John Baker (musher) facts for kids
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Baker during the ceremonial start of the 2010 Iditarod
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Native name | Quniaq |
| Nationality | American |
| Spouse(s) | Katherine Keith |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Sled dog racing |
| Event(s) | Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race |
John Quniaq Baker was born in 1962 or 1963 in Kotzebue, Alaska. He is an American dog musher, pilot, and motivational speaker. John Baker is of Inupiaq heritage. He is famous for competing in the long and challenging Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. He often finished in the top 10. In 2011, John Baker won the Iditarod. His winning time was 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds.
Dog Sled Racing Career
John Baker began dog mushing when he was 14 years old. His first Iditarod race was in 1996. He finished in 22nd place that year. By his third race, he was already finishing in the top 10. He stayed in the top 10 for six of the next seven years. In 2000, he finished 22nd again because of problems with his dogs.
His second best finish was in 2002. He came in 3rd place. His time was 9 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes, and 30 seconds. In 1998, he won two special awards. These were the Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award and the Regal Alaskan's First Musher to the Yukon Award. John Baker competed in every Iditarod race from 1996 to 2017. In the 2009 Iditarod, he finished in 3rd place. He usually has about 24 dogs on his team.
John Baker is one of the few Alaska Native dog sled racers. He has competed in the modern Iditarod race.
Challenges and Withdrawals
In 2018, John Baker decided not to compete in the Iditarod race. He had registered to support the race. However, he withdrew before it began. Claims were made against him by a former employee. John Baker strongly denied these claims. Other former employees either denied or could not confirm the claims. Pictures used to support the 2018 claims were later found to be from other sources. They were not related to John Baker.
| Year | Position | Time (h:min:s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 22nd | 10 days, 23:26:00 |
| 1997 | 11th | 9 days, 23:09:36 |
| 1998 | 5th | 9 days, 21:43:09 |
| 1999 | 8th | 10 days, 10:10:54 |
| 2000 | 22nd | 10 days, 05:48:29 |
| 2001 | 6th | 10 days, 21:00:30 |
| 2002 | 3rd | 9 days, 05:46:30 |
| 2003 | 8th | 10 days, 07:33:07 |
| 2004 | 9th | 10 days, 00:43:00 |
| 2005 | 6th | 9 days, 21:41:00 |
| 2006 | 5th | 9 days, 17:37:45 |
| 2011 | 1st | 8 days, 19:46:39 |
| 2012 | 9th | 9 days, 13:25:47 |
| 2013 | 21st | 9 days, 21:49:16 |
| 2014 | 19th | 9 days, 18:19:15 |
| 2015 | 21st | 9 days, 22:12:58 |
| 2016 | 17th | 9 days, 05:45:05 |
| 2017 | 18th | 9 days, 05:50:30 |
Life Outside of Racing
John Baker works as a pilot. He also manages his family's air taxi business. He visits schools in his area. There, he gives talks to inspire students.
Baker lives near his family in Kotzebue, Alaska. This town is on the coast of the Chukchi Sea. He also has a fish camp and winter cabin. It is about 30 miles (50 km) away, across Kobuk Lake. His son, Alex, has also competed in the Junior Iditarod. John Baker also has a daughter named Tahayla.
John Baker is married to Katherine Keith. She is also a musher. They got married after Katherine ran in the 2018 Iditarod. Together, they run four businesses. They also manage two nonprofit organizations in the Kotzebue region.
John Baker has both Inupiaq and Jewish heritage. His grandmother, Clara Rotman, was born in Kiana, Alaska, in 1914. She had a Native Alaskan mother and a Jewish father. She was raised Jewish and valued her Jewish background. In 2011, John Baker made history. He became the first Jewish person and the first Inuk to win the Iditarod.
