Tailwind Kennels

26/01/2024

26/01/2024

Take a look at the race week schedule! Please note that the K300 starts at 8 PM on Friday night this year with the fireworks show to follow.

26/01/2024

The 45th Kuskokwim 300 will kick off in the evening of Jan. 26

26/01/2024

26/01/2024

Tonight at 8 pm starts the kuskokwim 300 mile dograce. Jessica picked bib #11 .
Follow along via the trackers which can be found at k300.org or listen to the stories along the trail from our favorite radio station kyuk

www.k300.org is the online home of the Kuskokwim 300, the world's premier middle distance sled dog race. "From Bethel, Alaska to Aniak, and back!"

24/01/2024

It’s kuskokwim 300 week! The best week of the whole year!

300 Miles by Chris CookeTake a look back at some historic photos of Alaska's Premier Mid-Distance Sled Dog race.

08/01/2024

11th place for tailwind kennels! We are so very proud of Mary for finishing her first overnight race and Iditarod qualifier. We also couldn’t be happier with all 14 of our dogs for putting in a great performance and doing such a great job getting Mary around the course❤️

Check out the race results here:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/u/2/d/e/2PACX-1vSlyTfdia8PkwMvdJzzTqz_fv9eDsMeAoHXK57sFc1nvdiiRrPjhaAqy4njk0g_nw1gvLYDKJLvLUPh/pubhtml
There were 39 racers in the Knik 200 this year including many professional/ very accomplished Iditarod teams. There were 9 teams who ended up scratching during the race. Also a huge shoutout to this years champion Emily Robinson. Here is a good article about her race : https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/01/08/16-year-old-emily-robinson-out-mushes-iditarod-champions-knik-200-victory/

Next up for the team follow along as Jessica races in the most competitive mid- distance dograce ( or should we say dograce!). The kuskokwim 300 starts January 27th. https://www.k300.org/ for great coverage visit the k300 fb page as well as our local Bethel radio station kyuk.org

06/01/2024

Great video of the team. Our team is running bib #6 with our handler and in training vet tech Mary Boniface.

06/01/2024

Knik 200 🐾
Another successful start at Knik Lake. ✅
The team is off to a wonderful start thanks to the help of all our friends who showed up and helped to run Mary and our dogs to the startline.
One perk of handling for us is we strongly encourage our handlers to race!

🐾Follow the team as they race and visit: https://trackleaders.com/knik24f.php
Mary is bib #6

This is Mary’s first overnight race and while Mary is a rookie racer the tailwind team is not. Her Knik 200 team consists of: 🐕
Sally Ralph
Hasty Jasmin
Brownie Yogi
Star Macolm
Cleo Chai
Ginger Ruble
Earl Paul

We like to boast that we have the smallest Iditarod kennel so this means our handlers often get to run the A team. Having a small kennel means we don’t have a huge reserve of athletes if anyone gets sore. Because of this the dog’s mental and physical care is top of our list when it comes to the team. Mary has spent months training and learning about the team with me. This race is no exception. Most of Mary’s team will go on to race the kusko with me at the end of the month and the Iditarod in March. Because of this Mary will take a short camp out on the trail today so that the team is in a good position for the rest of their races this winter.
Special thanks to all of our wonderful friends who showed up at the start:
Anna, Marina, Andrew, Mike and Cathy, Naomi, Dana, Andy, and Addy! It takes a village and we were thankful for the help today! ❤️
In other news, cant wait for Sam to get home. Turns out backing up the trailer in the dark on the lake is harder than he makes it look!👀😮‍💨🙌
~Jessica

27/09/2023

Flash back: heading to eagle island Iditarod 2019 in snow/rainstorm.

22/09/2023

⭐️ Star ⭐️

10/08/2023

Cold dips are my favorite mental challenge. They boost my mood while refreshing my body. I am thankful to live in a state with an abundance of cold water.

06/08/2023

Sally and Ruble

04/08/2023

Jasmine😍

30/07/2023

Rain rain go away
Fred agreed
Lucy laughed

20/07/2023

When you have the best sisters and find out they also make the best aunties🥰🥰🥰
1 & 2 Tundra the tailwind kennels ocean sled dog.
3. Dogyard cat and guard goats
4. Cold immersion therapy
5. Watching Sam jump
6. First postpartum running race and up a 🏔️ we went!
7. Ak ocean dips ❤️🥰🙌
8. Skiff trip, saw a Orca
9. Beach dinner
10. Klejka family’s favorite fire fighter 🔥

20/07/2023

You can’t believe everything you see on social media. Looking at these pictures you would never know we are having one of our rainiest summers.

