The Page CounTy PosT
From Southwest Iowa to the Last Great Race:
By LIZ SKILLERN
The Page County Post
When Riley Dyche, a 2010 graduate of Farragut, first took a job with a sled dog tour company in college, he had no idea it would spark a passion that would take him more than a thousand miles across the Alaskan wilderness - again and again. Now a five-time Iditarod finisher and competitive musher, Dyche recently completed his best race yet, finishing 10th in the 2025 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, one of the most grueling and iconic endurance events on the planet.
“The Iditarod is a huge part of Alaskan culture,” Dyche said in a recent interview. “It’s not just a race. It’s a test of survival, teamwork, and grit — for both the mushers and the dogs.” From Iowa to Alaska Dyche grew up in Farragut and headed to college in Leadville, Colorado, where he landed a job with a sled dog tour operation. It was meant to be temporary. Instead, it changed his life.
“I got hooked working with the dogs,” he said. “I never looked back.”
In 2013, he moved to Alaska to pursue mushing seriously. After years of working under experienced distance mushers, including Matt Hall, who placed second this year, Dyche started his own kennel in 2015. His first 1,000-mile race was the Yukon Quest in 2018, and he began competing in the Iditarod in 2020. A tough year on the trail
This year’s race was anything but typical. Due to poor snow conditions in the Alaska Range, organizers rerouted the race from
Fairbanks to Nome, adding distance and replacing mountainous terrain with a long stretch along the Yukon River. That meant 800 of the 1,200 miles were flat, windy, and mentally draining.
“My goal was to finish higher than I did. I know that 10th is still very good but it was tough for me,” Dyche said. “I was sick for a good portion of the race, probably with the flu or something similar so I was hindered mentally.” He also added that the trail was long, the wind never stopped, and the conditions were soft and slow.
Despite the challenges, Dyche managed his highest Iditarod finish to date and did so with all 10 of his remaining dogs healthy and strong at the finish line, a remarkable feat in such an extreme event.
“We started with 16 dogs and had to drop a few early
due to minor injuries,” he explained. “But from Galena to Nome — about 800 miles — we didn’t drop a single dog. That’s something I’m really proud of.”
Building an elite team
Dyche’s kennel is home to the dogs he races and trains, and he emphasizes the importance of attitude, appetite, and athleticism in building a strong team. A great sled dog, especially a lead dog, must be enthusiastic, resilient, and built for long-distance travel in subzero conditions.
“They need the drive, the love for running. You can’t fake that,” he said. “It’s like any team — if one member is down, it affects everyone. The dogs feed off each other’s energy.”
Training is a year-round commitment. During the summer, Dyche gives rides at the Iditarod Headquarters, keeping his dogs active and strong.
Once fall arrives, he begins ramping up miles, transitioning from dry-land training to snow as soon as conditions allow. By mid-winter, he’s simulating race conditions with multi-day training runs, building endurance and testing the dogs’ recovery times. Advice for aspiring mushers
So how does someone from Iowa end up on the Iditarod trail?
“Find a musher and start learning,” Dyche advised. “Most kennels need handlers — people to help care for the dogs and learn the ropes. That’s how I started. Don’t just buy dogs and try to do it on your own. You owe it to the animals to know what you’re doing.”
For Dyche, mushing is
more than a sport. It’s a way of life.
2017 Jeep Renegade Trailhawk
Trail Boss 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited
Southwest Iowa Families receives grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity
Clarinda, Iowa — Southwest Iowa Families has received a grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity to fund children’s activities, sports equipment, and transportation assistance – including gas cards for families needing help getting to medical appointments.
Southwest Iowa Families is a nonprofit organization
serving southwest Iowa with outpatient mental health, family support and educational programs as well as children’s Behavioral Health Intervention Services. Southwest Iowa Families has been offering these services for over 20 years and has become a premium provider in this focused area. The Variety grant will be
‘The Variety grant contribution has made a real and lasting impact on the lives of many children and families helping to create more opportunities, better access to care, and brighter futures,’
— Sandy Greer
Administrative Director Southwest Iowa Families
used to provide funds for swimming passes, dance and sporting fees, clothing and sport equipment needed for these activities and gas cards to offset transportation cost to get children to medical appointments. Approximately 150 children will benefit from these funds.
