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 […]
Matthew Failor
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Mansfield native Matthew Failor ready ‘to pull the hook and go’ at 2025 Iditarod
WILLOW, Alaska — Matt Failor can’t wait for the stress of an 1,100-mile sled Iditarod dog race across Alaska. That’s where the 42-year-old Mansfield native finds his calm after the storm once the race actually begins, launching his 14th journey in what’s been dubbed “The Last Great Race.” “Obviously, there’s pressure during the race, but […]
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News Man Weekly bonus episode: Mansfield native talks all things Iditarod
WILLOW, Alaska — It’s a bonus episode of the News Man Weekly podcast — an audio primer to prepare to follow Mansfield native Matthew Failor in the 2025 Iditarod Sled Dog Race across Alaska. Richland Source Deputy Managing Editor Carl Hunnell is joined by Failor on a phone connection from his home in Willow Alaska, […]
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Mansfield musher Matt Failor not convinced Iditarod needed to change route
WILLOW, Alaska — Matthew Failor isn’t convinced the Iditarod needed to change its path across Alaska this year. The Iditarod Trail Committee announced Monday it had made the “difficult but necessary” decision to move the official restart of the 2025 race to Fairbanks, about 290 miles north of the normal restart in Willow, due to […]
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News Man Weekly: Ontario mayor, sled dogs in Alaska and drones in Mansfield
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Theo stays up late to greet daddy Matthew Failor at Kusko 300 finish
BETHEL, Alaska – Theo Failor stayed up late Saturday night to welcome daddy home. The 19-month-old was waiting at the Kuskokwim 300 finish line with his mom, Liz, when Mansfield native Matthew Failor crossed the finish line on Sunday morning, just after 4 a.m. AKST.
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Iditarod is good to go: ‘Return of winter’ good news for Mansfield native musher
WILLOW, Alaska — Mansfield native Matthew Failor got the good news Friday. The mush is on for his Alaskan Husky Adventure’s 17th-Dog team.
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Lack of snow continues to make Iditarod preparations tough for Mansfield native
WILLOW, Alaska — How bad a winter has it been for training sled dogs in Alaska? New Orleans has gotten more snow in 2025 than Anchorage.
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Mansfield native preps for Iditarod with Copper Basin 300 ‘training run’ in Alaska
GLENALLEN, Alaska — Mansfield native Matthew Failor took his sled dog team on a 300-mile training run and camping trip over the weekend. It just happened to be during the 2025 Copper Basin 300 Sled Dog Race, finishing 22nd out of 30 teams during unseasonably warm temperatures.
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Iditarod prep: Mansfield’s Matthew Failor to mush Saturday in Copper Basin 300
WILLOW, Alaska — Matthew Failor seriously considered not racing in the 2025 Idiatrod Sled Dog Race across Alaska. In fact, the 42-year-old Mansfield St. Peter’s graduate didn’t make it official until the last minute, officially entering the “The Last Great Race” on Dec. 2, the final day for admissions.