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LATEST
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Melissa's rookie year was 2008 when she finished
30th. Her bib number for 2016 is 82.
Bio
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Bio
2016
Melissaa (Owens) Stewart,
26, was born and raised in Nome. She moved to the
Mat-Su Valley in 2009 to attend Northern Industrial
Training and decided to stay. She later earned a
Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from the
Charter College. Melissa lists her occupation as
dog musher and says she has been mushing
“since birth.” She says she has wanted to
run the Iditarod as long as she can remember.
“My dad ran the Iditarod the year I was born
and mushing is in my blood. After completing four
Jr. Iditarods, I ran my first Iditarod in 2008 and
am the youngest female to finish the Iditarod.
After taking a few years off, we have decided it is
time to come back and run again and show the dogs
what it is like to race across Alaska. My husband,
Jason, and I now share the responsibilities of the
kennel and enjoy spending time with the dogs and
seeing them grow as a team. We are excited for this
winter.”
Hometown: Edmonds, WA
Jan Steves, 56, was born and raised in Edmonds,
Washington. In 2009 she moved to Alaska to run dogs
and train for the Iditarod. A 1974 graduate of
Edmonds High School, she attended the University of
Washington. She is currently employed in property
management/repairs. She began mushing in 2008 and
says she first became interested in the Iditarod
“when I first spent time with sled dogs in
2007.” Jan is the mother of three adult
children, Nicole, Tyler, and Kelsey. She lists her
hobbies as fishing, boating, hiking, skiing, and
bike riding.
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