Tonight’s musher profile shines the spotlight on veteran Iditarod competitor Paige Drobny, a racer whose story blends science, wilderness living, and a deep partnership with her dogs.
Paige was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, but the mountains and wide-open landscapes of Alaska eventually became home. Today, she lives along the Denali Highway near Cantwell with her husband and fellow long-distance musher Cody Strathe, where the two operate Squid Acres Kennel, training a team of roughly 37 sled dogs for some of the toughest races in the world.
The kennel’s unusual name actually has a scientific origin. Before committing fully to mushing, Paige came to Alaska to study fisheries biology, and her master’s thesis focused on squid in the Bering Sea. The couple jokingly named their homestead “Squid Acres,” and when the sled dogs arrived, the name stuck.
Paige’s entry into the sport is one of those classic mushing stories. When asked how she got started, she often answers with a simple line: “My husband built me a sled.” That sled led to a few dogs, then more dogs, and before long, she was racing long distances across Alaska’s vast trail system.
Since then, Paige has built an impressive racing résumé. She has completed ten Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Races, steadily climbing the ranks and establishing herself as one of the sport’s most consistent competitors. Her performances include a 5th-place finish in 2024 and a career-best 3rd place in 2025, putting her among the elite teams in the race.
Along the way, she has also raced many of Alaska’s other demanding long-distance events, including the Copper Basin 300, Kuskokwim 300, and the Yukon Quest, building the kind of experience that only comes from thousands of miles on the runners.
Away from the race trail, Paige and Cody operate Susitna Adventure Lodge, welcoming guests to the remote beauty of Alaska’s backcountry. Both bring decades of wilderness experience to the job and hold extensive outdoor certifications, including wilderness first responder training. Life for them is built around the outdoors, whether that means guiding guests, running dogs, or exploring Alaska’s vast winter landscape.
For Paige, though, the heart of it all always comes back to the dogs. After years of racing and living by the rhythm of the trail, she often says the real reward is simple: spending time on the trail with her best furry friends.
And with every mile she runs behind her team from Squid Acres Kennel, Paige Drobny continues to prove that passion, perseverance, and a strong bond with the dogs can carry a musher a very long way down the trail.
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📸 Photo Credit: https://squidacres.com/the-mushers/