2005 Iditarod

The ceremonial start of the 33rd annual Iditarod dog sled race across the U.S. state of Alaska began in Anchorage on March 5, 2005 at 10 AM AKST (19:00 UTC), and restarted in Willow the next day at 2 PM (23:00 UTC). After covering 1,161 miles (1,868 km)http://www.iditarod.com/trailinfo/racemileage.php?id=3 of wilderness, musher Robert Sørlie, an airport firefighter from Norway, crossed the finish line under the "burled arch" in Nome on March 16 at 8:39 AM AKST (17:39 UTC). After taking care of his dogs, and an inspection to make sure all the mandatory equipment was in his sled, Sørlie was declared the winner by Race Marshal Mark Norman, with a time of 9 days, 18 hours, 39 minutes, and 31 seconds and won USD $72,066.67 and a new truck. When asked how it felt to win a second time, Sørlie said "it feels good, I'm ready for breakfast"http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=sportsNews&storyID=7924830, live on the Alaska superstation. His team of dogs averaged 4.65 mi/h (7.58 km/h). The Red Lantern in last was Phil Morgan, an Alaska Airlines pilot, and when he crossed the finish line on March 21 at 8:02 PM AKST (March 22, 5:02 UTC), the Widow's Lantern hanging on the burled arch was extinguished, which signalled the end of the race.

Competitors

There are a total of 79 mushers entered in the race, including 19 from the continental United States (the "Lower 48"), 9 from outside the U.S., 16 women, and 28 rookies, who are competing in their first Iditarod.http://www.iditarod.com/mushers/mushers.php A total of 23 entrants withdrew before the start of the race. The entry fee was USD $1,850.

Related Topics:
Continental United States - USD

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The 2005 race has competitors from four countries. Norway is represented by Trine Lyrek, Bjørnar Andersen, and the 2003 winner, Robert Sørlie. Canada is represented by Hans Gatt from British Columbia, Karen Ramstead from Alberta, Aaron Peck from Ontario, and Sebastian Schunelle and Michael "Longway" Salvisberg from the Yukon Territory.http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/OtherSports/2005/03/04/950381-ap.html Dodo Perri from Italy, and another competitor from Italy, and one each from Germany and South Africa withdrew before the start of the race.

Related Topics:
Norway - Canada - British Columbia - Alberta - Ontario - Yukon Territory - Italy - Germany - South Africa

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Nineteen competitors are from other states in the U.S., with the most (seven) from Montana: Harmony Barron, Jason Barron, John Barron, Robert Greger, Melanie Shirilla, four-time winner Doug Swingley, and Cliff Wang. In addition, Gregg Hickman, Andrew Letzring, and Ed Stielstra are from Michigan; Perry Solomonson and Mark Stamm are from Washington; Bill Pinkham and Lachlan Clarke are from Colorado; Steve Rasmussen and Paul Ellering are from Minnesota; Rachael Scdoris is from Oregon, Scott Smith is from Wyoming, and Bryan Mills is from Wisconsin. Greg Paulsen from New Mexico withdrew. The remainder are Alaskan.http://www.iditarod.com/mushers/mushers.php

Related Topics:
Montana - Michigan - Washington - Colorado - Minnesota - Oregon - Wyoming - Wisconsin - New Mexico

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The field is extremely competitive, with no clear favorites. As of March 5, 2005, every winner since 1990 is scheduled to race. These include

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The relatively warm conditions may favor dogs trained in the Lower 48 states. The mixed breed huskies favored by mushers perform best in sub-zero weather, and dogs trained in relatively warm conditions will be more acclimated. Until reaching the cold of the Alaska Interior, most mushers prefer to run their teams during the night and sleep during the day, to take advantage of the colder temperatures. On the other hand, unseasonably warm temperatures made is more difficult to train sled dogs in Montana and other locations.http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050306/NEWS01/503060302/1002 Sørlie, Buser, Jonrowe, and Seavey trained in warmer climates, while Boulding trained his dogs in the cold Interior.

