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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 6, 2010 at 10am in
Anchorage.
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