Anna Berington

Anna Berington is an American musher based in Knik, Alaska.

Early life and education

Anna Berington was born in February 1984 in Port Wing, Wisconsin, to Steve and Jan Berington. She has an identical twin sister, Kristy Berington, who is also a noted musher.

The two sisters graduated from South Shore High School in Port Wing, Wisconsin, in 2002.

Growing up, both were athletic and began mushing at a young age. They first learned of sled dog racing at the John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon event held in nearby Duluth, Minnesota.

Career

After a brief deployment with the Army National Guard, Anna and Kristy relocated to California where they spent winters working at a dog sled touring business in Lake Tahoe and summers at a horse stable guiding tourists in the Sierra Nevada mountains.

In the summer of 2007, while on a trip to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, they met 1984 Iditarod winner Dean Osmar, who taught them about long-distance dog sledding and gave them a chance to race. Anna's first race was the Klondike 300 followed by numerous mid-distance races, eventually placing 8th in the Taiga 300.

In 2008, the twins moved to Kasilof, Alaska to pursue a career in mushing. In 2013, Anna relocated to Knik, Alaska, and began working for Iditarod veteran Scott Janssen. Months later, her sister, Kristy, also moved to Knik and began working with them.

Stats

Personal life

Anna cites her hobbies as running, triathlon, biking, swimming, canicross, and skiing. She is married to fellow musher and Illinois-native Charley Bejna. The couple lives in Knik, Alaska.