Sandy Geer, Administrative Director says “The Variety grant contribution has made a real and lasting impact on the lives of many children and families helping to create more opportunities, better access to care, and brighter futures.”
Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa is dedicated to improving the lives of children who are underprivileged, at-risk, critically ill, or living with special needs. Grant funding is provided to programs and initiatives that directly impact the wellbeing of children in our community. For more information on Variety grants and programs please visit varietyiowa.com.
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Front Row (L-R): Collins
Shenandoah’s elementary, middle, and high schools are proud to recognize their March Students of the Month, honoring students who consistently demonstrate outstanding character, leadership, and positive behavior in and out of the classroom.
Elementary Principal Jordan Newberg and Middle School Principal Aaron Burdorf congratulated their students for exemplifying “The Mustang Way” — being respectful, responsible, and
safe. Elementary students earn Mustang Way cards throughout the month from teachers and staff, which are then used to select monthly winners. Middle school students are nominated and chosen by teachers for consistently displaying those same Mustang values.
Newberg praised this month’s recipients for being role models in their classrooms and hallways as well as being willing to do what’s right — even when no one is watching.
High School Principal Ty Ratliff also applauded the high school’s Pride Card recipients, who are selected by staff for showing strong character and a positive attitude. These students are making a difference in their peers’ lives and contributing to the overall culture of our school.
Congratulations to all the March recipients for setting a strong example for their classmates and representing Shenandoah Schools with Mustang pride!
Rice, Hallie Newberg, Audrey Tompkins, Brianne Brooks, Vincent Gutierrez, Kesley Hankins; Middle Row: Harper Blank, Macy Weston, Jameson Doyle, Bentley Thompson, Makenna Gibson, Brylee Comstock, Jacy Gross, Lincoln Leece; Top Row: Hank Mather, Luke Langner, Raymend Lopez, Casey Kirby, Josie Wooten, Harley Miles, Briseis Sunderman
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Front Row (L-R): Lyrica Hale, Eli Hartman, Paige Hielen; Middle Row: Kyler Wiese, Adysen Tyner, Kahner Damanett; Top Row: Rylie Wooten, Landon Olson, Genevieve Mather (Not pictured: Jesus Martinez Duran)
HIGH SCHOOL (L-R): Jaylan Gray, Miani Wells, Terin Courtier, Carter Sells
Q1 results are in, and the future is bright for The Page County Post
By PHIL COBB phil@pagecountypost.com
We have reached the end of our first “quarter,” and I am happy to report that things are going well.
Ok, well, it’s not really a quarter, I know.
This is our ninth issue, and we have reached our first of four fifth Tuesdays that we will encounter in 2025. That means no paper on April 29th. Why can’t/don’t we publish on fifth Tuesdays? Well, there’s no reason why we can’t, we just choose not to.
When I say “we choose not to,” I mean “I” choose not to.
At the beginning of this adventure, I told myself I need to devise a way to have some time off during the year. The best thing I arrived at was simply publishing four times per month — every month.
That does kind of break the year up into four quarters, just not exactly equal quarters.
And while having a week off every once in a while sounds great, I’m not blind to the fact that not having a paper on certain weeks could pose challenges for our advertisers, especially those who have events they are trying to attract our readers to.
That’s why you have and will continue to see lots off references to planning ahead for these weeks. We’ll make every effort to accomodate the needs of the advertisers who make this publication possible.
Do I need four weeks off every year? Well, no, but I’m not
going to fight against it.
I’ve been doing this for 30 years and I think I’ve earned some time off from time to time.
However, please keep in mind that just because there’s no paper on any given week doesn’t mean I’m not working. There’s plenty that goes into this gig other than publishing the actual paper.
And just so you know, I won’t be off the week there is no paper.
I’ll be off the week prior to that, and I’ll still be working on the Monday of that week.
See, when there’s no paper on April 29th, I still have to deliver the April 22nd papers to the post office on the Monday of that week, so my “week” off won’t really start until Tuesday.
The time I do get to take off will be dedicated to spending time with my family.
