Justin is originally from Boise, Idaho, and moved to Fairbanks in 2013 to pursue a graduate degree in Wildlife Biology. During his Ph.D. studies, he worked with a beautiful trapline dog team owned by his advisor, which inspired him to start building a team of his own. In 2021, Justin met his wife, Kailyn, and together they established ReRun Kennel. They are dedicated to giving rescue dogs a second chance; 75% of the dogs in their kennel come from the local shelter and other rescues around the state, many of whom will be part of Justin’s Iditarod team.
Justin is deeply grateful for the support of his family, his colleagues at the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and all the incredible people and businesses that have supported the mission of their kennel.
What is your full name?
Justin Robert Olnes
Do you have a nickname?
Not anymore. When I was younger my friends called me J-man and my family called be J-bear (and maybe still do today…).
Do you have a kennel name?
ReRun Kennel
How old are you?
35
Where were you brought up?
Boise, Idaho
Where do you live now?
Fairbanks, AK
How many sled dogs do you own?
31
How long have you owned sled dogs?
One skijor dog in 2013 turned into a 4-dog recreational team by 2017. Then an 8-dog team by 2019. My wife and I established ReRun Kennel in 2022. 
What races have you competed in?
The Willow 150, Yukon Quest 200, Copper Basin 300, T-Dog 110
What’s your greatest achievement so far?
Establishing our kennel and building our race team mostly with dogs from the shelter or rescues. It has been rewarding to take a group of dogs with unknown backgrounds, many never having run in harness before, and see them develop into a solid team.
Has it always been a dream to run the Iditarod?
I never expected to run Iditarod until a few weeks before signing up when my wife and I realized that we could pull it off this year.
What made you decide that this year would be the year to sign up for the race?
This year fit best with our broader life plans, and we realized our race team will likely reach its peak performance this year or next. My wife ran Iditarod in 2022 with dogs from Wade Marrs that we trained out of our kennel. The next couple seasons were spent building up our own team and we now feel like we have a good system to tackle Iditarod.
What can you tell me about your team?
The team includes dogs from Wade Marrs, the animal shelter, and western Alaska villages. All but one were harness broken and trained by us. I’ll be borrowing dogs from another musher to reach a full 16.
Do you have a website?
rerunkennel.com
Do you have sponsors?
Yes, several private sponsors donate supplies or support individual dogs. We also get our meat from Big Dans Trucking and Pet Food. More to come…
Do you look up to a specific musher?
My original mushing mentor, Knut, had a great trapline team and a close bond with them so that he could do whatever or go wherever he wanted with them, trail not required.
Have you handled for an Iditarod Veteran musher in the past?
Yes, I helped my wife train for her Iditarod run in 2022. It was total insanity. She was going to train with Wade in Willow, but they ended up moving to Wisconsin that fall. Wade was willing to leave 14 dogs with us, but we didn’t have a place to train come October. We scrambled and with the help of Christine Roalafs we purchased our property north of Fairbanks. It didn’t have a dog yard, out trail, and only half the cabin was heated. As the snow started flying, we were rushing to put in posts and cut our trail. We didn’t get a woodstove until January, so for the first three months we relied on a portable kerosene heater to keep the cabin above freezing. Then on Christmas Fairbanks experienced a terrible blizzard where 2 feet of snow fell, it warmed and rained 2 inches, and then another foot of snow fell. It destroyed the trails and wreaked havoc on the town. Worse, for the rest of the season the moose had a terrible time and clung to the trails, refusing to give them up. It made training scary. So many absurd things happened but we got to the start and Kailyn had a great run.
Have you won any awards during a race?
I was the red lantern for the Yukon Quest 200. Our kennel also earned a mentorship award at the 2024 T-Dog 110 for engaging younger mushers.
What’s your favourite sled dog race?
My wife and I are partial to the Copper Basin 300. We both have run it multiple times. It’s a great race for us because we work full-time and it doesn’t require a lot of time off. It’s challenging and the people involved are excellent.
We also had a great time at the Yukon Quest Canada last year.
How are you preparing for your first Iditarod?
With massive help from my wife Kailyn and careful planning early. We’re trying to get as many things in place and tasks completed now so I can devote my free time to just running the dogs this fall.
What do you think you can expect from Iditarod?
The greatest adventure of my life.
What’s the best advice you have received regarding mushing?
Run your own race.
Are you from a mushing background?
Nope.
Do you have any friends who are also dog mushers?
Several. Lots of great mushers in the Fairbanks community.
Is there a certain part of the Iditarod trail you are looking forward to? Like maybe the beautiful scenery from the Yukon River or the food from Takotna checkpoint?
I’m excited to mush down the coast.
Is there any part of the Iditarod trail you are nervous about like the Bering sea coast or the Steps?
No, I am excited to run every mile of it.
If for some reason you don’t make it to the finish line in Nome, will you try again?
I would want to try again but consider this year to be my one shot at it.
What kind of things do you like to do when not mushing?
I like hiking and camping, cross country skiing, and doing projects outside in my yard.
What is your favorite food / drink?
Pizza and beer.
What’s your favorite music?
I will listen to almost everything.
What’s your favorite film?
Not sure but it might be Borat.
What’s your favorite book?
Sand County Almanac and the Snow Leopard
What’s your favorite city?
I love Fairbanks.
What’s your favorite item of clothing?
My beaver mitts. Kailyn was gifted them while on the Iditarod trail and we then had Cole Harmon with Nome Fur Sewing make them a bit more durable. They are essential items on the trail.
Do you have a lucky charm?
Vega, my wheel dog and occasional lead dog hero.
Thank you to Justin for taking time to answer our questions in the Meet the Rookie series.
We wish him the best of luck in the 2025 Iditarod.
You can follow his race on the Iditarod website.
