The Iditarod trail is just over 1,000 miles long and runs from Willow to Nome. Before snowmobiles and airplanes, dog sled teams driven by "mushers" delivered mail, firewood, food, furs and other needed supplies between the trading posts and tiny settlements across the vast Alaska interior.
The most famous event in the history of Alaskan mushing is the 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the "Great Race of Mercy." People in the tiny village of Nome were sick with diphtheria and the nearest medicine was in Anchorage. Twenty mushers and 100 dogs relayed the package 675 miles to Nome. The dogs ran in relays, with no dog running over 100 miles. They arrived in Nome 5 1/2 days later.
The Iditarod Race began in 1973. Each year over 50 mushers compete with teams of 12 to 16 dogs, racing across the 27 checkpoints to be the first team in Nome. Most of the checkpoints are in remote areas, where the villages can be as small as 100 people. Here is a map of the race course.
The dogs are well-trained athletes that love to run. The mushers take good care of their health, but if a dog gets tired or sick, the musher can carry it in a basket in the dog sled, or leave the dog at a checkpoint to be cared for. The dogs are mixed-breed huskies bred for speed, tough feet, endurance, good attitude, and most importantly the desire to run. Here is what they look like.
This year, our family is sponsoring two mushers, Anna Berington from Kasilof, Alaska and Hans Gatt from Yukon, Canada. Here are their pictures.
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