John Quniaq Baker (born 1962 or 1963 in Kotzebue, Alaska) is self-employed American dog musher, pilot and motivational speaker of Inupiat descent who consistently places in the top 10 during the 1,000+ mi (1,600 km) Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Baker won the 2011 Iditarod with a finish time of 8 Days 19 Hours 46 Minutes 39 Seconds.
| Year | Position | Time (h:min:s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 22nd | 10 days, 23:26:00 |
| 1997 | 11th | 9 days, 23:09:36 |
| 1998 | 5th | 9 days, 21:43:09 |
| 1999 | 8th | 10 days, 10:10:54 |
| 2000 | 22nd | 10 days, 05:48:29 |
| 2001 | 6th | 10 days, 21:00:30 |
| 2002 | 3rd | 9 days, 05:46:30 |
| 2003 | 8th | 10 days, 07:33:07 |
| 2004 | 9th | 10 days, 00:43:00 |
| 2005 | 6th | 9 days, 21:41:00 |
| 2006 | 5th | 9 days, 17:37:45 |
| 2011 | 1st | 8 days, 19:46:39 |
Baker started mushing at age 1. He raced in his first Iditarod in 1996, placing 22nd. By his third race he placed in the top 10, and he sustained that position for six of the next seven years (from the 1998 to the 2005 Iditarods), only dropping to 22nd once again in 2000 due to dog trouble.[2] His second best finish was in 2002, when he crossed the finish line in 3rd place in 9 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes, and 30 seconds. In 1998, he won both the Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award and the Regal Alaskan's First Musher to the Yukon Award. He has competed in every race from the 1996 to the 2009 Iditarod. In the 2009 Iditarod, he finished in 3rd place.
Baker worked as a pilot and manager of his family's air taxi business. He also visits local schools as a motivational lecturer. Like Ramy Brooks, Baker is one of the few Alaska Native dog sled racers who compete in the modern Iditarod.
Baker lives near his extended family on the coast of the Bering Sea in Kotzebue, Alaska, and has a fish camp/winter cabin 30 mi (50 km) away, across Kobuk Lake. His son Alex has competed in the Junior Iditarod. He also has a daughter, Tahayla.
| Iditarod awards | Year | Criteria |
|---|---|---|
| Dorothy G. Page Halfway Award | 1998 | First to arrive at Cripple |
| Regal Alaskan's First Musher to the Yukon Award | 1998 | First to arrive at Anvik |