Iditarod Through the Decades: 1980s

Robert Forto

Robert Forto

@robertforto | Executive producer and co-host of Dog Works Radio

Join host Alex Stein as he presents Iditarod Through the Decades on Mushing Radio. On this episode, the 1980s.

The 1980s saw tremendous growth after years of building up credibility and name recognition. New sponsors were recruited and the purse increased dramatically. When Libby Riddles won the race in 1985, beating 60 other teams, she took home $50,000 in prize money–the same amount split by the entire field in the first race 12 years earlier.

Host, Robert Forto’s Bio:

Robert Forto is the training director for Alaska Dog Works where they train dogs for canine obedience, working dogs, therapy dogs and service dogs for clients all over North America. He is also a dog musher and he and his wife operate a 40-dog mushing kennel in Willow, Alaska, called Team Ineka. They can often be seen at local races and leading expeditions in the Alaska backcountry with outdoor leadership students at the University of Alaska. Robert is the producer of Dog Works Radio that has been on the air since 2009 and is currently simulcast on a local radio station, KVRF in Palmer, Alaska.

Host, Alex Stein’s Bio:

Alex M. Stein is a writer, documentary filmmaker, and storyteller living in Los Angeles while pining for the Northern Lights. He is the author of the personal essay collection NO, MR. BOND, I EXPECT YOUR DREAMS TO DIE and directed the Iditarod documentary MUSH. He was married in Alaska, above the Arctic Circle, at the northernmost saloon in the world, by the bartender. Alex has been a host on Dog Works Radio since 2012 and he can be heard on our mushing broadcasts and during our annual nightly Iditarod coverage each March.

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Robert Forto

Robert Forto

@robertforto | Executive producer and co-host of Dog Works Radio

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