Iditarod

Some call it "The Last Great Race on Earth" -- man and animal pushed to their limits in a test of endurance, skill and knowledge. What started out as a dog sled path for  delivering supplies, medicine and mail to the Interior mining towns and way of bringing out the gold, has since turned into a National Historic Trail and a treacherous route for the highly esteemed dog mushing race known around the world.

After the gold rush, population in these remote places had dwindled. Modern advances such as the snowmachine and airplane made the need for the sled path minimal. Over time, people forgot this unique part of Alaska's history until, in the 1960's a Wasilla woman named Dorothy G. Page spawned the brilliant idea of a race on the forgotten Trail. Mushers set off in their first official race in 1967, though on a significantly shorter route than  in came to be a few years later.

Stretching over 1,150 miles, mushers and their K-9 companions travel  through busy, populated towns such as Anchorage as well as remote villages and vast arctic tundra. Sweeping atop frozen rivers and through dense forests, they endure long hours of Alaskan darkness and temperatures that drop well below zero. In some of the coldest tundra areas, temperatures can drop as low as 90 below zero and be accompanied by 60mph winds!

 Along with providing entertainment for the young and old the race provides an opportunity for mushers and their dogs to show off their skills doing what  they love to do. The race also brings a boost to the economy of the trail's small villages that are otherwise self-sustaining and un-noticed.

The teams average sixteen dogs and the races average 10 to 17 days. The fastest winning time was 9 days and approx 2 hrs. The slowest winning time was just over 20 days and  15 hrs. The longest it's ever taken a musher to complete the race was 32 days and approximately 15 hrs. But, hey--just to finish is a feat!! The next Iditarod will begin on Saturday, March 1, 2008 at 10am in Anchorage - at the intersection of 4th Ave and 'D' Street.

2008 Iditarod Checkpoints:
Northern route -- (even years)

begins Saturday, March 1st at 10am in Anchorage--4th Ave and D Street

        1.) Anchorage                                       14.) Cripple                       
          2.) Eagle River                                     15.) Ruby
          3.) Wasilla                                            16.) Galena
          4.) Knik                                                17.) Nulato
          5.) Yentna Station                                18.) Kaltag
          6.) Skwentna                                        19.) Unalakleet
          7.) Finger Lake                                     20.) Shaktoolik
          8.) Rainy Pass                                       21.) Koyuk  
          9.) Rohn                                                22.) Elim
        10.) Nikolai                                             23.) Golovin
        11.) McGrath                                          23.) White Mountain
        12.) Takotna                                            24.) Safety
        13.) Ophir                                                25.) Nome