2008 Woodie Awards
Iditarod: Last Great Race on Earth
Angela Gonzalez
Issue date: 3/24/06 Section: Sports
- Page 1 of 1
The thirty-fourth annual Iditarod race came to an end on Wednesday, March 15, 2006 when Jeff King crossed the finish line in Nome, Alaska. This over 1,150 mile race over the rough terrain of Alaska is called the last great race on earth and spans over 10 to 17 days.
The first full-length Iditarod was run in 1973. The official trail, now a National Historic Trail, is only accessible by dog sled teams in the winter. The race itself stems from a long, rich history of determination and perseverance as the trail was used to send supplies and mail before the advent of air travel and snow mobiles took the place of dog sleds.
Dorothy G. Page, the "mother of the Iditarod," recognized the importance of preserving sled dogs and the role they played in Alaska's history. She initially presented the idea of holding a race back in 1964. The name "Iditarod" comes from an Indian word meaning "distant place."
Since 1983, the race has started in Anchorage and ended in Nome. There's usually an average of 65 teams competing initially. Each musher employs a team of 12 or 16 dogs outfitted with special boots to protect their paws from the jagged ice on the trail. The teams must make it through 26 checkpoints along the way.
There is a tradition known as the "Widow's Lamp" where a kerosene lamp is lit and hung out in Nome and not extinguished until the last musher has crossed the finish line, signifying the official end of the Iditarod race. Another tradition is the "Red Lantern" award, which is given to the last musher to complete the race to show that even completing the Iditarod is worth recognition. Back in 1973, the Red Lantern winner didn't finish until 32 days, five hours, 19 minutes and one second after the race began; not a simple task in the least bit!
The Iditarod has since become a world-renowned sporting event attracting mushers from all over the world to compete. The first musher from outside of Alaska, Doug Swingley, won the Iditarod in 1995 with a time of nine days, two hours, 42 minutes and 19 seconds. The fastest time in which the race was completed was achieved by Martin Buser in 2002 when he finished in eight days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and two seconds.
This year's winner, Jeff King, has actually taken home three previous Iditarod championships. He now also claims the title of being the oldest musher to win the Iditarod. King's official time was nine days, 11 hours, 11 minutes and 36 seconds.
The first full-length Iditarod was run in 1973. The official trail, now a National Historic Trail, is only accessible by dog sled teams in the winter. The race itself stems from a long, rich history of determination and perseverance as the trail was used to send supplies and mail before the advent of air travel and snow mobiles took the place of dog sleds.
Dorothy G. Page, the "mother of the Iditarod," recognized the importance of preserving sled dogs and the role they played in Alaska's history. She initially presented the idea of holding a race back in 1964. The name "Iditarod" comes from an Indian word meaning "distant place."
Since 1983, the race has started in Anchorage and ended in Nome. There's usually an average of 65 teams competing initially. Each musher employs a team of 12 or 16 dogs outfitted with special boots to protect their paws from the jagged ice on the trail. The teams must make it through 26 checkpoints along the way.
There is a tradition known as the "Widow's Lamp" where a kerosene lamp is lit and hung out in Nome and not extinguished until the last musher has crossed the finish line, signifying the official end of the Iditarod race. Another tradition is the "Red Lantern" award, which is given to the last musher to complete the race to show that even completing the Iditarod is worth recognition. Back in 1973, the Red Lantern winner didn't finish until 32 days, five hours, 19 minutes and one second after the race began; not a simple task in the least bit!
The Iditarod has since become a world-renowned sporting event attracting mushers from all over the world to compete. The first musher from outside of Alaska, Doug Swingley, won the Iditarod in 1995 with a time of nine days, two hours, 42 minutes and 19 seconds. The fastest time in which the race was completed was achieved by Martin Buser in 2002 when he finished in eight days, 22 hours, 46 minutes and two seconds.
This year's winner, Jeff King, has actually taken home three previous Iditarod championships. He now also claims the title of being the oldest musher to win the Iditarod. King's official time was nine days, 11 hours, 11 minutes and 36 seconds.