28/06/2023

We are excited to be searching for a dogmushing handler for the 2023/2024 winter season. 🐕
Come join us for the winter and prep the team to race the kuskokwim 300, Iditarod 2024 and more! 🙌
🐕 Our past 3 handlers have all enjoyed learning how to mush, what it takes to care for a competitive team of sled dogs, how to prep for races and racing ( Louise even placed 2nd in an Iditarod qualifier and Tessa won her first race 🎉).
🐕 Since Jessica is a veterinarian preference is given to anyone with a interest in vetmed. Our previous handler Louise is now a vet and Caitlyn will be starting vet school this fall. Tessa also excelled at vet care for the team but opted to go to school for engineering and we are so impressed! We also regularly have jr mushers and usually have a jr. Iditarod racer training with us and our dogs.
🐕 We live a very active lifestyle and completely immerse our handlers in all things mushing as well as other winter activities that they are interested in ( skiing, camping, snow machining, fat biking).
This position is open to all levels including entry level mushers with a few requirements:
1. Handlers must love dogs. We also have a cat, goats and chickens who are a part of our daily life at the kennel.
2. Handlers must be willing to have a very irregular schedule. At the peak of race season we will be putting in long 10-12+ hour days. While other days the team will not be training and if the kennel chores are caught up these are great days to enjoy other Alaskan adventures or just relax. While still other times we head out on multi- day camping adventure or fly with the team and supplies to a race.
3. Recognize baby Lucy is the most important person in our life.
We have been blessed to have developed the most wonderful lifelong friendships with our past handlers. If you would like references on what it’s like to handle for our kennel please just let us know!
*room and board are provided and we try our best to also make vehicles available for our handlers.

For questions and to apply please send your resume to email: [email protected]

Visit out website to learn more about us!
Attached to this post are everyday pictures from around the kennel.

25/06/2023

We are very excited to announce we will have a racer in the 2024 Iditarod.
I will give a clue, it’s not baby Lucy.
We can’t wait to see what adventures training for our 3rd run to Nome will bring!

19/05/2023

Dog days of summer. Spring that perfect time when it’s dry, warm but just before the mosquitoes hatch🥰😂

21/04/2023

Can’t get enough spring🥰
Perfect formula: snow, dogs, family❤️
-More pictures from Knik Glacier
-Lots of easy fun leader and young dog training runs with my tag along baby Lucy.

16/04/2023

Spring Time
Our race season is over and it’s been so much fun playing out with the dogs. We have had too many to count friends and family joining us for some spring sun. .cathey98

08/03/2023

The front runners are starting to declare their mandatory 24 hour layovers. In 2019 I took my 24 in McGrath where it felt right to be spending my rest along the kuskokwim River. The experience was so great in 2020 I again 24’d in McGrath.
Pete and Richie have made it to Takotna where I expect they will 24.
Pictures:
1. Feeding my team on of their many meals during their 24 hour rest in McGrath.
2. Highlight visiting in the checkpoint with Debbie Fairbanks
3. Selfie with the Bethel rookies in 2019
4. Snacking the team in Takotna
5. Leaving Takotna

07/03/2023

I thought I would share this old picture of me and the team leaving Rohn. The front of the pack is making their way from Rohn to Nikolai across the notorious burn.
Go to Iditarod.com to read more about this difficult section of trail. Praying for our friends out there and hoping everyone has a safe journey to Nikolai and that the Bison stay far away.
Funny story: When Wade finished 4th in 2021 he was borrowing 2 dogs from us. One of them was our wonderful dog Ralph who we originally got as a yearling from Pete. Ralph is one of our favorites but also one of our silliest dogs and often the spotlight of our stories. Wade decided to use Ralph as his leader leaving Rohn. Later he told Pete that it was a bad idea to put Ralph in lead as they crossed the glare ice of the post river and searched for the trail. Pete chuckled and asked Wade what he was thinking. If you know Ralph you will understand. He’s a great voice command leader but will run straight unless told otherwise. Due to the terrain and lack of snow the trail through the burn can be difficult to find and is made much safer and easier with a leader who is actively assisting the musher with finding the trail.
Jessica

05/03/2023

Iditarod officially starts tomorrow and I can’t stop reminiscing. I knew in 1st grade that I wanted to be a Iditarod racer.
Pics:
1. Iditarod ceremonial start 2020 (days before covid changed the world).
2. Spring break home from UAF and cheering for Pete and Richie as we watched ch 2 coverage of Iditarod.
3. My first Iditarod experience riding with Andy and Rick Swenson.
4. Kaiser racing crew many years ago.
5. Greeted in Nome by my favorite person😍
6. The team and I Headed into Nome.
7. Bears tooth Iditapod event. Hours before Jeff king’s intestinal perforation.
8. My favorites snowgoed to safety to watch me and the team.
9. Leaving Rohn on my rookie Iditarod.

26/02/2023

Jr. Iditarod morning update.

The race is being lead by two former champions and very seasoned teenage racers Emily (2022 champ) and Morgan (2021 champ) it’s a race! I am sure these two are running up every hill out there and as they get closer to the finish there are a lot of big hills! Cheering for these two to have a wonderful race!