For instance, when you are receiving this paper, I’ll be attending my middle daughter’s wedding.
Following that, on Thursday, I’ll celebrate my 56th birthday.
Then, on Friday, we’ll celebrate my youngest daughter’s 24th birthday.
On Saturday, Chaundee and I will get to take in our first Royals game of the year with some dear friends.
This break couldn’t have come at a better time for all those purposes.
At some point during that week, we will embark on our next major home improvement project.
We will be installing 96 16inch pavers to create a platform for a back yard fire pit.
Although I am very much looking forward to sipping a cold one next to the fire this summer and fall, I’m not look
ing forward to the pain that is sure to come from what prom
ises to be more physical work than this old man has done in quite some time.
Now that we’ve established that there is no paper on April 29th, let’s talk about what comes after that.
The next issue after the one you are reading will come out on May 6th, and with that, we hope to continue bringing you advertising information from throughout Page County and beyond.
So far, we have welcomed a total of 59 advertisers to our little publication. We’ll try to reach 100 by the time the next fifth Tuesday (July 29) comes around.
We’ll also strive to bring you quality and relevant content that makes you want to pick up the paper and look inside.
So far we’ve had contributions from Doris McKinnon, and Elaine Armstrong to enhance your reading pleasure, in addition to offerings from Clarinda Regional Health Center, Shenandoah Chamber & Industry, Clarinda Chamber of Commerce, Southwest Iowa Families, and more.
Most recently, we have welcomed Liz Skillern as a contributor. If you haven’t already read her story about Riley Dyche and his Iditarod experiences on Page 2 of this issue, jump over there right now.
Liz has a breadth of experi-
ence from her newspaper days, as well as her time in education, and she is a fountain of ideas for what she can bring to us in the future.
Maybe by the time July rolls around, we’ll be consistently 12 pages, which would provide a little more elbow room for editorial content.
Please keep sending us your ideas.
Just this week, we received an idea from a reader about listing church services throughout the county. That’s something we’ve had experience with in the past and something we are interested in bringing to our readers in the future.
As we’ve said from the beginning, this paper can be whatever you — the readers and advertisers — want it to be.
Each week we recognize our new advertisers, and this week is no different, except this time, we want to recognize all the advertisers who have joined is in these first nine weeks.
Week 9 New Advertisers
The Depot, Essex Schools, Coin Public Library, and Mark Edwards Masonry.
In addition those, we want to recognize:
3D Tech, Akin Building Center, Al Hughes Auction Service, American Senior Benefits - Ali Crouch and Darla Anderson, American Senior BenefitsBeth Steeve, DeeDee England, and Machelle Slough, Antique John’s Auction, Championship Motors, CL Fabrication, Clarinda Community School, Clarinda
Regional Health Center, Coin Fire & Rescue, Collins Auction Service, Conception Abbey, Concrete Expressions, D&D Treasures, Ding’s Honk ‘n Holler, Doris McKinnon, Easter’s True Value Hardware, El Sarape Mexican Restaurant, Clarinda Chamber of Commerce, Elizabeth Davison - Farm Bureau, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Friends of the Shenandoah Library, Gee Building Systems, Hazel’s Gowns, Hineline Home Furnishings, Hoskins Exteriors, Hy-Vee of Clarinda, Shenandoah, and Red Oak, Lied Public Library, Massena Livestock/MV Auction, McIntyre Real Estate, McNeilly Garage Door Service, Nebel Auction Service, Page County Assessor, Page County Fair Board, Premier Healthcare of Shenandoah, Quality Barn Craft, Chapter DN P.E.O., S&S Appliance & Mattress, Select Motors, Shanandoah Chamber & Industry Association, Shenandoah Medical Center, Shenandoah Public Library, Sheridan Decorating, Shore Motor Company, Snodderley Lumber, Sorensen Auto Plaza, The Depot, The Mill, V&L’s Countryside Outlet, Vetter Equipment, Walker-Merrick Billings Funeral Home, and Weil’s Clothing. Please, please, please — I can’t stress enough — please support these advertisers and let them know that you are seeing their messages in The Page County Post. That is the number one thing you can do to help support us in this endeavor. Thank you all for a great first quarter.
