Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the WAY!

On The Trail

Every musher has a different tactic. Each one has a special menu for feeding and snacking the dogs. Each one has a different strategy — some run in the daylight, some run at night. Each one has a different training schedule and his own ideas on dog care, dog stamina and his own personal ability.

The rules of the race lay out certain regulations which each musher must abide by. There are certain pieces of equipment each team must have — an arctic parka, a heavy sleeping bag, an ax, snowshoes, musher food, dog food and boots for each dog’s feet to protect against cutting ice and hard packed snow injuries.

Mushers spend an entire year getting ready and raising the money needed to get to Nome. Some prepare around a full-time job. In addition to planning the equipment and feeding needs for up to three weeks on the trail, hundreds of hours and hundreds of miles of training have to be put on each team. 

There are names which are automatically associated with the race — Joe Redington, Sr., co-founder of the classic and affectionately know as “Father of the Iditarod.” Rick Swenson from Two River, Alaska, the only five time winner, the only musher to have entered 20 Iditarod races and never finished out of the top ten. Dick Mackey from Nenana who beat Swenson by one second in 1978 to achieve the impossible photo finish after two weeks on the trail. Norman Vaughan who at the age of 88 finished the race for the fourth time and led an expedition to Antarctica in the winter of 93–94. Four time winner, Susan Butcher, was the first woman to ever place in the top 10. And of course, Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod in 1985.

There are others — Herbie Nayokpuk, Shishmaref; Emmitt Peters, Ruby, whose record set in 1975 was not broken until 1980, when Joe May, Trapper Creek, knocked seven hours off the record… the flying Anderson’s, Babe and Eep, from McGrath.. Rick Mackey, who wearing his father Dick’s winning #13, crossed the finish line first in 1983, making them the only father and son to have both won an Iditarod… Lance Mackey, Dick’s son, Rick’s brother, wearing bib #13 on his first win… Joe Runyan, 1989 champion and the only musher to have won the Alpirod (European long distance race), the Yukon Quest, (long distance race between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, YT) and the Iditarod… Terry Adkins, retired from the United States Air Force, the only veterinarian on the first Iditarod and one of the two musher to have completed 20 out of 23 Iditarods. (The other is Rick Swenson.) The list goes on, each name bringing with it a tale of adventure, a feeling of accomplishment, a touch of hero. Each musher, whether in the top ten, or winner of the Red Lantern (last place) has accomplished a feat few dare to attempt. Each has gone the distance and established a place for their team in the annals of Iditarod lore.

What the Iditrod is NOT

Contrary to popular belief, the Iditarod Sled Dog Race does NOT commemorate the drivers and dogs from the  "Great Race of Mercy" that brought the diphtheria serum to those in need in Nome, Alaska in 1925.  Rather it honors the history of dog mushing and its traditions.

Wikipedia has this to say about the serum run:

During the 1925 serum run to Nome, also known as the "Great Race of Mercy", 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs relayed diphtheria antitoxin 674 miles (1,085 km) by dog sled across the U.S. territory of Alaska in five and a half days, saving the small city of Nome and the surrounding communities from an incipient epidemic.

Both the mushers and their dogs were portrayed as heroes in the newly popular medium of radio, and received headline coverage in newspapers across the United States. Balto, the lead sled dog on the final stretch into Nome, became the most famous canine celebrity of the era after Rin Tin Tin, and his statue is a popular tourist attraction in New York City's Central Park. The publicity also helped spur an inoculation campaign in the U.S. that dramatically reduced the threat of the disease.

The sled dog was the primary means of transportation and communication in subarctic communities around the world, and the race became both the last great hurrah and the most famous event in the history of mushing, before first aircraft in the 1930s and then the snowmobile in the 1960s drove the dog sled almost intoextinction.

The notion that the Iditarod recreates the serum run has been perpetuated by the media over the years. But, the Iditarod Race was really patterned after the All-Alaska Sweepstakes of 1907-8.

You can learn more about the Iditarod National Historic Trail at the National Historic Iditarod Trail Alliance here.  It has a fascinating history.  More information on the history of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race can be found on the Iditarod site here.

Starting Line

I just found this video from one of my Iditarod sources and thought it was pretty amazing. This is 10-sled dog teams starting the Saskatchewan Championships. Remember, mushers can only control their teams with verbal commands and an anchor hook that digs into the snow.  There are no reins or leashes or other control devices.  The harness keeps them together and in place and pulls the sled. This is awesome, but could you imagine if that was 66 16-dog teams?  That's over a thousand dogs hyped up and ready to run!  Yowza!

