(2018 Alaska Ep 40)
As we’ve traveled through various parts of Alaska there has been frequent mention and interest shown in sled dog racing. We suspect the Alaska sled racing season is met with as much enthusiasm as college or professional football in the lower 48.
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race is probably the most well known long distance sled dog race in Alaska. The link above gives a lot of very interesting history about dog sled races and the Iditarod.
We visited the Iditarod Trail Race Headquarters in Wasilla and learned lots about sled racing.
- The Iditarod commemorates Alaskan sledding heritage and has been run since 1973.
- Sled dog teams of up to 16 dogs run from Anchorage to Nome, nearly 1000 miles!
- The race is run in early March and can take 15 days or more to complete.
- It has two starts – Anchorage is the ceremonial starting point and Willow (near Wasilla) is the actual starting point.
- The fastest recorded Iditarod time was 8 days, 13 hours, 40 minutes and 13 seconds in 2017.
- The race is not just for men – women have won the race several times.
As mentioned in an earlier blog post, Denali National Park has a nice dog sled presentation. It is amazing how excited the dogs are as they wait to be hitched and how much enthusiasm they show when pulling. Some photos from the presentation:
We saw an interesting quote displayed at the Iditarod visitor center: the dogs are the athletes and the musher the coach! After seeing videos and picture of the rigors of the race, we totally agree. We’ll more closely follow the Iditarod this coming March!
Take the LONG Road... 