Aliy Zirkle


Aliy Zirkle is a champion of sled dog racing.
Aliy Zirkle moved to Bettles, Alaska at age twenty and began mushing due to the remote nature of the town. She adopted six sled dogs and began learning how to race and train dogs. Aliy raced her first Yukon Quest in 1998 and her first Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 2001. In 2000, she became the first woman to win the Yukon Quest, finishing the race with a time of 10 days, 22 hours and 57 minutes. Aliy has been the runner-up in the Iditarod three consecutive years, 2012, 2013, and 2014. Her best time in the Iditarod came in 2014, when she finished the race with a time of 8 days, 13 hours, 6 minutes and 41 seconds. Aliy has finished the Iditarod 14 times and the Yukon Quest 3 times. She has completed either the Yukon Quest or the Iditarod every year since 1998. Aliy also regularly competes in shorter dog sled races, such as the Two Rivers 100, the Copper Basin 300, and the Yukon Quest 300.
Aliy has received various awards throughout her mushing career, some of which were awarded to her by her fellow mushers. These awards include the Yukon Quest Challenge of the North award, given to the musher who "most exemplifies the spirit of the Yukon Quest, a spirit that compels one to challenge the country and win", and the Iditarod Leonhard Seppala Humanitarian Award for exemplary care of her dogs.
Aliy met fellow musher Allen Moore in 1998 and the two were married in 2005. Aliy has two step-daughters, Brigett and Jennifer, through Allen. Together Aliy and Allen run Skunk's Place Kennel in Two Rivers, Alaska. The kennel is named for Skunk, one of the six dogs Aliy adopted when she first moved to Alaska and began mushing.
During the 2016 Iditarod race Aliy Zirkle, along with fellow competitor Jeff King, was intentionally hit by a man on a snowmobile.

Race standings

Yukon Quest Results
YearFinishing PlaceTimePrize winnings
19981713d 21h 40m--
1999411d 19h 17m$12,000
2000110d 22h 57m$30,000

Iditarod Results
YearFinishing PlaceTimePrize winnings
20013312d 17h 53m 33s$1,049
20022910d 28h 1m 45s$1,571
20031410d 17h 17m 38s$14,857
20043411d 2h 4m 44s$1,049
20051110d 1h 46m 30s$26,111
20061410d 0h 36m 50s$25,000
20072810d 19h 57m 7s$3,600
20082110d 7h 10m 21s$15,000
20091711d 2h 28m 45s$10,800
2010169d 18h 5m 10s$14,100
2011119d 10h 22m 31s$20,600
201229d 5h 29m 10s$46,500
201329d 8h 3m 35s$47,100
201428d 13h 6m 41s$47,600
201559d 4h 44m 25s$44,300
201638d 18h 42m 36s$57,750
201788d 22h 49m 42s$33,700
20181510d 6h 42m 22s$14,912
2019410d 2h 26m 56s$35,843

2014 Iditarod Record

Awards