Race Team
Carved out of the Birch & Black Spruce in Willow, AK, near the Mountains of Hatcher Pass, you’ll find home to more than 50 of the "hardest working athletes and truest friends" Matthew Failor says he has ever known.
Matthew Failor started 17th-Dog racing kennel in 2013. Originally from Ohio, his passion for Alaska’s official sport started with a summer job at a dogsledding camp in Juneau. There, he adopted his first Alaskan Husky, Fionn. Matthew’s passion for mushing eventually grew into a full-time profession when, with the help of friends and family, he established his own kennel in Willow and began a top-notch breeding program.
These dogs would later become the fastest distance-racing dogs in the country. In 2019, Matthew and the team won the Kuskokwim 300, shattering a 25 year-standing speed record that was held by his mentor, Martin Buser.
Each year, Matthew, his wife Liz and team of handlers help train the athletes to compete in Iditarod, Alaska’s iconic, thousand-mile sled dog race. Formerly run with a 16-dog team, supporters of the kennel are the crucial 17th-Dog needed to help the pack reach its ultimate goal; winning Iditarod.
Matthew has not forgotten his roots, and supports, promotes, and empowers his home community (and beyond) by giving back; through Catholic Charities, Boy Scouts and local schools. While Matthew remains focused on the future, he is firmly rooted in his past.
Meet the Athletes
(And Their Boosters)
Become A Booster
McLaren with her booster, Alexandra Allbery
Our Boosters are the backbone of our team. Without you, we can't do what we do.
Your $500 annual booster membership provides one year's worth of food, vet care, and kennel supplies for the athlete you choose.
As a member of the booster club, you'll be recognized next to your athlete on our website and receive a personalized thank you from Matthew and Liz! You'll also get exclusive access to our member-only virtual events and race season updates.
If your boosted athlete makes it onto the 14-dog team roster for Iditarod, you will receive that dog’s actual, official Iditarod dog tag! This is truly a one of a kind item specific to that dog, which he/she will wear on their collar from Anchorage to Nome.
Join our pack today and become the 17th-Dog!
Available Athletes
Sponsorship
With your sponsorship you become the 17th-Dog, a crucial member of the team.
Join our pack and earn exposure in the realm of competitive dog mushing!
Corporate sponsorships start at $1,500
As a corporate sponsor, your business is included in multiple locations on our website, as well as mentioned in Matthew's sponsor thank you speeches at the starting/finishing banquets of his races!
Opportunities for additional levels of sponsorship:
$5,000 sponsorship - includes your business's patch on Matthew's race sled.
$10,000 sponsorship - includes your business's patch on Matthew's race sled and your business's decal on our enclosed trailer, which we use to transport the dogs around town and to/from all of our races.
$15,000 sponsorship - includes your business's patch on Matthew's race sled and your business's decal on our enclosed trailer, as well as a spot on Matthew's handler team at the start of the Iditarod.
As part of the handler team, you will get to be in the starting chute with Matthew and help bring the team to the starting line.
$20,000 sponsorship - includes your business's patch on Matthew's race sled and your business's decal on our enclosed trailer, a spot on Matthew's handler team and the unique opportunity to ride with Matthew's on his sled during the ceremonial start of the Iditarod!
Our sponsorship team includes:
• Woolx Merino Wool
• Alaska Icefield Expeditions
• High's Adventure Gear
• TEMSCO
• Gold Rush Sled Dog Tours
• Michael O’Machearley Custom Knives
• Seiler & Associates, LLC
• Phillips Tube Group
• 17th-Dog Boosters
Track the Team
