Mary Shields

Mary Shields (October 12, 1944 – July 14, 2025) was a pioneer in women's dogsledding as the first woman to complete the Iditarod, a 1,000-mile (1609 km) historic dog sled race between Anchorage and Nome Alaska in 1974.

As a college student from Wisconsin, Shields visited Alaska while working for Campfire Girls and fell in love with it. She moved to Alaska in 1965. Shields lived mostly alone though sometimes she would stay with her racing competitor, Lolly Medley, who finished the Iditarod shortly after she did in 1974. Ever since Shields competed, more and more women became inspired to take on this exhausting race. She wanted to prove that sex didn't matter.

Shields died on July 14, 2025 at the age of 80.