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• Charlie Boulding (scratched):http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/6265905p-6142812c.html A two-time winner of the Yukon Quest who placed 3rd in his best Iditarod, he a popular, distinctive figure. He announced he was retiring before the start of the race.
• Ramy Brooks: Finished in 2nd place twice.
• Martin Buser: Four time champion (1992, 1994, 1997, and 2002) and holder of the all-time speed record, he lost a finger above the second joint in a table saw accident as part of an "unplanned weight-loss program"http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/6254053p-6131367c.html several days before the race, and is taking painkillers and antibiotics. Until it was trimmed, Buser's exposed nerve "kept catching and jolting my insides", and a doctor flew in to Iditarod to give him more antiobiotics.http://www.adn.com/outdoors/story/6289240p-6164829c.html
• Hans Gatt: Three-time winner of the Yukon Quest. He followed his win in 2002 with 23rd place finish in the Iditarod, 2nd only to Tim Osmar's 18th place finish in 2001 after winning the Quest.http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0315iditarod-quest-ON.html http://www.adn.com/sports/story/6272184p-6149313c.html
• DeeDee Jonrowe:http://www.adn.com/iditarod/guide/hall/story/6206977p-6016581c.html Second place finisher in 1993 and 1998, and competitor in 21 Iditarods. She is a fan-favorite, after finishing in 4th in 1997 after a car crash, and competing in 2003 just three weeks after the end of chemotherapy for breast cancer.
• Jeff King: Three-time winner (1993, 1996, 1998), and also a previous winner of the Yukon Quest.
• Major Thomas Knolmayer: The only active duty serviceperson in the race is the chief of surgery at Elmendorf Air Force Base.http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?storyID=123010087
• Lance Mackey: Winner of the 2005 Yukon Quest (as a rookie) just 3 weeks before, and the first to be a contender in both races in the same year.
• Gary Paulsen (withdrew): The prolific author of many young adult books on the Iditarod including Winterdance and Woodsong, who was planning a return after a 20 year absence withdrew before the race.http://www.iditarod.com/mushers/mushers.php
• Rachael Scdoris: Scodoris is from Bend, Oregon, who is afflicted with congenital achromatopsia, is the first legally blind musher to compete. In 2004, she competed in the Beargrease race along the shore of Lake Superior, placing sixth. The story of petition in 2003 to the Iditarod Trail Committee under the auspices of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 was chronicled in her autobiography, No End in Sight, co-authored with Rick Steber. As a result, arrangements were made for her to follow a "visual interpreter", former professional wrestler Paul Ellering, who will notify her by two-way radio or shouting of upcoming hazards. Ellering has competed in one previous Iditarod, placing 54th in 2000.http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1110200347227400.xml http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=553779 http://www.signonsandiego.com/sports/20050306-1512-iditarod.html http://www.freep.com/sports/othersports/iditarod7e_20050307.htm http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N03568569.htm http://www.iditarod.com/mushers/musherbio.php?eid=54 http://www.sleddogrides.com/ According to Scdoris, "I need someone to tell me where to turn. And there's that whole low-hanging-branches-coming-out-of-nowhere question".http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/6254053p-6131360c.html http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/6293154p-6168748c.html. She became the media sensation before the start of a race, partly driven by a strong public relations campaign driven by her father, including a CD, "Go Rachael!" buttons, and an 8-page color brochure for the members of the press.http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/6293154p-6168748c.html
• Mitch Seavey: The returning champion. His two sons Tyrell and Dallas are also competing. His dogs are known for stamina and pulling ahead at the end of the race.http://www.cabelasiditarod.com/coverage_2005/cov05_mar14_02.html Seavey said, "The trail was soft and punchy. We spent hours and hours and hours wallowing in deep snow."http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2005/3/17/latest/20050317090603&sec=Latest
• Dallas Seavey: He turned 18 on March 4, 2005, became the youngest musher in the history of the Iditarod. He was also able to became the first to compete in both the Junior Iditarod and the Iditarod in the same year, because his birthday fell between the two events.http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/iditarod/young.history.htm. He also competed in Junior Yukon Quest, with fellow legacies Nikolai and Rohn Buser.http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/6236821p-6111996c.html
• Robert Sørlie: Winner in 2003, and did not compete in 2004 so an undefeated champion. Sørlie and rookie Andersen condition their dogs by running them 4,000 miles a year, mixing 24 hour runs for endurance, with time taken out to play. "It's getting into their mind, trying to get the dogs happy", according to Andersen. Sørlie's team is in excellent shape after long runs, and recovers after a short rest.http://www.adn.com/front/story/6265910p-6142680c.html
• Rick Swenson (scratched): Only five-time champion (1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1991), and only person to compete in 29 Iditarods.
• Doug Swingley, also a four-time winner (1995, 1999–2001), suffered frostbite in his corneas during the 2004 race when he neglected to wear goggles, and has impaired night vision.http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050306/NEWS01/503060302/1002 Swingley did not expect his young team to be competitive.http://www.cabelasiditarod.com/coverage_2005/cov05_mar14_02.html
• Aily Zirkle: Former Yukon Quest champion.

