Australian Iditarod musher Turner racing legend Mitch Seavey’s A-team

CHRISTIAN TURNER | IDITAROD MUSHER: “It’s very addictive, dog sledding, and I just love being out in the wilderness and I love being out in the wilderness. I love having a bond with the dogs. And I definitely don’t like the cold, being Australian, but you just embrace the suck I guess.”

SHANNON LONGWORTH: THE 34-YEAR-OLD CHRISTIAN TURNER SPENT SEVEN YEARS SPLITTING HIS TIME IN HALF. HE WAS A DOG MUSHER IN ALASKA FOR SIX MONTHS AND A CARPENTER-BUILDER IN AUSTRALIA FOR THE OTHER SIX. 

CHRISTIAN HASN’T RUN THE IDITAROD SINCE 2015. THIS YEAR, HE’S RACING WITH AN A-TEAM – OWNED BY LEGENDARY MUSHER, MITCH SEAVEY.  

TURNER: “Mitch had a back injury. He has a bad back because he’s been mushing for nearly 50 years, he’s quite an older guy born into the race and he had surgery last year and he’s got a phenomenal team but unfortunately the doctor said you shouldn’t be running so he posted on Facebook just a short movie of his team running and he said all revved up and nowhere to go. And I commented and said, I’ll run them and he messaged me back and said let’s make this happen.”

TURNER: “This is the first time his dogs have ever been run by someone else – his A-team – so I feel pretty blessed and privileged to be able to run them.”

LONGWORTH: CHRISTIAN SAYS DOG SLEDDING IS HIS PASSION, BUT HIS TRUE LOVES ARE MORE THAN 7-THOUSAND MILES AWAY. 

TURNER: “Fortunately, I’ve been here for 5 weeks but unfortunately I feel like it should be a bit longer but I couldn’t leave my   work or my wife and I’ve got a baby daughter at home so I did what I could in the amount of time I have. Doing the best I can by the dogs and getting down the trail happily and safely.”