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Big Lake, Alaska

"The harder I work, the luckier I get," says three-time Iditarod champion Martin Buser. Born in 1958 in Zurich, Switzerland, Buser became fascinated with sled dogs while he was a teen. He moved to Alaska in 1979, working with long time Alaskan musher Earl Norris to enhance his knowledge of the care and training of sled dogs, and entered the Iditarod for the first time in 1980.

Buser, along with his wife, Kathy Chapoton, and sons Nikolai and Rohn (both of whom are named for Iditarod Trail checkpoints), resides in Big Lake, Alaska. There, the family owns and manages Happy Trails Kennel and are committed to perfecting the breeding and training techniques they have developed. Each year, Buser runs the Iditarod to test the success of these techniques. He regards his dogs as true competitive athletes and prides himself on their longevity and spirit in competition. "I run the Iditarod to prove that my dogs, bred and trained at Happy Trails Kennel are among the best of the world's long-distance athletes," says Buser. As tribute to his treatment of his dogs, he has garnered the Leonhard Seppala Award, presented for humanitarian care of dogs, on four occasions and is the only racer to win the award multiple times.

While devoting much of his time to the Iditarod, Buser has also competed in many other races. Additionally, he spends much of his personal time speaking with children on the humanitarian treatment of animals and the spirit of the Iditarod.

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