The start of the Iditarod is a bit more controled (and safer, I think).  The race has started in downtown Anchorage since 1983. The teams leave the start line at the corner of 4th and “D” at two minute intervals, starting at 10 a.m. This is a ceremonial start and does not count in the overall time to Nome.

On the following day, Sunday, mushers will again line up for the restart in Willow.  At 2:00 PM, the first teams will depart on their way to Nome, leaving in 2 minute intervals until all of the teams have left.   The clock starts for the mushers as they leave the starting line. The difference in starting times is ‘made up’ on a musher’s 24 hour mandatory layover.

The Most Commonly Asked Question About the Trail

Why does the trail go one way in even years (northern) and the other way in odd years (southern)?

Both sections of trail are a part of the Iditarod National Historical Trail which was used in early years for all winter travel. Dog sleds delivered the mail, the preacher, the groceries, and hauled out gold and furs all the way to Anchorage or Fairbanks.

During the early years of the Iditarod Race, the mushers only traveled the northern trail. After several years, the Iditarod Board of Directors realized that the smaller villages were being heavily impacted by the race coming through their village year after year. It was decided to use both sections of the trail.

This decision had a three fold effect. The northern villages of Ruby, Galena and Nulato only had to deal with the large group of mushers, press, and volunteers every other year. The second effect was that the race was able to pass through the actual ghost town of Iditarod. Lastly, the villages of Shageluk, Anvik, and Grayling were able to participate in the race.

Support the Iditarod

Money for Mushers is all about having fun and raising money for the Multnomah County Animal Shelter, but I wanted to take a minute to let you know that the Iditarod Sled Dog Race is a non-profit effort.  It costs a few million dollars to put the race on every year and they are very happy to accept donations.  If you enjoy following the race you might make a little extra donation to the Iditatrod Trail Committee

Five Days and Counting!

We're getting close to the start of the race!  Did any of you follow the Junior Iditarod Sled Dog Race this weekend to get in the spirit of things?

The Junior Iditarod is a scaled down version of the official race.  Teens fourteen to seventeen years old participate and the race is intended to prepare younger mushers for the much longer Iditarod.  This race is a mere 148-158 miles however, and generally is run in two days.  The race commonly runs from Knik Lake to Yentna Station to WIllow Lake. Trail location may vary year to year depending on trail conditions. At the half way point mushers must care for their sled dogs and camp overnight for either 8 or 12 hours, before returning the following day. Each team is composed of between 5 and 10 sled dogs, and is required to carry the same equipment as the competitors in the Iditarod.

The 2013 winner was  Noah Pereia from Clarkson, NY. Noah is a Junior is high school and has been mushing for six years in his home state of New York. He's been training with last year's Iditarod winner, Dallas Seavey since December and raced with dogs from Dallas's kennel.  I guess it helps to learn from the best!

Congratulations to Noah and to all 13 of the Junior Iditarod mushers!

Get Into It

If you are still unsure what the Iditarod is all about, I recommend checking out Ididtarod: The Toughest Race on Earth.  This video, done by the Discovery Channel, follows 96 sledding teams of mushers and dogs as they vie for the 2008 Iditarod title in Alaska's remote and rugged wilderness.  It's available on Netflix in their "watch instantly" section.  You Tube also has some of the episodes on their site.

You can get a taste of the show by checking out this link.

The mushers highlighted in this series, Lance Mackey, Martin Buser, and DeeDee Jonrow are all Iditarod legends who are also participating in the 2013 race.  You can choose Buser or Jonrow as your musher to follow for just a $25 donation.  Mackey is already chosen by a fellow employee.

If you do watch the series, let us know what you think of it. I found it fascinating to see an insider's view of what happens during the race.  It totally confirmed my opinion that the people who decide to run this race are a little crazy.  :-)

Rohn Buser Withdraws From Race

2013 IDITAROD BREAKING NEWS: Veteran Iditarod Musher & 2012 Horizon Lines Most Improved Musher, Rohn Buser has withdrawn from Iditarod 41.

Rohn has decided to withdraw citing he is mixing his Iditarod team with his father, Veteran Iditarod Musher and Champion Martin Buser's team.

