WILLOW, Alaska — Matthew Failor may never win an Iditarod.
He may never be the first musher to cross under the famed burled arch in Nome, celebrated as the best dog sled musher in Alaska after racing 1,000 miles across the massive 49th state.
But don’t be mistaken. Winning is the Mansfield native’s dream.
Under a quiet exterior, this Eagle Scout has a smoldering, competitive fire. You can’t do what he does for a living without those internal flames.
Chasing that victory … that dream … is the reason he will mush in his 14th Iditarod with its ceremonial start in Anchorage on Saturday, and then hurry nearly 300 miles to the north for the restart on Monday in Fairbanks.
The simple fact is the best dreams — the ones that keep us sleepless at night — are the hardest ones to conquer and achieve.
It’s been the 2000 St. Peter High School graduate’s dream since he moved to Alaska full time in 2010, armed with a fine arts degree in photography from The Ohio State University. His love for the outdoors led him to a state with the most outdoors.
His love for dogs led him the sport he quickly grew to love, mentored by four-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser, one of the sports legends.
After racing with his mentor’s dogs initially, Failor launched his own kennel, his own business and his own dreams of winning.
He met the love of his life, Liz, when she was covering the race for an Alaskan TV network. Now married, they have a beautiful son, Theo, and they operate Alaskan Husky Adventures together with a kennel that has grown to more than 50 of the sharpest huskies in the business.
Failor has one Top-10 finish in his first 13 versions of “The Last Great Race,” racing in his first back in 2012.
Failor was eighth two years ago and likely would have added a second top-10 finish last year until he stopped to console and help a younger musher, Hunter Keefe, whose dog died along the trail.
“He was pretty scared and so I didn’t say a word. I just gave him a big hug and tried to console him as best I could. I reassured him that it was not his fault,” Failor said later.
“We shared a lot of words.
“It’s the worst thing in the world when one of your best friends passes away like that. You feel horrible. It’s never happened to me, although I have been around other mushers that it’s happened to.
“It’s something that nobody wants to have happen, but unfortunately, death is a part of life. There’s all kinds of grieving that needs to take place and you’re in the middle of nowhere.
“He was very lonely and I wasn’t going to leave him. So we loaded the dog in the sled and I told him, ”We’ll just go straight to Old Woman (Cabin). We can gather our thoughts and kind of process this and I will stay with you.’”
That compassion earned Failor his second “Best Sportsman” of the Iditarod honor. It was the second time in three years he earned the award, voted on by his fellow mushers.
Those go along with awards for most inspirational musher (2022) and the Herbie Nayokpuk Memorial Award (2024), selected by checkpoint workers to the musher who best epitomizes Nayokpuk’s spirit of mushing in the Iditarod.
It’s also that heart-felt compassion and love in his heart that makes Failor a winner — regardless of when he crosses the finish line in the small community of Nome, population around 3,700.
I have been blessed in a four-decade journalism career to meet many amazing people and tell their stories. Few have demonstrated to me the character, humbleness, love and honor of Matthew Failor.
He cares.
He is devoted to his wife and son. When Failor went on stage during the Musher’s Banquet on Thursday night in Anchorage to draw his race bib number, Theo was in his arms and handed the host the No. 31 chip that was drawn.
He loves his family, most of whom still live in the Mansfield area. His mom and dad were with Failor at the banquet Thursday night.
He loves every dog in his kennel, including those who will never earn a spot on one of his Iditarod teams. He is a dog lover first, and a dog racer second.
Failor is devoted to his hometown. He took time during a visit home after last year’s race to participate in an event at Richland Source that raised more than $1,000 for the local Humane Society. He asked for nothing in return.
The simple fact is that if Failor is not in a class by himself, it doesn’t take long to call the roll.
You see, it doesn’t matter if he ever wins the Iditarod.
He has already won in life.
He cares.
(Take a few seconds and tell Matthew you care about him by sending your message of support.)
Iditarod Messages of Support
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