Race Through the Wilderness
The Iditarod

photo courtesy Paul and Evy Gebhardt Musher Paul Gebhardt and his sled dog team take off at the start of the 2007 Iditarod.

On March 7, about 70 daring mushers, or sled dog racers, and about 1,000 dogs met in Anchorage, Alaska, for the official opening of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. The Iditarod (eye-DIT-uh-rahd) is one of the most challenging races in the world.

The Iditarod starts in Anchorage and crosses more than 1,000 miles of Alaskan wilderness. It ends up in Nome.

The Mini Page found out more about this exciting race and talked to a long-time Iditarod musher.

photo © Alaska Division of Tourism Alaska natives used the trail for everyday travel needs, such as hunting and visiting.

Historical transport

The Iditarod follows trails that native Alaskans have used for about 10,000 years. European settlers used the same network of trails to carry mail, supplies and people. Dogsleds could get to places where horses and cars could not go.

Until about 1920, the Iditarod Trail was the main Alaskan winter route. Then the dogsled gave way to the airplane.

Race to save lives

In 1925, a dangerous disease called diphtheria (dif-THIR-ee-uh) threatened the people of Nome. It looked as if no one would be able to get the needed medicine to the sick people there.

But dog teams succeeded in carrying the life-saving medicine from Nenana to Nome. Dog and musher teams raced across about 670 miles over the icy wilderness in less than five days.

In 1973, Dorothy G. Page and Joe Redington Sr. started the Iditarod race. They wanted to celebrate the many things sled dogs have done for Alaskans. The sled dogs’ life-saving trip was just one of the services the dogs have provided.

In odd-numbered years, such as 2009, the race jags to include southern villages such as Iditarod. In evennumbered years, the race detours to include villages to the north.

The race

"Iditarod" is the name of a ghost town along the trails. Many experts believe it means "distant place."

The Iditarod begins at Anchorage with a ceremonial start to the race. The race truly begins the next day from Willow.

The Iditarod Trail runs for about 1,049 miles. It varies year by year, because obstacles may arise, forcing mushers to break new trail.

The race keeps going until the last team comes in. The fastest winning time was eight days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and two seconds. The last racers can take nearly three weeks to come in.

Mushers begin training dogs in August, with the dogs pulling four-wheelers. In the spring and early summer, when the snow thaws, the dogs get a vacation.