Allen Moore races SP Kennel’s Black Team. He is a dominant competitor in the annual long-distance Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race. Allen also competes in mid-distance races through out the season including the “Toughest 300 Miles” Copper Basin Sled Dog Race which he has won six times.
Allen also consistently shows a rare talent for developing young dogs to their full potential, successfully racing nine Iditarods with teams of SP Kennel’s youngest racers. His goal in Iditarod is to bring an excited and newly educated team of youngsters across the finish line.
Allen raced the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race for the first time in 2011 and placed 6th. A rugged year for the event, with over a third of the field scratching due to challenging race conditions. In 2012, he raced the Quest a second time and came in 2nd place. In both 2013 and 2014, Allen and the team took home the Championship trophy.
Allen has been in the 1,000 Mile Race ‘back-to-back’ club for five years. This club is a group of elite, tough and dedicated mushers who compete in the Yukon Quest and immediately following they compete in the Iditarod. This is over 2,000 miles on a dog sled within a very short time.
Allen has also received the highest honors in the Yukon Quest and Iditarod being awarded the Sportsmanship Trophy in both events for aiding competitors in distress in the same year.
Allen came to Alaska over 20 years ago. As the father of two active girls he soon found himself with Alaskan Husky sled dogs, not only in a dog yard but running around the house. Sprint mushing became important to the girls and thus to Allen as well. As the girls grew older their hobbies changed, but Allen always kept the dogs.
Allen is a born and raised Arkansas native. He moved to Alaska in order to get away from the heat. He succeeded! Allen and Aliy met 19 years ago and have been married for 12 years. Much of his family, including his two daughters, live in Alaska.
Allen graduated from Arkansas State with a degree in Wildlife Management. He also played basketball in college and has always been a competitive athlete. Maybe that’s why he enjoys the sport of dog mushing. He likes training, conditioning and coaching canine athletes, but it doesn’t stop there. Allen considers his fitness as important to his mushing as the dogs’ fitness. Therefore, you will find him most mornings in the “work out room” — a 140 square foot room with a treadmill, Bowflex and workout weights.
Allen enjoys his family and fishing. You will often see Allen’s Momma, Donnie, at the finish line. There are four “future mushers” in the family. Allen’s oldest grandson, 7 year old Jacob Allen, has won a sled dog race already. Timber, 4 years, has earned a dog mushing medal of his own. Khloe, a toddler, cheers for her Poppa at all the races and River, an infant, smiles a lot.