Herbie Nayokpuk |
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Born | (1929-06-12)June 12, 1929
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Died | December 2, 2006(2006-12-02) (aged 77)
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Herbie Nayokpuk (June 12, 1929 – December 2, 2006)[1] (Iñupiaq pronunciation: Niiqpaq) nicknamed the "Shishmaref Cannonball", was an Inupiaq musher, known for his cheerful and straight-ahead demeanor[2] It is said that "no musher in Iditarod history has been more admired, more respected or better liked than Herbie Nayokpuk."[3]
Iditarod Finishes
Year
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Position
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Time
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1973
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5th[4]
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21d 11h 0m 19s[4]
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1974
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3rd[4]
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21d 18h 28m 42s[4]
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1975
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4th[4]
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14d 20h 29m 7s[4]
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1979
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Scratched[4]
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1980
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2nd[4]
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14d 20h 32m 12s[4]
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1981
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7th[4]
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12d 22h 17m 45s[4]
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1982
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7th[4]
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16d 14h 8m 21s[4]
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1983
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4th[4]
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12d 22h 4m 28s[4]
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1985
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8th[4]
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18d 17h 20m 0s[4]
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1987
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25th[4]
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13d 10h 27m 47s[4]
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1988
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6th[4]
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13d 3h 26m 44s[4]
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Life and career
Nayokpuk was born in Shishmaref in 1929. He was one of the original mushers to run the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in 1973.[5] He also represented Alaska at the presidential inauguration of Ronald Reagan in 1981.[5] He ended up running the Iditarod 11 times.[6] He never won, but he made some notably daring attempts in extreme weather conditions. He suffered a stroke after one race and competed in another despite having just recovered from a heart attack.[6] He was also an accomplished Inupiaq artist.[7]
Death and legacy
Nayokpuk died at the age of 77 at the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, Alaska after suffering a massive stroke at his home in mid-November and then lapsing into a coma.[2] He is buried in Shishmaref.[6] Each year since 2007, an Iditarod musher is awarded with the "Herbie Nayokpuk Memorial Award", which goes to the musher "who best epitomizes Herbie Nayokpuk's spirit of mushing the Iditarod"[8]
References