Iditarod

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, usually called the "Iditarod" and known as the "Last Great Race", is an annual dog sled race in Alaska, where mushers and teams of dogs cover more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) in less than two weeks, frequently through blizzards causing whiteout conditions, and sub-zero weather and gale-force winds which can cause the wind chill to reach −100° F (−75° C). The trail runs through the U.S. state of Alaska, from the city of Anchorage in the southeast, up the Rainy Pass of the Alaska Range into the sparsely populated Interior, and then along the shore of the Bering Sea, finally reaching Nome in the northwest. The teams cross a harsh but starkly beautiful landscape under the canopy of the Northern Lights, through tundra and spruce forests, over hills and mountain passes, and across rivers. While the start in Anchorage is in the middle of a large urban center, most of the route passes through widely-separated towns and villages, and small Athapaskan and Inuit settlements. The Iditarod is regarded as a symbolic link to the early history of the state, and has many traditions commemorating the legacy of dog mushing, most famously the diphtheria serum run of 1925 which saved the children of Nome from the "black death". The race is also associated with the spirit of "America's Last Frontier", including the traits of perseverance, testing one's own limits, and an adventuresome spirit.

Related Topics:
Dog sled race - Alaska - Musher - Dog - Mile - 1,600 km - Blizzard - Whiteout - Sub-zero - Gale - Wind chill - F - C - U.S. - Anchorage - Alaska Range - Interior - Bering Sea - Nome - Northern Lights - Tundra - Spruce - Forests - Hill - Mountain - River - Athapaskan - Inuit - Symbol - Diphtheria

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The race is the most popular sporting event in the state, and the top mushers and their teams of dogs are treated as celebrities; this popularity is credited with the resurgence of recreational mushing in the state since the 1970s. While the yearly field of more than fifty mushers and about a thousand dogs is still largely Alaskan, competitors from fourteen countries have completed the event including the Norwegian Robert Sørlie, who became the first international winner in 2003. The Iditarod became famous outside the state largely because of media attention directed at Libby Riddles, a longshot who became the first woman to win the race in 1985; and then at Susan Butcher, who became the second woman to win the race in 1986, and went on to dominate the race for half a decade. Print and television journalists and crowds of spectators attend the start at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and D Street in Anchorage, and in smaller numbers at the checkpoints along the trail. On the negative side, the death of more than a dozen dogs on the trail during the first race in 1973 was widely criticized by animal rights groups. Despite vast improvements in dog care deaths still occur, and a small but vocal group of activists continue to speak out against the race.

Related Topics:
Sport - Celebrities - 1970s - Norwegian - Robert Sørlie - Media - Libby Riddles - 1985 - Susan Butcher - Animal rights groups

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When the Iditarod began (1973), it was much different from what it is today. When it began, it wasn't so much a "race" as an "event" to commemorate the tradition of dog mushing, where serious mushers got together to test themselves and their dogs. Then came the money, specifically the money that accompanies network TV coverage. With the money, came the huge dog lots breeding the scrawny (but fast) dogs that we see today. Many who are familiar with the history of the Iditarod look back with nostalgia on the early days, when the mushers had smaller teams with bigger dogs, and the emphasis was not on winning the race; the emphasis was on completing the task.

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