The Humans
Marina McGourty she/her
Lyra Barnes (Future musher)
Lyra is the newest member of the team, with over 300 dog miles under her belt. Her first word will probably be dog. (10/18/25)
Once upon a time I was a 9 year old in Montana who knew she wanted to have a dog team… Now, 20 years later, here we are! After graduating high school I mentored under Iditarod champion John Baker. While living in Kotzebue working for John I ran the Noatak 120 and the Kobuk 440. When my time with John ended, I never lost my ambition to race and run sled dogs. After college, I found myself back in Alaska and began working to establish a dog team. In only a few years we have gone from 0-20 dogs and we will be ready to run our first mid distance race, January 2026.
Colter Barnes he/him (Handler)
Colter has spent many years in Alaska; homesteading, sailing, and generally living an unconventional life style. Being a contestant on season 8 alone isn’t even close to the coolest thing about him. Colter is a huge help with everything dog; building houses, hooking up team, cooking food, catching loose dogs… you name it! He is also a new father to baby Lyra. Truly thankful to Colter for all he does… This operation wouldn’t run without him!