I got to experience, for the first time, the Iditarod Sled Dog Race here in Alaska! I got to watch the ceremonial start in Anchorage and the actual start to the race in Willow. It was incredible, and absolutely a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Because I'm from Texas and really had no idea what the Iditarod was and what it was like, I loved getting to learn more about the race, its history, and what it's like in reality. I wanted to write about my experience watching the Iditarod start, but I also wanted to provide a little history and facts for everyone who doesn't know that much about the Iditarod (which includes myself!).
What is the Iditarod?
You can’t compare it to any other competitive event in the world! A race over 1150 miles of the roughest, most beautiful terrain Mother Nature has to offer. She throws jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast at the mushers and their dog teams. Add to that temperatures far below zero, winds that can cause a complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness and treacherous climbs and side hills, and you have the Iditarod. A race extraordinaire, a race only possible in Alaska.
From Anchorage, in south central Alaska, to Nome on the western Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover over 1,049 miles in 10 to 17 days. (iditarod.com)
Check out http://iditarod.com/ for more information about the Iditarod, its history, videos, race standings, and more. It truly is such an amazing sport!
Discovery Channel did a documentary on the Iditarod and this is one of the trailers. If you watch it, you can get an idea of what it really is like to be a musher in the Iditarod.
 |
| This map shows the Iditarod Trail, from Anchorage (WIllow) to Nome. |
This picture was taken in Willow, Alaska where we saw the mushers (racers) take off!
One thing I loved seeing was how excited the dogs were to start racing! Some animal rights activists protest this race, saying that it is cruelty to the dogs, but if you saw these dogs at the beginning of the race, you would know how much they love it! They are seriously excited to start and they jump up and down and bark and can't wait to get going. These dogs were born and breed to run and they love it.
How did the Iditarod get its start?
For six thousand years, sled dogs have served as the principal form of transportation for the native peoples of the north. As white settlers, gold miners, and fur trappers moved into what is today Alaska and the northern territories of Canada, they, too, used the dog team for winter transportation. When gold camps boomed in the interior, the request for mail and supply delivery during the winter months were answered by the hearty dogs and musher. One of the major routes followed by the teams was the Iditarod Trail, which crossed Alaska from Seward on the Kenai Peninsula to Nome on the Bering Sea Coast.
In the winter of 1925, a diphtheria epidemic struck Nome. The anti-serum required to stop the epidemic needed to be quickly transported to Nome, but no roads to Nome existed, ships could not sail through the pack ice, and air travel was too dangerous. The Iditarod Trail was the only answer, and a group of 18 dog teams and musher’s relayed the serum 674 miles from Nenana to Nome. This is the well-known story of Balto – the lead dog of the initial serum race.
Clearly sled dogs were a key part of Alaska's early history, but they began to disappear as snowmobiles, airplanes, and roads arrived in Alaska during the middle 20th century. In response to this disappearance, Joe Redington Sr. and a group of musher worked together to start a race across Alaska that followed the old Iditarod Trail. This race was the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and it has become the world's premiere sled dog race since its first running in 1973.
In the winter of 1925, a diphtheria epidemic struck Nome. The anti-serum required to stop the epidemic needed to be quickly transported to Nome, but no roads to Nome existed, ships could not sail through the pack ice, and air travel was too dangerous. The Iditarod Trail was the only answer, and a group of 18 dog teams and musher’s relayed the serum 674 miles from Nenana to Nome. This is the well-known story of Balto – the lead dog of the initial serum race.
Clearly sled dogs were a key part of Alaska's early history, but they began to disappear as snowmobiles, airplanes, and roads arrived in Alaska during the middle 20th century. In response to this disappearance, Joe Redington Sr. and a group of musher worked together to start a race across Alaska that followed the old Iditarod Trail. This race was the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, and it has become the world's premiere sled dog race since its first running in 1973.
 |
| Mushers (the sled racers) wave to the people in Anchorage as they make their start! It is an exciting start of the race. |
Tony and I at the starting line!
What kind of dogs are used in the Iditarod? The most commonly used dog in the Iditarod is the Alaskan Husky. The Alaskan Husky is actually a mixed breed, or mutt, dog that is born and bred to love to pull. Alaskan Huskies are a descendent of the original northern sled dogs (mostly domesticated wolves and wild dogs) used by the native peoples of the North Country.
This picture was taken in Willow, and these dogs are ready to go!
A man in Willow created this fire pit in the snow to keep himself warm while watching the mushers!
 |
| Even the little babies come to watch and are all bundled up! |
 |
| While we were visiting friends in Willow, I got to ride a snowmobile for the first time! It is a lot like a jet ski, but more fun! |
 |
| In Willow, we got to see the mushers a little bit further on down the trail, beginning their 1,500 mile trek. |
What does the winner of the Iditarod receive?
The Iditarod Champion receives over 68,000 dollars in cash plus a brand new Dodge Ram 4x4 pickup (Alaska Dodge Dealers is a major race sponsor). A total of 600,000 dollars is distributed to the top 30 finishers in the race each year, and every musher who finishes the race is awarded $1,049. A few other smaller prizes are awarded along the trail to the first musher into the checkpoints of McGrath and Unalakleet, as well as the first musher to the half-way point and the Yukon River.
In Willow, a lot of people camp out and set up shop to watch the racers pass by. There are barbeques and yummy food and a fun, fellowship atmosphere.
 |
| What is the weather like? The weather is always an unknown variable. From November to early March, when the amount of daylight ranges from 10 to less than 4 hours per day, the lowest temperature readings will fall below zero. Low temperatures of -40 to -50°F or colder occur each winter. Long periods of five to ten or more days of extremely low temperatures occur during the winter months. Nome is the exception, with Norton Sound moderating the local temperatures. While Nome’s overnight winter temperatures typically fall to near zero, readings lower than -20°F are uncommon. From October through April, snow cover is persistent in most areas, without interruption. Colder weather is easier on the dogs, which generally run best in a range from 20-below zero to 20 degrees above. The coldest temperature ever recorded on the Iditarod Race was in ’73 when the temperature with wind chill plummeted to unbelievable –130ยบ F. |
 |
| Everyone setting up to watch the racers go by! |
 |
| My favorite part was seeing the dogs and how excited they were to start the race! This year, Dallas Seavey, 34 years old, became the youngest person ever to win the Iditarod race. Overall, this was one of the most incredible events I have ever witnessed. I am so thankful to live in Alaska and get to watch it year after year!
Sources:
http://www.iditarod.com
http://yukunvacation.com
http://www.alaska101.com/exploreAlaska/maps/iditarodTrailMap.gif
http://oregonsunshine.wordpress.com
|
No comments:
Post a Comment