In the photo right, Alaska West Express Driver (and 2017 Overall ATA Winner of the Truck Driving Rodeo) Brian Ambrose and his wife Jennifer wished Pete Kaiser (center) luck at the end of the 11-mile ceremonial start of the Iditarod sled dog race in Anchorage. The real race started March 3 in Willow, AK with Pete competing for the tenth time. He placed fifth – a big jump from his ninth-place finish last year. The Ambroses are long-time race volunteers. "Jennifer and I are part of a group of volunteers who collect the bibs from the mushers and have them autographed so they can be auctioned off to raise funds for the race," Brian says.
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Tags: Iditarod, Alaska West Express
Lynden’s Peter Kaiser made it a "3-Pete" win in the 2017 Kusko 300 in February and placed in the top 10 in this year’s Iditarod in March. Pete, who has worked for Bering Marine Corporation and now Knik Construction in Bethel, AK for 10 years, won the Kusko 300 for the third consecutive year, beating his 2016 time by almost 30 minutes. Pete and his 9 dogs crossed the 300 finish line with a time of 40 hours, 7 minutes and 54 seconds.
In his eighth outing as an Iditarod competitor, Pete placed ninth in the fastest-ever Iditarod. First-place finisher Mitch Seavey crushed the Iditarod speed record, finishing in 8 days, 3 hours and 40 minutes. The previous record, set last year by Seavey’s 30-year-old son, Dallas, was 8 days, 11 hours and 20 minutes.
This year, mushers traveled an unusual route that started in Fairbanks, rather than Willow, due to low snow on key stretches of the trail. The 2017 Iditarod is officially 979 miles, although that includes 11 mile sat the ceremonial start from Downtown Anchorage to Campbell Airstrip.
Bering Marine Corporation and Knik Construction support Pete and Kaiser Kennels each year. "Pete is not only a great employee for our companies, but his passion and dedication in his work shows in his mushing as well. We are proud of his accomplishments and look forward to more races next year," says Dan Hall, Knik Construction Vice President.
"I am grateful for Lynden’s ongoing support," Pete says. "Our success is dependent on our sponsors and the flexibility of my employer. This year you had to have a flawless race to keep up with the fast teams. I had a few sick dogs with injuries along the way but, as always, I’m just happy to be competing."
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Tags: Bering Marine Corporation, Iditarod, Community Service, Lynden employees, Knik Construction
The 2013 Iditarod - the “Last Great Race on Earth” - officially starts today, March 2nd. Lynden is proud to be a sponsor of two of this year's racers, Pete Kaiser and Mike Williams. Pete is an employee of Bering Marine Corporation, part of the Lynden family of companies, and will be racing for the 4th time. He finished in the Top 10 in both 2012 and 2011. Mike is also sponsored by Lynden, mushing in the Iditarod for the 15th time. He was born and raised in Alaska, and has a son (Mike Williams, Jr.) who will also be competing in this year's race.
Pete and his dogs
The Iditarod race, the ultimate test against nature, winds over 1,150 miles of difficult terrain throughout rough weather conditions. Mushers will start in Anchorage and ultimately finish in Nome, Alaska. The race typically takes 9-15 days for mushers to finish.
Lynden employees are familiar faces at Alaska sled dog races, volunteering for things such as race announcing, caring for dog teams, and lending other support. You can learn more about the Iditarod and follow along with this year's race by visiting the official website: www.iditarod.com.
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Tags: Bering Marine Corporation, Iditarod, Lynden, Alaska
Lynden is a proud sponser of the 2012 Jr. Iditarod race in Alaska, this year beginning February 25th in Wasilla on Knik Lake. The 12 young mushers (ages fourteen to seventeen) will travel from the starting point to Eagle Song lodge for a checkpoint and then to the Yetna Station turnaround point, where they lay over for 10 hours before heading back towards the finish line in Willow. The journey will total approximately 150 miles, regardless of weather and/or trail conditions.
