It’s a big time of year in Alaska! Not only are the days getting longer, not only are the first early hints of spring coming – and believe me, the most hardened sourdoughs are ready for spring by now – it's time for one of the big seasonal events here in the Great Land.
Read More: Alaska Man Monday: Iron Dog Results, and a Heroic Anchorage K-9
Yes, it’s that time. The Iditarod is now underway. This is a big event in the Alaska year, one that many people in Alaska and Outside follow. We have a dear friend who ran it once, when she was younger, and she’s given us some vivid descriptions of the vast distances one has to cover, much of it wilderness.
Just days away from the ceremonial start of the 54th Iditarod, fans and mushers are doing their best to keep the excitement on a leash.
Ahead of Saturday, the Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center opened its doors to race faithful for the organization’s annual bib draw banquet. Away from the trail and the noise of dog lots, the event marks a calmer time for teams ahead of the race, a time where they can get to know the fans they’ll be waving goodbye to in about 48 hours.
“That’s what makes Iditarod the best race in the world,” said veteran musher Keaton Loebrich. “There’s people from all over the world that come here, unlike any other dog race. The support for this race is unbelievable.”
The race has, in the last few years, been shrinking somewhat:
There are 37 mushers in this year’s Iditarod: 23 veterans and 14 rookies. Only 34 of the teams are competing to win, though.
Most of the mushers call Alaska home, but a few are traveling from other states and countries.
This year’s field is the second smallest in the race’s history and comes after last year’s record low of 33. It’s a fraction of the 85 teams who competed in the race a decade ago.
Mushers have pointed to the high cost of keeping a kennel as a major factor in the decline.
The ceremonial start was in Anchorage on Saturday, March 7th. The actual dogs-and-sleds portion began in Willow on Sunday, March 8th, and should conclude around March 22nd. Two weeks, give or take, of mushing through the winter Alaska woods. You just have to give these folks credit for endurance and fortitude, no matter where they place in the contest – and their dogs, as well.
This famous race was originally called the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Part of the trail dates back to when the Native Inupiaq and Athabaskan people used it, hundreds of years before the first Russian settlers arrived. Nome depended on the trail, as the ocean froze in winter, making steamship travel to the port impossible. But, no matter what some movies and books would have you believe, the race didn’t begin with the 1925 serum run to Nome; the race as it stands now was first run in 1973. It’s a test of speed and endurance that stretches over 900 miles of Alaska winter.
Got to admire these folks – I’m not anxious to replicate their feats, though. Maybe forty years ago. Not now.
Alaska Man score: 5 moose nuggets each, for everyone involved.
Read More: Alaska Man Monday: Some Iditarod News, Bear Attacks, and Travel Musing
Now, let’s talk about raptors. No, not the Jurassic Park kind. Real ones.
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