WILLOW, ALASKA — Gail Force, Saga and Smackers will easily recognize the face of their musher when the Alaskan Husky Adventures 17th-Dog sled dog team races in the 2027 Iditarod.
Daddy is back on the runners, calling “gee” and “haw.”
Mansfield native Matthew Failor — after taking a year away from racing in 2026 — has signed up to return to the 1,000-mile competition from Anchorage to Nome that begins March 6.
Failor, a 2000 Mansfield St. Peter’s High School graduate who lives and operates his Alaskan dog sled business in Willow, hopes to make his 15th successful trek across the country’s largest state in what’s been dubbed, “The Last Great Race.”
He finished in the top 15 in 2023, 2024 and 2025. Failor was 11th in 2025 and eighth in 2023.
His 2027 entry became official Saturday on “opening day” for sign-ups when the Iditarod Trail Committee announced 22 mushers had already entered the 55th running of the race.
The 44-year-old Failor, who will turn 45 on the trail in March, sat out the 2026 race after he and his wife, Liz, welcomed their second son, Vincent, in August 2025. Their first son, Theo, is now 3 years old.
“As you know, it’s not about just the dogs and I anymore, so this was a total family decision,” Failor told Richland Source.
“My wife is very supportive and is backing us 100 percent. The two boys will get to go on some of the shorter training runs with me. When the mileage picks up later in winter, they’ll have to stay at home more with Liz,” Failor said.
In a press release, the ITC said the field for the 2027 race “is already shaping up to be highly competitive, featuring an impressive mix of returning champions, seasoned veterans, and promising rookies.”
Among the early entrants on Saturday were several of the top mushers from the 2026 Iditarod, including second-place finisher Travis Beals, third-place finisher Jeff Deeter, sixth-place finisher Matt Hall and seventh-place finisher Riley Dyche.
The current roster includes 15 Iditarod veterans and seven rookies, with a field comprised of 16 men and six women, according to the ITC.
Failor said he knows his training schedule with his dogs will need to be flexible.
“I’ll try to tailor my training to be home in the evening to help with chores and putting the two boys to sleep. I may sneak out while they are asleep to do more dog chores and tasks that need done,” he said.
“We aren’t the first to run Iditarod with kids, but it’ll just take some time to learn how to properly manage it all,” Failor said.
Musher Sam Martin, in his rookie Iditarod season in 2026, finished 15th last year, racing with a 17th-Dog team. He was the second-best finisher among rookies.
In 2025, Failor raced one Alaskan Husky Adventures team and was joined in the race by then-rookie Dane Baker, who finished 21st with a younger 17th-Dog team.
The races give Failor a wide range of experienced dogs to choose from when selecting his 16-dog team for 2027.
“The team had a successful run with Sam last year. Of course, some of those dogs ran with Dane and I two years ago, so there are a lot of veterans to choose from,” he said.
“Let’s hope for snow, because we are very excited to hit the trail for our 15th Iditarod.”
