Ryan Miller
Cook, MN
I moved to Cook, MN, in 2016 and got into mushing shortly after. I worked for the Forest Service for many years as a Wildland Firefighter in the summer, and in the winter, ran dogs for them, mostly hauling freight into the Boundary Waters and clearing trails. I currently work as a Natural Resources Instructor at Vermilion Community College in Ely, but still manage to get the dogs into the Boundary Waters as much as possible. I have an 8-year-old daughter, Annalee, and a 6-year-old son, Ellis, who tag along with me on many of our trips. Annalee started her racing career in 2020, and Ellis hopes to do the same this year. I am also dating a wonderful woman named Ashley, who runs a 31-dog kennel of her own, and who I will be competing within the Beargrease 120. Hope to see you all at the race.
What other races have you completed to qualify for the marathon?
Beargrease 120, Wolftrack Classic
How many lead dogs in your team?
All of them can run lead.
Who are your dog handlers?
Sam Lamers, Justin Sparks and Andrew “Stish Nasty” Stish
What is your age as of Jan 25, 2020?
34
Kennel name
Underdog Sled Dogs
How can people find you on social media?
Rig size
14′ enclosed trailer
Who are your sponsors?
J & H Contracting and Miller Farms
What inspired you to start running sled dogs and how old were you when you started?
I was about 30 when I started with sled dogs. I moved to Minnesota from Idaho and heard about many dog mushing going on in the area. I thought it sounded like fun, so I got two sled dogs, did some bicycle running, and five years later, I have a kennel of 20 dogs and run as much as possible.
