After serving in the Marines, Keaton studied Astrophysics in Colorado and later Finance in Michigan.
During a summer trip to Alaska, he fell in love with the state, met his wife, and discovered a passion for mushing.
Running the Iditarod has been his goal since starting his journey four summers ago.
What is your full name?
Keaton Loebrich
Do you have a nickname?
Nope
Do you have a kennel name?
Star Gazers Racing
How old are you?
31
Where were you brought up?
Midland, Michigan
Where do you live now?
Fairbanks, Alaska
How many sled dogs do you own?
16
How long have you owned sled dogs?
About a year
What races have you competed in?
2022 : Solstice 50
2023 : Willow 300, Yukon Quest Alaska 300, The Percy De Wolfe Memorial Mail Run and the December ACE Race
2024 : Yukon Quest Alaska, T-Dog 200
What’s your greatest achievement so far?
Starting our own kennel
Has it always been a dream to run the Iditarod?
Since being introduced to mushing it has been my dream to run Iditarod
What made you decide that this year would be the year to sign up for the race?
I feel like myself and my team is ready
What can you tell me about your team?
They all have more experience than I do. We’ve been together for the last 2+ years and have a very strong bond. We might not have some of the fastest dogs but we definitely have the dogs with the biggest heart, determination and love for mushing and I couldn’t be more proud of them
Do you have a website?
Currently in development by the amazing Richard Bailey
Do you have sponsors?
Yes, some of our very first followers have become wonderful sponsors for the dogs.
Becci Crane
Jade Murphy
Ron & Lynn Graham
Debrina Wazbinski
Marty & Margo Wazbinski
Davy & Deni Whitmire
Rita Dubiel
Scott Wallace, Sarah Morrow & Lincoln
Miguel Isla Casares
Terri Lubke Williams
Greg Kennedy & Olivia
Do you look up to a specific musher?
I look up to lots of mushers. There are so many that have helped develop our sport from Jeff King being extremely innovative to Susan Butcher focusing on dog care to Lance Mackey showing that you can be competitive without a lot of funds and Norman Vaughn for showing us all that age is just a number, just to name a few.
Have you handled for an Iditarod Veteran musher in the past?
Yes
Have you won any awards during a race?
Yes, in the Willow 300 I got the red lantern, the 2023 Yukon Quest Alaska I got the sportsmanship award and the Percy DeWolfe I got the Rookie of the Year and in the T-Dog my wife, Erika, received the Golden Rake award handling for me and the team.
What’s your favourite sled dog race?
My favorite in general is the Yukon Quest 1000 International Sled Dog Race and I feel that we should do everything we can to bring it back before it’s gone forever. My favorite that I’ve competed in so far is a toss up between the T-Dog and the Percy because they both had a relaxed feel with a focus on fun and mentorship along the trail.
How are you preparing for your first Iditarod?
The same way we do for every race, lots of training, prep and planning and of course the usual last minute scramble to get everything together.
What do you think you can expect from Iditarod?
The biggest challenge I’ve ever faced so far.
What’s the best advice you have received regarding mushing?
“Don’t let go”
Are you from a mushing background?
Not directly but my Great Uncle used to have a small team in Michigan when I was growing up
Do you have any friends who are also dog mushers?
Nowadays those are pretty much the only friends I have besides the few buddies I still have from my time in the Marines and Greg.
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?
The feeling of running under the new burled arch for the first time with my team.
Is there any part of the Iditarod trail you are nervous about like the Bering sea coast or the Steps?
Nothing in particular, I’m just gonna take it checkpoint to checkpoint, trail marker to trail marker. When I ran my first Yukon Quest I didn’t even know I had gone over Rosebud Summit until I came into the Mile 101 checkpoint and in the mushers meeting everyone was worried about the summit. The trail went over the summit, there was no getting around it and worrying about it wasn’t going to help my team or me any so I just didn’t think about it. I’ve always tried to live by “You don’t know what you don’t know and that’s not always a weakness.”
The whole trail is gonna be a challenge so worrying about one section or another isn’t mentally beneficial so I’m just gonna take each challenge as it’s thrown at me.
If for some reason you don’t make it to the finish line in Nome, will you try again?
Absolutely
What kind of things do you like to do when not mushing?
Exploring new places when we get a chance to get away
What is your favorite food / drink?
My favorite would be any food with eggs and coffee, I guess just breakfast food in general.
What’s your favorite music?
I don’t know my taste is quite vast, it depends on what kinda music I’m in the mood for. I listen to everything from old school hip hop to classic country to classic rock to Taylor Swift. If I had to pick it would probably be 90’s country with the song Juicy by The Notorious B.I.G. thrown in.
What’s your favorite film?
Reservoir Dogs
What’s your favorite book?
Where the Red Fern Grows
What’s your favorite city?
Dawson City, Yukon
What’s your favorite item of clothing?
My cold weather parka
Do you have a lucky charm?
Not yet
Thank you to Keaton 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.
Keaton and Erika have set up a GoFundme account to help with the costs involved in running the Iditarod. Please help them by donating
Some of the images above are courtesy of Whitney McClaren
