Palakiiya, 16, says she was introduced to dog mushing by her baby sitter when she was four years old and she is still running for him. She and her twin sister “go out and run dogs and do many other things together,? she says. She has run the Tustumena twice and also the Jr. Willow 100. Palakiiya is in 10th grade at Skyview High School where she pariticpates in band. She also plays the baritone and clarinet and enjoys basketball and soccer. She wants to go to vet school and to continue her mushing.