Nicolas Pattaroni, Torgon, Switzerland/Big Lake, Alaska Nicolas Pattaroni was born in Gabon, Africa, in 1965. He began mushing in Europe while still a teen. Before coming to Alaska in 1986 to be Martin Buser’s handler, he had worked construction in both Switzerland and Africa. He continues to work construction in Switzerland during the summers and return to Big Lake when training time comes. He ran his first Iditarod in 1995 and will be running Martin’s yearlings again in 1996. He says, "Our goal is the same, to give those young dogs a chance to experience the trail to Nome while keeping a good and happy attitude. We hope to have even more fun than last year! Nicolas list his hobby as collecting tribal art. He is single.

Kate Persons, Nome, Alaska Kate Persons was born in Iowa in 1953. She went to college in Oregon and moved to Alaska the day she graduated in 1975. Her first job was at the Arctic Research Lab in Barrow. She currently works for the Alaska Department of Fish & Game as a seasonal crew leader for the Norton Sound Herring project and the Niukluk River salmon counting tower. She started mushing in 1981 and says that after mushing for 10 years, she decided the time and the dogs were right for giving the Iditarod a try. She’s completed the Iditarod four times, the Yukon Quest three times, the Hope race twice and has run other mid distance races in the state. She now lives at Banner Creek outside of Nome. Kate says, "It was a real disappointment to miss the running of Iditarod ‘95, but instead I had an interesting new mushing experience helping film the CBS television movie of Sue Henry’s novel, Murder on the Iditarod Trail. I was hired to teach the heroine, Kate Jackson, to mush dogs and to occasionally double for her. It was great. Kate was a quick study and the entire cast and crew were intrigued with everything about he Iditarod. But the dogs and I will be glad to get back on the real Iditarod Trail and run with retakes!" Kate is single.

Lynda J. Plettner, Houston, Alaska Lynda Plettner, 45, has been mushing dogs since 1980. She began her racing career as a sprint racer and later ran mid and long distance. She now considers herself primarily a long distance musher but still enjoys all racing. Lynda entered her first Iditarod in 1990. She finished 44th. The 1996 race will be her sixth Iditarod. Her best finish was 28th in 1993. Lynda was born in New York and after a time in Palm Springs, California where she was a carpenter, she moved to Alaska in 1980 to "get out of the hustle and bustle of the city." She is the mother of two grown sons, Shane and Slade, and has four grandchildren. Lynda is now a full time professional musher who also teaches mushing to the general public. During the summer, she gives dog sled rides to the thousands of tourists who visit Iditarod Race Headquarters. Lynda says she looks forward to "my vacation--running the Iditarod." Plettner’s Kennels has been located on Lazy Mountain since she started, but will soon be moved to the Houston area. Lynda says, "we want to be more user friendly for public access."