Humans of Persistence — Persistence Mushing

Sarah Harman

Musher and Handler

I have dreamed of being a musher since I was old enough to walk. To be here in Alaska, doing the thing, is truly a dream come true. I only meant to come up for a year to check mushing off my bucket list. That was over five years ago. I have fallen in love with this place and it’s beauty. I have also found a truly one of a kind group of people I get the privilege of calling my friends. When I’m not mushing I’m spending time outside with them and my dogs exploring all that Alaska has to offer. For my day job I work as a Bike and Ski technician and really love the hands-on nature of it and being able to use my skills to get more people outside!

Will Troshynski

Mentor and Owner of ATAO Kennel

William Markey

Sarah’s Partner and Handler

Shawn Goggins

Musher and Baking Extraordinaire

Will has been the best mentor I could have asked for. He’s taught me just about everything I know about mushing. The relationship he has with his dogs and attention to detail in their care is something I strive to match every day. He’s also, mostly inadvertently I think, taught me a lot about my own mental health. He was the first non-medical professional to talk to me about ADHD and the first person who made my struggles seem real and not just a failure of my character. He’s good at knowing when I need support but also is not afraid to call me out when I need it. Sometimes I think I annoy him with my nearly impossible to kill optimism, but it’s gotten us through some ridiculous situations so I think it’s also why he keeps me around.

I like to tell people that I think Shawn is cool and I decided that the best way to try to be as cool as them was to find my own Will. Truthfully though, it was random happenstance that I also ended up with a Will. Frequently referred to as Will2 or MarkeyMark at the kennel, I don’t know what I would do without this guy. He had barely been in Alaska for a year after moving away from northern California when we met and was told by locals that he better brace for a wild ride if he was going to date a musher. 2 1/2 years later he’s still here and is my rock and the order to my chaos. He’s also an incredible cook and makes the most amazing pizza and cinnamon rolls. Always down for an adventure or to help fix something and we laugh and giggle our way through it all. He’s started mushing as well a little. Maybe we’ll see him in future races???

Fiona B.

Sarah’s Niece, Junior Musher/Handler

Fiona is 12 years old and started learning to mush with me this season. She is a kind and thoughtful individual so it was no surprise to me how quickly she’s gotten the hang of everything and how fast the dogs all have taken to her. She’s also been a huge help in motivating me to get out more frequently this season. When she’s not mushing dogs, she is an active Cadette Girl Scout (her interest in becoming a Girl Scout was how I ended up becoming a troop leader a few years ago) who has earned her Bronze Award, will be starting on her Silver Award soon, and is regularly one of the top cookie sellers in the council. She is also an active member of her school’s Future Farmers of American club and last I heard, she has straight A’s!

Shawn is how I ended up at ATAO kennel. About a year into being in Alaska I had about given up on finding a kennel that was a good match for me. I was thinking about moving back home when I decided to audition for a local play. I got cast as one of the main characters and Shawn was cast as my fiancée. They wore a kennel hoodie to a rehearsal once and I was like “Oh my god, do you mush?!” They said that they did not but their partner, Will Troshynski, did. I couple weeks later I had the opportunity to meet him at their house warming party and the rest is history. Since then, Shawn has dove more into mushing more and the two of us have done a lot of our training together. When they aren’t mushing, Shawn can frequently be found in the kitchen baking something delicious. The tiny sweet potato pies are one of my favorites.