Jordan Bib #17 and our team currently running in 7th has left the Yetna layover and is heading home. After a little slower then expected ( I am sure he will have a great story) run up to the lodge Jordan looks to be moving great ( 9.2 mph last I checked). Our team is running towards home and will soon be on the part of the course they know very well, so look for them to try to move up a few positions. This is Jordan’s first dograce ever! Phew what a first race. He is out there competing against some very very good dog teams and racers. Way to go Jordan we are so proud of you!

Katie Henry bib #10 currently running in 4th is a musher we have sponsored for the last two years and this year she is borrowing 2 lead dogs from us: Jasmine and Hasty. She started with Hasty in lead. She is an impressive young women who has devoted all her time to dogmushing out in Kotzebue ( where sometimes the weather is so brutal even people like me and Katie don’t feel like mushing). It takes a lot to fly In your gear and a dog team from the bush and compete against top Iditarod mushers. This is something our family knows all too well ( most of the klejka kids raced jr. Iditarod and flew in from Bethel each year). So because of this we love to host and help katie out when she makes it to town. Katie has also worked as a vet assistant with me when we go out to Kotzebue for our vet clinics. Keep up the good work Katie! Hasty and Jasmine will be running home!

Jace Cogdill is another talented up and coming mushers to watch. He is also a fun kid to be around and his love for the dogs has shown since we started watching and veting his team at dog races. He trains with and runs our friend, Linwood Fiedler’s team and in my opinion has excellent humanitarian skills and is very observant of his dogs and any care they need. Jace also volunteers each year with me and helps out at our local Willow musher vaccine clinic. Jace is running in 5th place at the moment racing with Katie. Go Jace !

Bristol #2 is also a wonderful, talented and going places young women from Kotzebue who is good friends with our jr. racer Jordan. Bristol and Jordan have to be having a good time as they are traveling very closely down the trail together today. Keep it up Bristol!

Also, unfortunately Nelson appears lost and looks to have continued down the hwy of the yetna River. The only race I ever go lost in was my first jr. Iditarod. I had nightmares for a year about missing my trail in the dark. The reflective markers used for races all look the same in the dark and it’s hard to differentiate colors of lathe because all markers shine the same reflective. The only positive note I can say about getting lost is so far it’s never happened again and I did go on to eventually redeem myself with a jr. Iditarod win. Not sure how old Nelson is but I hope he gets to race again next year!

I apologize for anyone I didn’t cover! I tried to quickly type this up before Lucy was awake, well Lucy is awake😂

Now they only problem for Sam and I is figuring out how to pick up two dog teams with one dog truck. This gets harder if our teams don’t finish close together 😂.

Jr. Iditarod is always a busy time of year, just before Iditarod, my birthday and also the best time of year in Alaska. We get to see old childhood friends and help new friends complete their big race! But also it’s a ton of work and it makes me so thankful for all the support my family had over the years to make our races and wins possible. Especially our long time hosts Lindwood and Kathy. It’s a ton of work hosting a bush team with a big family! And just like the Klejka’s katie comes from a big family.

Follow the trackers and we will see some of you down at the finish line this afternoon!

Jessica

14/02/2023

My Valentine Sam
1. Sometimes it’s taking the wings off a driving a plane through Canada other times it flying across the Alaska range and having lunch in McGrath.
2. In first grade I wrote that I wanted to marry Sam Brewer.
3. Thanks for supporting my dreams.
4. And letting me in on yours… like building and living in a treehouse.
5. Getting roped into little adventures like racing in the blizzard that was Kobuk 440. A quick 400 + miles above the Arctic circle.
6. Eating burritos in Kotzebue after I finished my last Iditarod qualifier.
7. Always keeping it exciting like helping me take a 6 month old on vacation to Belize.
8. Forever my adventure buddy (crow pass)
9. Whether it be Alaska to California on our motorcycles or 20 miles up the gweek.
10. And sometimes you just jump off the mountain.
I can’t wait to love you forever❤️
Jess

13/02/2023

Guess who got 2nd!!!!!!
Louise Mason, putting her mark in the mushing scene! Way to go 🍅! We are so proud. Louise and team:
Siri Sally
Ralph Jasmine
Yogi Star
Rudy Missy
Paul king
Finishing second place in her rookie 150 mile race and finishing her first Iditarod qualifier!

Yeah! And all without her right thumb. 💪
It was so fun to watch her race. This was her second year with us and the team and it showed.

Also worth noting, Louise’s first dograce was the
2020 sheep creek 40 and she won and solidified her open invite back to handler for us again.

Thanks for doing such a great job with the team, it’s been so much fun to have you as a musher and friend. 🍅 forever

Lucy slept through the finish. Big thanks to Jordan and Katie for helping me handle for Louise.
Jess

12/02/2023

Well Louise is keeping it exciting! She’s back in the lead. It’s a dograce so anything can happen but she’s going to give those more experienced mushers ( Dave, Gabe, Ryan) a run for their money!
Go Louise 🍅
Meanwhile back at home Jordan is prepping the team that didn’t get to race for a run and Me and Lucy are getting the dogtruck ready to pick up Louise and the team.

16/04/2022

Yogi, Honey, Ginger and Rudy with the photobomb😂