Jennifer has been training and racing sled dogs since she was 9. She began racing her dogs in Junior 3 dog class at North Star Sled Dog Club races in 1990. She ran her first mid-distance event in 1994 and loved the silence and beauty of the longer trails. She has competed in the Jr. Iditarod, Ship Ahoy 100, Sheep Creek Christmas Classic, Beargrease Recreational Class, the Mid-Minnesota Sled Dog Race, the Elton, WI 80, and The Flute Reed Challenge.

Jennifer has competed in three international junior races, winning both the Harry Wheeler International Children's Race in St. Paul and the Trofeo Topolino in Ponte di Legno, Italy in 1997. She was awarded the European Trail Club's Most Promising Junior Musher Trophy in 1996. In 1998, she and twelve of her dogs spent six months training at the Norris' Howling Dog Farm with Earl and Natalie Norris and Iditarod Musher Shawn Sidelinger. She placed seventh of twenty teams in the 1998 Jr. Iditarod.

Dr. Jennifer Freking graduated from the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2004 and practices large and small animal medicine at the Ely Veterinary Clinic in Ely, MN.

In 2003, Jennifer, Alex, Fiona, Trouble, Temu, Bluie, Jericho, Ewok, and Punto finished 4th of 28 teams in the 135-mile Beargrease. Jenny finished 6th at the 2004 Apostle Island Sled Dog Race of 51 teams and 5th at the 2004 Empire Sled Dog Race, averaging over 13 mph for 34 miles per day! She and the 2-yr-olds finished 14th of 52 team in the 2004 Beargrease 8-dog 150 mile race. In 2005 Jennifer's puppy team (some of them in only their second race ever) placed 2nd in the 400-mile Beargrease Marathon and she was Rookie of the Year. In 2006, She placed 3rd in the Beargrease marathon (10 minutes behind Blake!) and, 4th in the UP 200, and 8th in the Can Am 60 in Fort Kent, Maine. In the 2008 Iditarod, despite a tragic accident with a snowmobile on the trail, Jen finished 50th of over 80 teams.

2000 Iditarod veteran, 2005 Yukon Quest veteran, and 2004 Beargrease Champion, Blake Freking was born in Heron Lake, MN. He began skijoring recreationally with his Siberians in 1991.

From 1998-2000, Blake worked with the Anadyr Siberians at Earl and Natalie Norris's Howling Dog Farm in Willow, Alaska. He trained and raced the puppy teams and handled for Shawn Sidelinger's 1999 Iditarod Team.

In 2000, he raced the Anadyr team in the Klondike 300 and Knik 200, placing 7th and 5th respectively. In the 2000 Iditarod, the 4th event in his racing career, Blake finished 46th of 81 teams.

Since 2001, Blake has been training and racing in the midwest, including the UP 200 and Midnight Run, Beargrease, Solon Springs, Bayfield, and Grand Portage Passage. Blake and the Manitou Crossing Siberians WON the 2004 400-mile Beargrease Sleddog Marathon in Duluth, MN. Then, in 2005, they finished 11th in the Yukon Quest 1000-mile marathon! In 2006, Blake finished 2nd in the John Beargrease Marathon and 5th in the Can-AM 250 in Fort Kent, Maine. The 2008 Iditarod was bittersweet for Blake, finishing 51st out of 80+ teams (only 12 seconds behind Jen) and setting the Siberian Husky purebreed record just days after watching with horror as a snowmobile hit Jen's team on the trail.

Blake also builds sleds, snowhooks, and other equipment.
Email Blake for more info!
Email Blake - bfreking@hotmail.com