Would you like a chance to meet someone who is among the best in the world at their chosen profession?
What if you learned that someone was perhaps the most humble, down-to-earth people you have ever encountered?
What would you ask that someone if you had a chance to meet them face-to-face?
That’s what we are offering you Wednesday, May 7, at 7 p.m. with “Beyond the Trail: A Conversation with Matthew Failor” at his alma mater, St. Peter’s High School, 104 W. First St. in Mansfield.
The 14-time Iditarod Sled Dog racer, who operates Alaskan Husky Adventures at his home in Willow, Alaska, is returning to Mansfield next week and is looking forward to meeting you at the event hosted by Richland Source.
Tickets to the evening, which will be in the high school’s spacious auditorium, are $20. Half of the proceeds go to the local Boy Scouts organization, where Failor earned his Eagle Scout designation growing up in Mansfield.
General admission tickets can be purchased here: Register on Eventbrite
I promise you an entertaining and informative evening with the member of the St. Peter’s Class of 2000, perhaps the nicest, most genuine person I have encountered in more than 40 years in the journalism business.
The event will begin with a conversation between myself and Failor, whom thousands of Richland Source readers have followed the last two years through our detailed coverage.
Part of that chat will give Failor, who earned a degree in fine arts photography from The Ohio State University, the opportunity to show videos and photos of his efforts in the Iditarod and also from his Alaskan Husky Adventures business.
It will be a deep dive into Failor’s 2025 Iditarod, the longest in the event’s history, mushing from Fairbanks to Nome. Here is some of what you can expect:
— We will put you in the sled (figuratively) and let you feel like what it takes to race 1,000 miles across Alaska with a team of Alaskan Huskies born and bred to tackle one of the most formidable environments on earth.
— You will learn what really happened on the frozen Tanana River when Failor and his team battled through a blinding sandstorm blizzard.
— We will take you inside the decision-making that led the Mansfield native to gamble and take a 24-hour mandatory break far earlier than planned once his team battled through that sandstorm.
— You will understand why Failor kept a promise to his late friend’s wife by spreading his ashes along the trail.
— You will hear the story behind a wild, 55-mile final sprint from White Mountain to the famous burled arch in Nome.
— You will learn about the life the 43-year-old Failor has built in Alaska with his wife, Liz, son, Theo, and their second son, who is due to arrive in August.
All of that and more — and then a question-and-answer session that will allow you to ask your own questions.
We did a similar event in 2024 at the Richland Source offices, a wildly popular event that sold out in less than 10 hours with our limited seating capacity. Seating capacity is much larger this year.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the show starting promptly at 7.
Special thanks again to Failor’s alma mater, St. Peter’s School, who also sponsored all of this year’s Iditarod coverage.
