Jeff King, Denali, Alaska Born and raised in northern California, the 1993 Iditarod champion, Jeff King, age 39, first came to Alaska during the summer of 1975 for a temporary job at Denali National Park. It was after that enjoyable summer that Jeff decided to put his second year of college on hold and spend a winter in Alaska. Eighteen years later, he's still here. Jeff and Donna and their three daughters live on the banks of the small but beautiful Goose Lake, just a few miles from the entrance to Denali National Park. Here on their five acres, surrounded by the lofty peaks of the Alaska Range, their 60 dogs train daily year-round. Far off the power line grid, electricity is provided by a wind generator and diesel genset. Water for the family and the dogs comes from periodically pumping from the lake into a tank in the house. A heated barn in the dog yard provides state of the art care for the dogs during the occasional predictably extreme cold temperatures. Jeff's racing record is second to none with 21 first place finishes out of 46 races he has participated in over the last 15 years. Jeff has also won the Alaska Airlines Humanitarian award for outstanding care of his team, the Regal Alaskans First to the Yukon Award twice, the Halfway Award once, the fastest time from Safety to Nome Award once and his lead dogs won the Golden Harness Award in 1993. Jeff & Donna have three daughters, Cali, 11, Tessa, 9 and Ellen, 4. Jeff is a member of PRIDE, the Iditarod Board of Directors and is the fire chief of Denali. In his spare time, he enjoys hunting, fishing and kids’ games.

Ararad Khatchikian, Tarvisio, Italy Thirty-nine year old Ararad Khatchikian was born in the Sudan in Africa. He now makes his home in Italy where he has been a sled dog sports instructor and guide for 11 years. He began mushing in 1984 when his brother, Armen, participated in the Iditarod. He has run the Alpirod three times and the Transitalia twice. He also finished the 1985 and 1986 Iditaski, a 225 mile cross country ski race on the Iditarod Trail. Ararad says, "Why Iditarod?" "Because it’s the queen of all sled dog races! A unique occasion for a musher and his/her loyal four legged best friends to test their capacities and abilities in the most beautiful but severe land I have ever experienced. For me it’s even a celebration of the first tenth anniversary of the foundation, with my brother, Armen, sister, Armine and musher friend, Rick Swenson, with Mr. Bovou and Mr. Mike Buongiorno, of the Italian Sleddog School (S.I.S.). I dedicate my team’s participation to Monica, my sponsor, my friends and supporters, my family, my father Azad, my mother Teresa and little Alicja."

Kazuo Kojima, Tokyo, Japan Kazuo Kojima was born in Tokyo in 1943. For the last five years, he’s been a vice president of the KKI Corporation in Tokyo. He began mushing in 1968 and became interested in running the Iditarod after being in an expedition that went across Greenland. He first ran the Iditarod in 1984. He also ran the Alpirod in 1993. Kazuo is married and the father of three, Taro, 12, Daichi, 10, and Fubuki, 8. He lists his hobbies as skiing, mountaineering and listening to music.

Peryll Kyzer, Willow, Alaska Peryll Kyzer was born in Anchorage in 1953 and was raised on an old homestead on Campbell Creek. Her earliest experience with animals was with two herds of horses her farther bought when she was a child. She went to horse shows and rode gymkana, but says she loved most taking her horse to a clover field and letting her run wide open while she made a wish to live in the near, yet distant mountains. After her dad’s death, the family spent a year in Switzerland and Peryll says she saw enough of the world then to know that Alaska was where she wanted to live. She always loved dogs but never went to a dog race. As soon as she was on her own she says she got sled dogs. Her first dogs were weight pull dogs and that was how she became interested in the Iditarod. "When I went to Nome for the weight pull, seeing the sense of accomplishment the mushers had in Nome intrigued me. At the Nome weight pull. Also, I felt a little bit guilty flying my dogs up there to pull a loaded sled!" Peryll now has a heard of registered alpine dairy goats in addition to her dogs. She lives with her animals in Hatcher Pass and trains in the Talkeetna Mountains. She has run the Iditarod five times since 1988 and finished in the top 20 three times. Her best finish was 11th in 1995. Peryll says, "When the clouds are drifting across the mountains and I’m going in circles on the tractor, I need to shut the tractor off and take a walk. I love to find new berry patches and new friends to share them with. I would like to think that I’m here for some reason other than myself so I remind myself to share what I’ve been given in my own way." Peryll is single.