Born in wintherthur, Switzerland in 1958. Martin became fascinated with sled dogs while still a teen. He came to Alaska in 1979 to enhance his knowledge of care and training of sled dogs. He began working and training with long-time Alaskan mushers Earl and Natalie Norris and ran his first Iditarod in 1980. Martin, wife Kathy Chapoton and sons Nikolai and Rohn (both names after Iditarod checkpoints, reside in Big Lake, Alaska where the family owns and manages Happy Trails Kennel.
