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Published: February 6th 2018
The 2018 race will be the 46th running of the
Iditarod, "The Last Great Race." There are currently 68 teams registered to race across Alaska from near Anchorage to Nome, a distance of about 1,000 miles. The winner in 2017 set a record of just over 8 days to complete the distance. The teams race around the clock, with 3 mandatory rest stops spaced along the course.
The race commemorates the historical delivery of diptheria serum by heroic dog sled teams, back in January, 1925, when Nome was even more remote than it is today; even mail was delivered to Nome by dog sled. When the local doctor diagnosed a few cases of diptheria, he radioed to locate serum to halt the outbreak. In the days of open cockpit planes, in January it wasn't possible to fly the serum in, so it was sent by train from Seattle up to Nenana, a town in central Alaska, where the treacherous dog sled journey began. The trip of nearly 700 miles was completed by a relay of about 20 teams in just over 6 days. That January, temperatures plunged to 50 degrees below zero, at times with gale force winds and white-out conditions.
In current-day Iditarod events, there is a ceremonial start outside of Anchorage. Though it isn't a part of the official race, it is an important tradition. Guests or "Iditariders," bid for the chance to ride through town in sleds that will be competing the next day, with the competing musher and team. This event takes place the day before the official start, which takes place in Willow, AK, about 70 miles north of Anchorage on the first Sunday in March.
Today, the Iditarod is not a relay, but a test of endurance for the musher (I've heard them referred to as the "coach") and a team of up to 16 dog athletes. Through temperatures and conditions I don't want to experience, they head over the Alaskan Range, through woods, over frozen water, and eventually to Nome. The more I read and hear about the race, the more excited I am to be going, just to do my small part. Head on over to YouTube and search for "Iditarod" - you'll find come amazing videos! Here's