Dogs

Gebhardt's dog Rita dropped dead while in harness en route from Anvik on March 12. According to the veterinarians there were no signs of abuse, so Gebhardt was allowed to continue and left the checkpoint. Reports indicate he was "downcast" or "devastated", and according to veterinarian Bill Daly he was crying. A preliminary necropsy indicates the cause of death was anemia, from gastric ulcers. This was the first canine fatality of the race. Despite the weather, there are few cases of hyperthermia (overheating). Two dogs died during the 2004 Iditarod.http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2005/03/12/sports/s140653S89.DTL http://www.canada.com/national/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=8280eb50-849a-491d-a7bb-cfbeb7de424a http://www.cabelasiditarod.com/coverage_2005/cov05_mar12_03.html

Related Topics:
March 12 - Anemia - Ulcer

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(pdf) http://www.adn.com/iditarod/news/story/6261989p-6139154c.html

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Nellie, Doug Swingley's dog died in Anchorage on March 17, after being dropped off in Elim at March 15 with pneumonia. The gross necropsy indicated an intestinal abnormality (a double intussusception), and more tests are pending. (pdf) (pdf)

Related Topics:
March 17 - Intussusception

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Oakley, Jason Barron's dog died on March 17 on the way to Nome from Safety.(pdf) The gross necropsy revealed no cause of death, and more tests are pending.(pdf)

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Tyson, Michael Salvisberg's dog died on March 18. Tyson was dropped in White Mountain and transported to Nome. The dog was tied to the ski of the plane but the lead came loose and Tyson ran onto the ice of the Bering Sea, fell into open water, and drowned.(pdf)

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Both sides in the controversy about whether the race constitutes dog abuse weigh in in fringe news sourceshttp://www.theunion.com/article/20050310/SPORTS/50310004 http://www.theunion.com/article/20050310/SPORTS/50310003 http://knox.villagesoup.com/opinions/GuestCols.cfm?StoryID=2835

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A team of veterinarians from Oklahoma State University are studying the dogs of the Iditarod as part of a Department of Defense grant to determine how dogs can run up to 10 hours without fatigue.http://www.kotv.com/main/home/stories.asp?whichpage=1&id=79507

Related Topics:
Oklahoma State University - Department of Defense

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Dogs dropped at the checkpoints during the race were flown to one of the regional hubs at Unalakleet, McGrath, or Anchorage and then to Hiland Mountain-Meadow Creek Correctional Center in Eagle River, where they were cared for by minimum security inmates who volunteered for the responsibility.http://www.ktuu.com/CMS/templates/master.asp?articleid=12448&zoneid=4

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The race averages 1 or 2 dog deaths per year.

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