severe lack of snow and strong winds. Mike and the team braved the seemingly endless miles of glare ice and -65 degree windchills to finish in 2nd Place and earn Rookie of the Year Honors. Mike’s successful race was aided in no small part by his Iditarod finisher handlers: Dean Painter and Andy Angstman.
At the finish line, Trot in single lead.
After a few years in Bethel, Mike moved to Fairbanks, AK and kept his own small recreational team. Eventually he put his Iditarod dreams on hold to focus on building a career and raising a family. Years would go by until one day Mike’s wife Julieann convinced him to find a way to get back on the runners and complete his lifelong dream of running the Iditarod. Soon thereafter, he sought out and met legendary dog-man Jim Lanier. Next thing he knew he was right back in the mix, racing with Jim’s incredible Northern White sled dogs.
The Northern Whites: Dreams Reborn
The first dog race Mike entered in nearly 15 years would be his initial attempt at completing an Iditarod Qualifier. Mike surprised himself and others by pulling off a 7th place finish as a rookie in a stacked field. He reached the finish line with 8 dogs (7 of which were female) and declared the race the greatest adventure of his life (so far).
2023 Willow 300: 7th Place
KitKat and Tootsie leading the way to the first checkpoint.
The trail for Mike’s second Iditarod qualifier started at the Tug Bar and went 75 miles to the Talvista lodge and then back along the same route. The run to the checkpoint had long, difficult stretches of deep, soft snow. But the team ate and rested well during a 6 hour mandatory layover and during this time the trail set up and hardened. Mike had a magic carpet ride type return run to a podium finish, passing multiple teams and getting all 12 dogs to the finish line happy and healthy.
2023 Goose Bay 150: 3rd Place
KitKat and Solo lead every step of the way.
2023 Hal Bartko Nome Sign 40: Winner & Course Record
Mike and the team entered a race that followed a portion of the historic Iditarod trail. With the race only being 40 miles long, Mike took his foot off the break and the dogs stepped on the gas. The team pulled Mike to his first ever win in the sport of sled dog racing. After the race, friend, mentor and race organizer Ray Redington Jr informed Mike that he had broken his long standing record of fastest time around the course.
Solo and Buttercup on a record setting pace.
Going into the 2023-24 season, Mike had turned his eye towards completing his final Iditarod qualifier. With an experienced core group of racing dogs, who had won races with Mike as well as other mushers, the team was set up for a big year. Mike and the team kicked off the race season with a 5th place finish by beating 30+ teams in a 63-mile race. Unfortunately, tragedy struck on a training run following the race, as the team was hit by an oncoming snow machine. Some of Mike’s best friends died or were severely injured in the incident. But the team pressed on.
The Northern Whites: A Resilient Dog Team
Less than a week after losing his friends and leaders, Mike entered the Knik 100 as planned. He wanted to make a statement about his and the team’s resiliency, and to honor the animals that were lost by continuing to race. A group of younger dogs joined the race team and after an emotional start emerged as leaders, and stepped up to get the team to the finish line.
2023 Knik 100: Mushing On
Finding strength. northernwondersphotography.com
2024 Copper Basin 300: Top 20 & Iditarod Qualified
Mike and the team mushed on through a season of adversity to race the “Toughest 300 Miles in Alaska.” The Copper Basin 300 was the final box to check on Mike’s list for qualifying for the Iditarod. The team was filled out with yearlings and dogs brought out of semi-retirement. Mike ran a conservative race, giving the team extra rest so as many of them as possible would finish strong and gain valuable experience for the future. The strategy worked out, as the team still cracked the top 20 in a race stacked with former Iditarod, Yukon Quest, and Copper Basin champions.
Mike and his team now anxiously await the opportunity to head to Nome in the 2025 Iditarod.
Starting line. mushingphotos.com
Batman, just a yearling, at the finish. mushingphotos.com