Lynden awards scholarships to the top five finishers and to the winners of the Rookie of the Year and Sportsmanship Awards. Lynden employees are familiar faces at Alaska sled dog races, volunteering as race announcers, caring for the dog teams and lending other support.
Jeremiah Klejka was the winner of the 2011 Jr. Iditarod race (pictured above).
View photos of past events, find more information on this year's race, and help us support these young mushers by becoming a "fan" of the Jr. Iditarod Facebook Page! More information is also available on the Jr. Iditarod website.
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Tags: Iditarod, Lynden employees, Alaska
The 2010 Iditarod is underway!
"You can't compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer...A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska."
- iditarod.com
The 2010 Iditarod is currently underway, with the official start taking place this past weekend. Seventy one mushers and their sled dog teams are competing this year in the "Last Great Race on Earth". Lynden employees are familiar faces at Alaska sled dog races, volunteering as race announcers, caring for the dog teams and lending other support.
Follow mushers sponsored by Lynden
Lynden companies have sponsored several mushers competing in the race. Use the following links to keep track of the mushers!
Quinn Iten (Kotzebue, AK): Follow Quinn wearing #28
Peter Kaiser (Bethel, AK): Follow Peter wearing #67
Michael Williams, Jr. (Akiak, AK): Follow Michael wearing #59
You can also view the current standings of the race.
Pictures: Musher, sled, and a dog ready to get started!
Ethan, a Lynden employee, has provided great pictures he took at the start of the race. Pete Kaiser is the musher in these photos. You can also view more "Images from the Trail" on the Iditarod website.
Jr. Iditarod
Lynden is also major sponsor of the Jr. Iditarod, which was held the last weekend of February. See our related blog post on the Jr. Iditarod for results and information.
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Another great race!
The exciting 2010 Jr. Iditarod took place over the last weekend in February, starting and finishing in Willow, Alaska. Lynden, a major sponsor of the race, had plenty of employees there volunteering and cheering on the young mushers. Volunteers were lead by Lynden's Sam Amato, a member of the Jr. Iditarod Board of Directors.
The winner of this year's race was Merrisa Osmar, a 15 year old from Ninilchik, AK. The guest speaker this year was NFL Hall of Famer Larry Csonka, an avid outdoorsman and host of the Alaska TV program "North to Alaska". As you may have seen, this past fall Larry and Sam Amato went on a moose hunting trip in Alaska that was taped for the show.
Pictures from the event
Thanks everyone for making the 2010 Jr. Iditarod another great race!
Bob Barndt (Lynden employee and Announcer of the Jr. Iditarod), 2010 Jr. Iditarod winner Merrisa Osmar, Larry Csonka, and Sam Amato.
2010 Jr. Iditarod winner Merrisa Osmar (Photo credit: IditarodPhotos.net)
Guillermo Anton of Spain (read his story)
Yuta Takagi of Anchorage, AK (read his story)
2010 Iditarod
Lynden also sponsors several mushers competing in the 2010 Iditarod. View photos and follow Lynden sponsored mushers throughout the race!
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Lynden is a proud sponsor of the Jr. Idiatrod Race in Alaska, this year beginning Feb. 27 in Wasilla. The young mushers travel from the starting point to the turnaround point at the Yentna Station Roadhouse where they lay over for 10 hours before leaving for the finish line back in Wasilla.
Lynden awards scholarships to the top five finishers and to the winners of the Humanitarian and Sportsmanship Awards. Here is Lynden's Sam Amato, board member and volunteer coordinator, presenting the sponsorship check to President Michelle Pearson for the 2009-2010 season.
Lynden is also the primary sponsor for Ed Iten and his team in the Alaska Iditarod and it sponsors the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse. Lynden employees are familiar faces at Alaska sled dog races, volunteering as race announcers, caring for the dog teams and lending other support.
(Photo credit: Jeff Schultz / IditarodPhotos.NET)
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Tags: Iditarod, Lynden employees, Alaska