Think Martin is gearing for another Iditarod win with this move?  Could be!

So What Is This Iditarod Thing All About Anyway?

So let's start at the very begining.  What exactly is the Iditarod?  Wikipedia has a good explanation, which I will post here for you.  Hit the link if you want to read on.

Essentialy, the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is an annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March from Anchorage to Nome. Mushers and a team of 12–16 dogs, of which at least 6 must be on the towline at the finish line, cover the distance in 9–15 days. The Iditarod began in 1973 as an event to test the best sled dog mushers and teams but evolved into today's highly competitive race. The current fastest winning time record was set in 2011 by John Baker with a time of 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, and 39 seconds.^[2] As of 2012, Dallas Seavey is the youngest musher to win the race. Seavey is the third generation in his family to race. In the race were Mitch Seavey, Dallas' father and 2004 race winner, and Dan Seavey, Dallas' grandfather and one of the organizers of the first races.

Teams frequently race through blizzards causing whiteout conditions, sub-zero temperatures and gale-force winds which can cause the wind chill to reach −100 °F (−73 °C). A ceremonial start occurs in the city of Anchorage and is followed by the official restart in Willow, a city in the south central region of the state. The restart was originally in Wasilla, but because of too little snow, the restart was permanently moved to Willow in 2008. The trail runs from Willow up the Rainy Pass of the Alaska Range into the sparsely populated interior, and then along the shore of the Bering Sea, finally reaching Nome in western Alaska. The trail is through a harsh landscape of tundra and spruce forests, over hills and mountain passes, and across rivers. While the start in Anchorage is in the middle of a large urban center, most of the route passes through widely separated towns and villages, and small Athabaskan and Inupiat settlements. The Iditarod is regarded as a symbolic link to the early history of the state and is connected to many traditions commemorating the legacy of dog mushing.

The race is the most popular sporting event in Alaska, and the top mushers and their teams of dogs are local celebrities; this popularity is credited with the resurgence of recreational mushing in the state since the 1970s. While the yearly field of more than fifty mushers and about a thousand dogs is still largely Alaskan, competitors from fourteen countries have completed the event including the Swiss Martin Buser, who became the first international winner in 1992.

The Iditarod received more attention outside of the state after the 1985 victory of Libby Riddles, a long shot who became the first woman to win the race. Susan Butcher became the second woman to win the race and went on to dominate for five whole years. Print and television journalists and crowds of spectators attend the ceremonial start at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and D Street in Anchorage and in smaller numbers at the checkpoints along the trail.

Money For Mushers 2013

As the Iditarod Race quickly approaches (14 days, 20 hours, 26 minutes, 31 seconds and counting!) it’s time to start thinking about what musher you want to pick for our 2nd annual Money for Mushers contest.  Last year the Charitable Giving Team raised over $400 for the Multnomah County Animal Shelter.  We can beat that this year, I’m sure!

Here’s how it works:  You choose a musher to follow throughout the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.  The race usually takes between 8 and 14 days to complete, so you have lots of time to get to know the participants and learn about Alaska, the Iditarod, and sled dog racing along the way.  If you choose the team that crosses the finish line first you get a prize! ($10 gift card for those that randomly select a musher; $40 for those that choose their own).

That’s it.  Pretty easy, right?

Here’s the general time frame:

February 20        Entries open to select a specific musher.  First come first pick!  
February 26        Entries open for randomly selected mushers 
March 2             Ceremonial start to the 41st Annual Iditarod in downtown Anchorage, Alaska
March 3             Official start of the race in Willow Alaska
March 10-11ish   First musher over the finish line. Last year’s race was won by Dallas Seavey in 9 days, 4 hours, 29 minutes and 26 seconds, but there are many, many variables that change during the race, so we don’t know the exact date the first musher will arrive in Nome.
March 12           Money for Mushers prizes are given and the bragging rights for the winner begins!

To play:
A $5 donation gets you a randomly assigned musher to follow.
A $20 donation allows you to choose a specific musher.  (If you choose a past Iditarod race winner it’ll cost you $25!)

Contact Kris Leibrand at x2445 to participate.

As of February 5, 2013 there were 69 mushers signed up for the 2013 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, including 56 veterans and 13 rookies.  Let’s match all those mushers up with a City of Gresham employee!

Iditarod information can be found at www.iditarod.com.