Libby Riddles

Libby Riddles was born in Madison, Wisconsin and moved to Alaska shortly before her 17th birthday. Growing up in a family that always had a lot of animals, she dreamed of someday having a ranch so she could have more. Living in Alaska over the years, she eventually achieved that dream and inspired the dreams of countless female athletes when she became the first woman to win the Iditarod in 1985, sparking a country-wide love affair with the Iditarod, which continues to this day.

Her first race was a short sprint race that she won, and that gave her the bug to try the Iditarod. She trained in Nelchina, Alaska for her first two Iditarods, then moved to the village of Teller on the Seward Peninsula. The combination of her dogs and musher Joe Garnie's brought a third, first and second place in 1984, ‘85, and '86 respectively. After 22 years of racing, she is running dogs recreationally and keeping her winning dog team's bloodlines going. She now lives in Homer, Alaska.

A force in the mushing world, Libby continues to promote the sport and as she says, "support her sled dog habit" through the avenues of writing, lecturing, and serving on different committees and boards in the competitive mushing world.