For Rohn Buser, the 2026 Iditarod was never just another race. It was a homecoming.
After an 11-year break from the Last Great Race, Rohn returned to the starting line in Willow on March 8 with a team of dogs he calls the most talented he has ever worked with. Nearly all of them were born and raised right here at our kennel in Talkeetna, from championship bloodlines, and they had already been proving themselves in mid-distance races like the Knik 200, Yukon Quest 300, and Kobuk 440, where our team earned a third-place finish and Rookie of the Year honors.
This is the story of how our dogs, and our musher, took on nearly 1,000 miles of frozen Alaska wilderness together.
Why This Race Mattered
Rohn’s Iditarod career started in 2008, when he was fresh out of high school. He had completed his senior year credits early, in December, specifically so he could run the Iditarod that March. He finished three times running dogs out of his parents’ Happy Trails Kennel, with a personal best of 18th place.
But this time was different. This time, the dogs were his own. Raised from puppyhood right here at Susitna Sled Dog Adventures, trained on our trails around Talkeetna, and shaped by years of careful breeding and preparation.
“It felt great to return to the Iditarod after 11 years,” Rohn says, “and running with a team that I raised at my own kennel was extra rewarding.”
If you know anything about Rohn, you know that mushing is not just what he does. It is who he is. He was literally named after the Rohn Roadhouse checkpoint on the Iditarod trail. His father, Martin Buser, is a four-time Iditarod champion with 39 total finishes, 37 of them consecutive. Rohn grew up surrounded by sled dogs, learning the craft from one of the greatest to ever run the race.
Now, alongside his wife Alyssa, their son Kaladin, and their daughter Elowen, Rohn is building our mushing legacy right here in Talkeetna.
Getting to the Starting Line
What most people do not realize is how much it costs just to get to the start. Rohn has been open about the financial reality of competitive mushing. The Iditarod entry fee alone is $2,000 (reduced from the usual $4,000 this year thanks to expedition musher Kjell Inga Rokke’s sponsorship). On top of that, roughly 1,500 pounds of food drops need to be shipped to checkpoints along the trail at a cost of $1,200 to $1,500 in air freight. Flying the dogs home from Nome after the finish costs another $1,000 to $2,000.
Then there are the booties. At about $1.16 per bootie, and roughly 4,000 booties used throughout the racing season, that alone adds up to over $4,600. A single distance racing sled costs $3,000 to $4,000, and harnesses, gear, and equipment wear out constantly with the miles our dogs cover.
When Rohn ran his first Iditarod in 2008, 96 mushers finished the race. This year, fewer than 35 started in the competitive field. The economics of mushing have changed, and every team that makes it to the starting line represents years of work and sacrifice.
“The hardest part about preparing for this year’s Iditarod was juggling training for the Iditarod, operating our business, and helping take care of the kids,” Rohn explains. “It made for a lot of long days and late nights, but that’s what it takes to run the Iditarod.”
The Race: 1,000 Miles of Wild Alaska
The 54th running of the Iditarod followed the northern route from Willow to Nome. The ceremonial start took place in Anchorage on March 7, with the official start from Willow the following day.
From the beginning, conditions were brutal. Teams climbed through the Alaska Range, tackling Rainy Pass (the highest point on the trail) and descending the technical Dalzell Gorge before crossing the Farewell Burn, a treacherous 35-mile stretch known for exposed ground and frozen tussocks.
Wind was a constant factor. Near McGrath, more than 300 miles into the race, wind chill temperatures plummeted to 45 below zero, and even colder in low-lying areas. The strong winds crossing the Alaska Range were intense enough to force one musher to scratch entirely.
Rohn was running strong through the early stages. He was among the top 7 teams at the Finger Lake checkpoint and remained competitive through the Interior checkpoints. At McGrath, he took his mandatory 24-hour rest, caring for our dogs and preparing for the second half of the race. He was photographed there tending to one of our dogs, Duchess, making sure she was comfortable before pushing on.
But it was the final stretch that tested our team most. “One of the toughest runs on this year’s race was the final run from White Mountain to Nome,” Rohn recalls. “We contended with some pretty strong wind, lots of blowing snow, and snow drifts. I put Baffin, who had not run much in lead on the race up to this point, in lead with Cherry, and they absolutely crushed it.”
The Dogs That Made It Possible
Every musher will tell you that the Iditarod is not a solo sport. It is a team effort between one human and a group of extraordinary canine athletes.
Rohn started with 16 of our dogs and finished with 12 in harness, crossing the finish line in Nome on March 19. His final time was 10 days, 20 hours, and 33 minutes, earning him 19th place in his fourth Iditarod start, giving him a perfect 4-for-4 completion record.
For a team of mostly homegrown dogs making their first Iditarod run together, that is a remarkable achievement.
“Some of my main leaders for the race this year were Cherry, Duchess, Prince, and Brisk,” Rohn shares. “I was really impressed with Brisk. I almost didn’t take her in the team this year, and she ended up running in lead much of the race!”
These are the same dogs that our guests get to meet, play with, and run alongside when they visit us. The athletes you see on the Iditarod trail are the same ones who greet families with wagging tails in our dog yard, who pull you through the winter trails around Talkeetna, and who curl up for belly rubs after a day of running.
That is what makes our kennel different. These are not just tour dogs. They are competitive racers with championship bloodlines, living their best lives between the race trail and the tour trail.
The Bigger Picture: Iditarod 2026
The 2026 race was one for the history books. Defending champion Jessie Holmes won his second consecutive title, crossing under the burled arch in Nome at 9:32 p.m. on March 17 with a time of 9 days, 7 hours, and 32 minutes. He becomes only the sixth musher to win back-to-back Iditarods, joining legends like Susan Butcher, Lance Mackey, and Dallas Seavey.
Holmes swept every trail award along the way and was presented with a check for $80,000. Travis Beals finished as runner-up, his best result in 12 Iditarod starts. Jeff Deeter took third, Paige Drobny fourth, and Wade Marrs rounded out the top five.
The race tested every team that entered. Four mushers scratched from a field that was already the second-smallest in race history, and the brutal conditions from start to finish meant every finisher earned their place under the burled arch.
It is a reminder that the Iditarod is as raw and real as Alaska itself.
What This Means for Susitna Sled Dog Adventures
Rohn’s return to the Iditarod is not just a personal milestone. It is a reflection of everything we have been building here at the kennel.
When you visit us in Talkeetna for a winter sled tour, a summer kennel visit, or an overnight expedition, you are stepping into the world of competitive mushing. You are meeting dogs who have run the Iditarod trail. You are hearing stories from a musher who has faced 45-below wind chill and 1,000 miles of wilderness, and who chose to come home to Talkeetna and share that world with you.
“I want people to know that this is more than just a race, and more than just a business,” Rohn says. “Having sled dogs is a lifestyle that takes a tremendous amount of time and energy, but the reward of getting to spend time on the trail with some of the most incredible animals on earth is an experience unlike anything else.”
Whether you have been following the Iditarod for years or are just learning about it for the first time, we would love to welcome you to the kennel. Come meet the team. Hear the stories. And maybe, if you are lucky, get a face full of happy husky kisses from a dog who just ran 1,000 miles across Alaska.
Book a tour with Susitna Sled Dog Adventures!