-Cp
08-30-2008, 11:44 AM
Husband of veep choice is snowmobile racer By RACHEL D'ORO, Associated Press Writer
Sat Aug 30, 4:17 AM ET
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080829/capt.e5fb713a4ac040d4af008ecb7837d8f5.veepstakes_p alin_ny114.jpg?x=400&y=310&q=85&sig=nnUoqG7LmrGNl8HmULiuiQ--
He's known as a doting, blue-collar husband who stands on the sidelines as his wife blazes a historic trail in politics.
But Todd Mitchell Palin can claim accomplishments beyond his marriage to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the surprise running mate of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain.
Todd Palin is a veteran oil-field worker and commercial fisherman affectionately dubbed Alaska's "first dude." He's a man who took college courses but does not have a degree, yet can hold his own in sophisticated circles, even hosting a reception for five former Alaska first ladies earlier this month.
A father of five, he's also a four-time winner of the world's longest snowmobile race, billed as the most grueling. It's a sport the 43-year-old lifelong Alaskan is so passionate about that he's continued to compete even after his wife took office in December 2006.
In this year's 2,000-mile Tesoro Iron Dog contest, Palin and racing partner Scott Davis were trying to defend their 2007 championship when Palin broke his arm in a crash. It was 400 miles from the finish line, but he refused to quit, coming in fourth, cheered on by the parka-clad governor waving a checkered flag.
"There are racers who throw in the towel pretty quick, without broken arms, with just a head cold," executive race director Laura Bedard said Friday. "This speaks highly of his character."
Todd Palin's good-guy image recently has been slightly clouded by speculation that his wife dismissed Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire a state trooper, her former brother-in-law, who allegedly made threats against the Palin family. The former commissioner, Walt Monegan, has said pressure to get rid of the trooper had come from those around Palin, including her husband.
Todd Palin has said he took his concerns directly to Monegan. But he said he never told anyone to fire the trooper.
Todd Palin is a highly aggressive competitor but will stop to assist a rival in trouble, according to Bedard. She said that in last year's Iron Dog, Palin and Davis helped a racer with broken ribs reach the next checkpoint before heading on to victory.
Davis, a seven-time Iron Dog winner, could not be reached Friday, but a worker at his family's concrete block manufacturing business in Soldotna said Palin often comes into the office during race preparations. The worker, Vickie Aber, described Todd Palin as a quiet, unassuming family man not in the least intimidated by his wife's meteoric rise.
He's not one to boast about his Iron Dog wins, either, Aber said.
"To him, it's just like another day," she said, adding that if Palin should wind up in the White House, "it wouldn't surprise me to see him race."
Palin, who is part Yup'ik Eskimo, was born in the western Alaska town of Dillingham. He met his future wife at a high school basketball game and they eloped in 1988, six years after graduation, to avoid the cost of a wedding.
"We had a bad fishing year that year, so we didn't have any money," Todd Palin told The Associated Press last year. "So we decided to spend 35 bucks and go down to the courthouse."
The Palins spend more of their time at their family home in the small town of Wasilla — where Sarah Palin served two terms as mayor — than at the governor's mansion in Juneau. At home, Todd Palin has juggled the cooking and taking care of the bills with driving the kids to extracurricular activities like basketball and soccer.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080830/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_todd_palin_profile
Sat Aug 30, 4:17 AM ET
http://d.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20080829/capt.e5fb713a4ac040d4af008ecb7837d8f5.veepstakes_p alin_ny114.jpg?x=400&y=310&q=85&sig=nnUoqG7LmrGNl8HmULiuiQ--
He's known as a doting, blue-collar husband who stands on the sidelines as his wife blazes a historic trail in politics.
But Todd Mitchell Palin can claim accomplishments beyond his marriage to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the surprise running mate of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain.
Todd Palin is a veteran oil-field worker and commercial fisherman affectionately dubbed Alaska's "first dude." He's a man who took college courses but does not have a degree, yet can hold his own in sophisticated circles, even hosting a reception for five former Alaska first ladies earlier this month.
A father of five, he's also a four-time winner of the world's longest snowmobile race, billed as the most grueling. It's a sport the 43-year-old lifelong Alaskan is so passionate about that he's continued to compete even after his wife took office in December 2006.
In this year's 2,000-mile Tesoro Iron Dog contest, Palin and racing partner Scott Davis were trying to defend their 2007 championship when Palin broke his arm in a crash. It was 400 miles from the finish line, but he refused to quit, coming in fourth, cheered on by the parka-clad governor waving a checkered flag.
"There are racers who throw in the towel pretty quick, without broken arms, with just a head cold," executive race director Laura Bedard said Friday. "This speaks highly of his character."
Todd Palin's good-guy image recently has been slightly clouded by speculation that his wife dismissed Alaska's public safety commissioner because he would not fire a state trooper, her former brother-in-law, who allegedly made threats against the Palin family. The former commissioner, Walt Monegan, has said pressure to get rid of the trooper had come from those around Palin, including her husband.
Todd Palin has said he took his concerns directly to Monegan. But he said he never told anyone to fire the trooper.
Todd Palin is a highly aggressive competitor but will stop to assist a rival in trouble, according to Bedard. She said that in last year's Iron Dog, Palin and Davis helped a racer with broken ribs reach the next checkpoint before heading on to victory.
Davis, a seven-time Iron Dog winner, could not be reached Friday, but a worker at his family's concrete block manufacturing business in Soldotna said Palin often comes into the office during race preparations. The worker, Vickie Aber, described Todd Palin as a quiet, unassuming family man not in the least intimidated by his wife's meteoric rise.
He's not one to boast about his Iron Dog wins, either, Aber said.
"To him, it's just like another day," she said, adding that if Palin should wind up in the White House, "it wouldn't surprise me to see him race."
Palin, who is part Yup'ik Eskimo, was born in the western Alaska town of Dillingham. He met his future wife at a high school basketball game and they eloped in 1988, six years after graduation, to avoid the cost of a wedding.
"We had a bad fishing year that year, so we didn't have any money," Todd Palin told The Associated Press last year. "So we decided to spend 35 bucks and go down to the courthouse."
The Palins spend more of their time at their family home in the small town of Wasilla — where Sarah Palin served two terms as mayor — than at the governor's mansion in Juneau. At home, Todd Palin has juggled the cooking and taking care of the bills with driving the kids to extracurricular activities like basketball and soccer.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080830/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_todd_palin_profile